Spirit of the Seasons, part 7: Grandmother Turtle and the Dance of the Thirteen Moons

"Innour culture, the stars are used for directions. The moon tells us what month we’re in. The sun is used to tell time. The turtle shell is our calendar."

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Boozhoo, biindigen minawaa. Hello and welcome again. 

Today's story is about how Gookomisinaan Dibik-giizis, Our Grandmother Moon, was created. and why the Anishinaabeg Peoples follow the circular dance of the moon around the earth to track the months of the year. Also, it is explained why we do not use a paper calendar, but the drawing on the back shield of the turtle instead. In other words: why do we traditionally use a dibik-giiziso-dashwaa  (lunar turtle shell calendar) instead of a giiziso-mazina'igan (solar paper calendar)? This explanation is followed by a very old, and truly fascinating, story of the coming of Wiindigoo,  the Spirit of the Cold North (link to a new story), and why this almost forgotten event explains why the Anishinaabeg start their yearly lunar cycle in January. A couple of illustrations of my artwork add extra depth and meaning to the stories.

Part 1:  How the Moon was created

There are several stories of how the Moon was created. Our word for the moon is niibaad-giizis ("sleeping sun") or, as our relatives in the west call her, "dibik-giizis" (night-sun). 

An intriguing explanation is offered through the gikendaasowin-dibaajimowin (scientific theory) that, 5 billion years ago when Mother Earth was still young, a huge aadawaa'am ogimaa (planet) drifting through space the size of Ogichidaa (planet Mars) hit her and knocked her off-kilter. It blasted a big hole in her surface., which sent a huge amount of cosmic dust into the Earth's orbit. That dust, in time, became Gookomisinaan Niibaad Giizis - our Grandmother Moon.

Then there is the more traditionalist version of the Creation Story that could be summarized as follows:

"Many moons ago, when the World was not yet born, there was only something, a Great Mystery that perhaps comes close to what we would call a Dream. This Dream, or Vision, was filled with a vast sky filled with many stars and the day-sun and the night-sun, and beneath it was the earth in the form of a giant sea turtle. One day this Dream, or Vision, was materialized into rock, water, fire, and wind.

These substances were born spontaneously, seemingly out of nothing, and into each was breathed a sacred life breath that our People nowadays call GICHI-MANIDOO (Literally: Great Mystery, or sum of all Mysteries). So it is understood that from these four sacred substances, each gifted with a different soul and spirit and nature and shadow, was created Cosmos, or Order. This brand new Order was filled with what could be called akiwag, or worlds. These akiwag were a family unit of the Sun and lesser stars, the Moon, and the Earth as well as many other planets."

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Yet another, (more recent) traditional story, which speaks of the moon as Wezaawi-giizhigookwe ("Yellow Sky woman"), goes like this:

"The first mother of the Anishinaabeg was once an aadizookaan, a supernatural being residing alone in the sky. Her name was Giizhigookwe, or Sky Woman. GICHI-MANIDOO, the Creator of Earth and Skies, sent a male aadizookaan to Sky Woman to keep her company. Animikii (Thunder), for that was his name, traveled to the lodge of Sky Woman and from the union that took place (rumor has it that Sky Woman showed her lover every hole and corner of the universe!) were born the ANISH-I-NAAB-EG (a twin brother and sister), whom she placed on the back of a giant Mikinaak (snapping turtle).

Giizhigookwe nurtured the twins to manhood and womanhood, and then, as her purpose and nature were finally fulfilled, she ascended back into the sky, where she changed her name in Wezaawigiizhigookwe, Yellow Sky Woman, and became known as Nookomis Dibik-giizis, Grandmother Moon. From here on, Nookomis Moon watched over her children by night; by day Gimishoomisinaan Giizis (the Sunfather)  and Ogashinan (the Earth-grandmother) took care of them. And Nookomis’ existence, her gift of life, and the primacy of women are still remembered by the Anishinaabeg each time Dibik-giizis, the Night Sun shines on their precious island-home.”

Then there is another, very old aadizookaan (sacred story) that is one of my favorites and that goes like this:

"A long time ago the ancestors of the Anishinaabeg lived on the moon. The moon  was created from the cosmic dust that jiingwanag (comets) had blown into the orbit of a bigger aki (planet) that existed near the moon. One bad day the moon started to dry out and before long all the animals died. Since the People had nothing left to eat they decided they had to find another aki (world) to live in. A medicine man found a hole that went through the moon, and looking down he saw this bigger aki, which to him looked a perfect place to live for his People because it was all green and lush and had plenty of water. It was then that he decided that this big aki was where he would move the People. He asked Asibikaashi(spider woman) to lower the people down on her web, and since he had great power, Asibikaashi fulfilled his wish. 

