Hunter’s Moon, photo by Kari Melissa.

This weekend (September 18-20) they celebrate the Festival of the Falling Leaves Moon, which honors the the heritage of Mackinac Island’s Native peoples and the fall bounty.

Binaakwe-giizis is Anishnaabe (Chippewa/Ojibwe) for falling leaves moon. This moon celebrates the time of year when the trees were told to stay awake for seven days and seven nights and only the cedar, pine and spruce obeyed. As a reward the are ‘ever-green’ and those that were unable to stay awake must shed their leaves each fall.

The Falling Leaves Moon illuminates the remnants of the harvested crops which provided cover for animals during the growing season.

During the founding days of America, European farmers used the bright moonlight to hunt game, fish and gather rice while the Anishnaabe tribes hunted, fished, gathered and prepared to move to their winter camps in order to protect and sustain themselves through the long, cold winters in the Upper Midwest and collect furs for trade value.

Moons of Harvest and Hunters

Wikipedia says that the Hunter’s Moon is also known as Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon. It’s the first full moon after the Harvest Moon, which is the moon closest to the autumnal equinox.