TWICE IN A BLUE MOON (After Nokomis) Digital video 29:30 colour sound 2021/short extract

The twelve full moons were filmed consecutively each month over a period of a year using a hand held camera, starting on the full moon of 31 October 2020 and finishing on the full moon of 21 September 2021.

I was very fortunate to have recorded 2 Blue Moons during the 12 month period of filming as it is quite rare to even get one blue moon. The first Blue Moon occurred on the 31 October 2020 (Hunters Moon) and called a Blue Moon because it was the second full moon to appear within a calendar month. The other Blue Moon was a rarer Seasonal Blue Moon of the 22 August 2021 (Sturgeon Moon). Called seasonal as it was the third full moon of an astronomical season which has 4 full moons.

Although the expectation is to visually see a blue coloured moon on the occasions when it occurs, colour has nothing to do with it! However, having said that, the Native North American name for the full moon in April is Pink Moon and it did actually look pinkish at the time of filming!

The subtitle to the video refers to Nokomis, which means Grandmother in the Native North American language of the Ojibwe or Ainishinaabe people. Also made famous in the Henry Longfellow poem The Song of Hiawatha, ‘In the days that are forgotten, In the unmarked ages, From the full moon fell Nokomis, Fell the beautiful Nokomis….’.

Each of the twelve full moons in the video are titled from the names which the Native North American people have given to each of the full moons, although there are some differences and variations.

Also of interest is the way in which Native North American people regard the natural world to be part of the First Family and understand that everything in creation has spirit including the sky world, the moon and other planets, plants, trees, water, wind, rocks and mountains.

October – HUNTERS’S MOON

During this full moon the sunset and moonrise are closer together than normal. It is this light that traditionally made October the best time to hunt.

November – BEAVER MOON

November was traditionally the time to set Breaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs.

December – COLD MOON

This is the month of some of the coldest, longest and dark nights. It is also known by different names according to the Native North American people, for example, the Choctaw called it ‘Big Winter Moon’.

January – WOLF MOON

The Wolf Moon is the first full moon of the year and it is called Wolf Moon because the wolves were out in the deep snows. They wandered under the bright light of the full moon during January in search of pray.

February – SNOW MOON

The Snow Moon is the time of year when the North Western Regions have the heaviest of snow falls. Tribes spent more time inside their homes and therefore it was a time for rituals, fasting and personal purification in doors and also to pass on stories to younger generations.

March – WORM MOON

Native North Americans called the March full moon the Worm Moon because earthworms start to surface at this time of year which signalled the end of winter and the start of spring. 

April – PINK MOON

The Pink Moon symbolises the sprouting of seed and the abundance of pink flowers. The Moss Pink or Wild Ground Phlox was one of the first flowers to bloom with the arrival of spring.

May – FLOWER MOON

During May flowers covered the fields and there was an abundance of colour showing the beauty of the Great Spirit.

June – STRAWBERRY MOON

June is the time to pick strawberries, which are at their ripest at this time and have the fullest flavour and juice. The Native North American’s believed that by picking them by moonlight it would ensure a bigger crop the following season.

July – BUCK MOON

July was called the Buck Moon because the bucks grow new antlers at this time of the year. Again, other Native North American’s have different names for this full moon such as ‘Thunder Moon’ because thunderstorms are frequent during this month.

August – STURGEON MOON

Native North American tribes knew that the sturgeon of the Great Lakes were most easily caught during this full moon so they called the August full moon the Sturgeon moon.

September – HARVEST OR CORN MOON

September marked the time of the year when corn was approaching harvest. The Native North American’s used the immensity of moon which was now brighter than ever to harvest their crops. And it was the best time to complete all of their harvest work.

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