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The animals on this big aki were gigantic, covered with thick scales, and so Wenabozho, the Great Hare Spirit who was their friend, gave the People arrows of flint. Life on the new Aki called  Maamaaman Aki (Mother Earth) was easy, but the People were warned of a jiingwan  coming from gichi-giizhig (outer space) that would burn everything.  The medicine man, who had the power to foresee events, told them to hide in bogs and holes in the ground. He instructed them to take air sacs from name, the sturgeon fish, and breathe through those. 

The Genondawe'anang ("Long Tailed Heavenly Climbing Star") came as predicted. This star, which had radiation and burning heat in its tail, scorched the new-found world. Only the humans who maintained their spiritual beliefs heard the warning and they fled to a bog and rolled themselves up in the moss and mud to protect themselves; others hid in the water and breathed through the air sacs. When the comet hit, its fiery tail spread out over the entire landscape. Nothing survived the heat. It was so hot that everything, even the stones, were cooked, and most of the humans and giant animals and trees were killed off. You can still find their bones and fossilized wood today in the earth! Only those Anishinaabeg who rolled up in the moss and mud and hid under the water lived to tell this story.

Up until that time the people were hairy, but the genondawe'anang burned off their hair and baked them in the mud, turning their skin brown. New animals emerged. They, too, were hard to kill and life for the surviving humans was difficult. Wenabozho, who had his domain on the Morning Star, returned to Earth help them, and he shrank all the animals, since they were too big for the humans to hunt. Also, seeing that  the humans never slept, Nanabush hit them in the head to give them a rest! 

Wenabozho began walking the earth in search of other Human Beings who had survived the comet impact. He allegedly carried Nookomis, his grandmother, on his back. He walked from Gichigami (Lake Superior) to Gichi-adaawe-wiikwed (Hudson Bay). Wenabozho had many adventures along the way. When he reached wiisagiwi-gichigami, the salt water sea in the East nowadays called Atlantic Ocean, he was swallowed by bichinaaneg, a whale!  

After genondawe'anang had hit planet Aki she was cooked, and gold and copper welled up and filled the cracks on the land and beneath the lakes. This is why Anishinaabeg believe it is best not to bother wth the sacred copper, which can be found in the ground and in michi-gami (Lake Superior)!  The earth was bare, but soon the human beings, who now called themselves Anishinaabeg, walked about on the earth and fertilized it, and everything began to grow. Back then the earth was still soft and, in some places, Wenabozho left his footprints or rested; for example, you can still see his chair at the place nowadays called Kensington Point! The land was flat when Nanabush found it. The people asked the spirits for a rough land to protect the animals because the animals needed a place to hide. That is when Wiikobidoomaagan-aki(the Gravity Star) came down and pulled up all the mountains. That is how the earth came to be with water and green hills and all the animals...

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Grandmother Turtle and the Dance of the Thirteen Moons. Visit the website to view details.

Part 2:  The 13 moons on the shell of the turtle

The Anishinaabeg traditionally follow nookomis dibik-giiziso-mazina'igan (a lunar calendar), in contrast with mainstream society, which follows a solar calendar - called the Gregorian calendar.

The solar calendar is based on the movement of Gimishoomisinaan Giizis, the Sun. Nookomis dibik-giiziso-mazina'igan is based on the movement of Nookomis Dibik-giizis, the moon.

According to a traditional Anishinaabe creation story, the world was created when a muskrat brought mud from the bottom of the sea to be placed on the back a giant snapping turtle. The turtle’s shell has thirteen central plates, called scutes.

The Anishinaabeg have always known the wisdom of the Turtle and followed a 13-month calendar. Theirs was not a calendar made of paper -- which is merely an artificial construct --  but of shell.

According to Anishinaabe tradition, when Aki, the Earth, was created, Mikinaak the Turtle was a witness to the creation Aki and all its peoples.

When the Jaasakiidjig, the Shaking Tent Seers, perform their ceremony, Mikinaak is always the first to speak, as Mikinaak serves as a gatekeeper between the physical world and the world of the Manidoog (Spirits). Mikinaak is associated with the Moon; according to tradition it was GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great Mystery, which etched the sacred cycle of the Moon onto Mikinaak's back.

The drawing on a turtle's back or upper shell resembles our lunar calendar. This is Anishinaabeg's way of dating seasonal changes and all the natural events that occur during each season. The lunar calendar followed by the majority of traditional Anishinaabeg Peoples dictates that a moon (month) has 27 to 29 days – with an average of 28 days. In other words: In every year, there are 13 of those moon cycles, each with 27-29 days from one full moon to the next.

The average time it takes for Grandmother Moon to orbit our Earth is 28 days, the same as a woman’s menstrual cycle. This is why, in our culture, the moon is a feminine spirit who  symbolizes the primacy of ikwewag - our women.

Each of the 13 moons of the year holds its own story. It is said that Turtle holds the mystery of each moon on the shell of her back and gives each moon its power.

