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As you probably could have guessed, native americans did not have traditional calendars, instead, as with many other cultures, they relied heavily upon the phases of the moon and the seasonal changes to keep track of time. It should not be a wonder that they named the full moons based upon major milestones or local events that occurred during those months.
Full moon names were regional, for instance, the lakota refer to the June full moon as the 'Making Fat' moon, the early europeans refer to it as the "Rose" moon. The Algonquins (for which the Abenaqui are grouped together with) referred to the June moon as the Strawberry moon. Here in the northeast, June is the marking of the strawberry ripening season. As I walked my property yesterday I noticed the small native ground strawberries were ripening. They seem a measely morsel, much the size of the low bush native blueberries. I can imagine fields of these little dainty vines and fruit being coveted by our early ancestors for their sweet juiciness.
The coming of this full moon has a little more meaning for me, in that I anticipate these cria I have been waiting for are soon on their way. It is not just folklore that the rate of births increase during the full moon. Ask any livestock breeder, obsetetrician or hospital worker and they will tell you, they prepare differently on the full moon. My anxiety is no exception. I noticed some major changes in Odanak today. I am hoping that the Strawberry moon expected this weekend helps to pull my girls through and we can stop waiting for these cria to arrive.
I really want to share the birth photos with all of you. Some of them may be a little graphic. I apologize in advance. If you do not want to see the birth photos, simply look away, close the page. You have the power to choose your own fate. Keep Odie and Clover in your thoughts. Hope for fast, incident-free births.
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