The shell of the turtle represents the body of events, teachings, and origins of the Anishinaabe. The thirteen large sections on the back of the turtle represent thirteen moons in the Earth’s rotation around the sun. Thirteen also represents the four seasons in the Earth’s cycle around the sun, plus the nine moons it takes for the developing of a human child in the mother’s womb. The scutes (scales) that surround the outer represent the number of days that make up the lunar cycle from full moon to full moon.

For the Anishinaabeg Peoples, the turtle is like a grandmother. She represents the spirit of the people, the women, and the land.

Since the region the Anishinaabeg live in is so large, the moons and the full moon(s) that shine(s) during a month may not be called the same thing for all areas. Some nations, tribes, and bands have more than one name for each moon as there are so many specific (area-related) things going on in the natural world at that time. 

The names of the moons (months) in Anishinaabemowin (the Ojibwe language) are as follows:

Southeastern Anishinaabemowin:

Manidoo Giizis (Spirit Moon) - January Makwa-Giizis (Bear Moon) - February Onaabdan-giizis (Snow crust Moon) - March Pokwaagami-giizis(Snowshoe Breaking Moon)- April Namebine-giizis (Suckerfish Moon) - May Baashkaabigonii-giizis (Blooming Moon) - June
Miin-giizis (Blueberry Moon) - July
Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon) - August
Waabaagbagaa-giizis (Leaves Turning Color Moon) - September
Binaakwe/Binaakwii-giizis (Falling Leaves/Autumn Moon) - October Baashkaakodin-giizis (Freezing Moon) - September Manidoo-giizisoons (Little Spirit Moon)

Southwestern Anishinaabemowin:

Gichimanidoo-giizis (Great Spirit Moon) -January Namebini-giizis (Suckerfish Moon) - February Onaabani-giizis (Snow crust Moon) - March Iskigamizige-giizis (Sugarbushing Moon) - April Zaagibagaa-giizis (Budding Tree Moon) - May Ode'imini-giizis (Heart (Straw)berry Moon) - JuneAbitaa-niibini-giizis (Halfway Summer Moon) - July
Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon) - August
Waatebagaa-giizis (Leaves Turning Color Moon) - September Binaakwe/Binaakwii-giizis (Falling Leaves/Autumn Moon) - October Gashkadino-giizis (Freezing over moon) - Novembe Manidoo-giizisoons (Little Spirit Moon)

Northern Anishinaabemowin:

Gichi-giizis (Big Moon) - January. Migiziwi-giizis (Eagle Moon) - February Niki-giizis (Returning Goose Moon) - March Omagakiiwi-giizis (Frog Moon), Synonyms: Maango-giizis (Loon Moon), Bebookwedaagime-giizis (Snowshoe Breaking Moon) - April. Zaagibagaawi-giizis (Budding Tree Moon) - May. Northeastern Ojibwe synonym: Maango-giizis (Loon Moon) Baashkaawano-giizis (Egg Breaking Moon) - June Abita-niibino-giizis Halfway Summer Moon - July Waatebagaawi-giizis (Leaves Turning Color Moon) - August Moozo-ga-wiijindiwaad-giizis (Moose Mating Moon) - September Binaakwe-giizis (Leaves Falling Moon) - October Gashkadini-giizis (Freezing Over Moon) - November Manidoowi-giizis (Spirit Moon) - December (solstice)

Particularly the moons called June and June on the Gregorian calendar have many names:

June:

Ode'imini-giizis (Heart (Straw)berry Moon) Baashkaawano-giizis(Egg Breaking Moon)
Gitige-giizis (Planting Moon)
Mishiikenh-giizis (Mud Turtle Moon; term used in in the southernmost parts of Anishinaabewaki) 
Ozhibinigaawi-giizhis (sic: Term used by Nakaweg-Ojibweg from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta)
Waabigonii-giizis (Flower Moon)
Waabigwanii-giizis (Flower Moon)
Waabigwaniwi-giizis (Flower Moon)
Waawano-giizis (Egg Moon)
Zaagibagaawi-giizis, or -biisim (Budding Moon; term used by Nakaweg-Ojibweg from Northwestern Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta, and by the Northern Ojibweg/Anishininiwag (Oji-Cree)) 

The Anishinaabe calendar, which goes from Full Moon to Full Moon, is unique as other Indigenous soli-lunar calendar systems go from New Moon to New Moon, or from sliver crescent after the New Moon to the sliver crescent after the New Moon. According to the Anishinaabe calendar, leap month happens in the December-January time frame (New Year begins with the Full Moon on or after the Winter Solstice).

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©2022 Zhaawano Giizhik

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"Epiitaagoojingig: Grandmother's Dance around the Earth."© 2022. The dance of the Moon around the Earth as seen from the gichi-giizhig (outer space) over the North Pole, with the corresponding epiitaagoojingig (moon phases) as seen from Earth. The Earth is depicted as a Turtle. Giizis, the Sun grandfather who dances through the galaxy shedding his rays on the Earth and the Moon is depicted to the right.

Part 3:  Grandmother's dance around the Earth

Part 4: Why our lunar calendar starts in winter