Miskomini-giizis (Raspberry Moon)//Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon) (August 20, 2024)
Boozhoo, aaniin!
A wise man once said that like the Moon, the nurturing heart of the Universe is always present, though it is often hidden from us.
But not so last night.
It's been about a week since the Perseids meteor shower peaked, but last night we witnessed another phenomenon that showed us a glimpse of the gichi-manidoo - this vast and infinite spiritual power that surrounds us. The August 2024 full Moon peaked yesterday night, showing as a rare "full blue supermoon" lighting up the sky. A shadow will gradually creep over the horizon and the Moon's phase will soon transition to a waning gibbous.
WHAT'S THE FULL MOON IN AUGUST CALLED IN OUR LANGUAGE?
Odatagaagomini-giizis (Thimbleberry/Blackberry Moon ), is how the Anishinaabeg call the full moon in the month of August – which also marks the start of the Anishinaabe moon (month) that is called, depending on the region and the dialect spoken:
Aditemini-giizis/Aditewimini-giizis/Aditemini-biisim/Aditewimini-biisim (Ripening Moon)
Manashkosiwe-giizis (Haying Time /Reed or Rush Cutting Moon)
Manizhigewi-giizis (meaning unknown)
Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon)
Manoominii-giizis (Wild Rice Moon)
Odatagaagomini giizis (Blackberry Moon)
Miin-giizis /Miini-giizis (Blueberry Moon)
Miinani-giizis (Blueberries Moon)
Miskomini-giizis, Miskwiwmini-giizis (Raspberry Moon)
Miinike-giizis (Berry Gathering Moon)
Basikwa’o giizis (Flying Moon)
Omba'owi-giizhis/Omba'owi-biisim (meaning unknown)
Aabita-naaniibino-giizis (Middle of the Summer Moon).
The full moon called Odatagaagomini-giizis is the lunar orbit July-August. (This eighth moon of the lunar year can fall in either July or August, depending on the year.) The eighth moon of Creation is called Odatagaagomini-giizis because it is the season when the Anishinaabeg honor the blackberry, which produces an abundance of fruit once every three years.
WHAT'S A BLUE MOON?
The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg calendar – which is a lunar calendar – has a rare full moon called Ozhaawashko-dibikigiizis (literally: blue moon). A "common" full moon occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun, a position it reaches about every 29.5 days. A "Blue Moon" however, refers to one of three things: the 13th moon cycle (month) in a natural year; a second Full Moon in a month (which makes it a solar-calendrical Blue Moon); or a third Full Moon in a season that has four Full Moons (which means it is a seasonal Blue Moon). A season is the period between solstices and equinoxes. Ordinarily one would expect three Full Moons in a season, but occasionally we see four. This year there are three Full Moons between June 21 and Sept. 17, but we had only one Full Moon in August. The full moon we viewed yesterday night was “blue” according to the original definition: “the third full moon in an astronomical season containing four full moons.”
BLUE OR ORANGE MOON?
Why is an Ozhaawashko-dibikigiizis called so, by the way? Why blue? Has it always been our way to call it so? No it hasn't. "Ozhaawashko-dibikigiizis" is one of many words in our language that is, what you could call, an oshki-ikidowin, or "neologism": In this case, a new word, which is a literal translation of a word taken from a foreign language. There is, however, nothing "ozhaawashk" about an Ozhaawashko-dibikigiizis; she will actually appear "ozaawi" (orange) in color. The term blue moon originated from the 16th-century expression “the Moon is blue,” meaning something that was impossible. For two years following the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia in 1883, people around the world reported seeing magically colored sunsets and a Moon that appeared blue. With this possible, but uncommon, occurrence, “once in a blue moon” came to mean "impossible or at least very rarely."
MA'IINGAN GIIZIS (Wolf Moon), is the traditional name some Anishinaabeg use to denote the second or third full moon in a calendar month; to others, it represents the third Full Moon in a season that has four Full Moons, or the thirteenth moon of a lunar year. Wolves howling at this full moon signal a time of change in the spiritual domain; bearwalkers and other shapeshifters will be active during this Full Moon.
Ozaawi-dibikigiizisoog – let's call the phenomenon of a blue moon this from now on: Ma'iingan Giizis, "Wolf Moon" – occur relatively frequently, and happen, astronomically speaking, once every two to three years. The last Ma'iingan Giizis rose in August 2023, and the next is expected to rise on May 31, 2026.
WHAT'S A SUPERMOON?
This month's full moon is notable for a few reasons: For one, not only is it a full moon, but it's also an Ma'iingan Giizis, which, in this case, means it's the third Full Moon in a season that has four Full Moons. Secondly, this Ma'iingan Giizis is also a GICHI-DIBIKIGIIZIS or SUPERMOON, meaning it coincides with perigee, the point in Grandmother Moon's orbit when she is closest to Earth. Why, then, is this moon termed "gichi", or “super”? This refers to the moon’s closeness to Earth during its full phase, making it appear more substantial and brighter. However, with the unaided eye, this size difference probably won't be noticeable.
To read more about the subject of the wolf supermoon, see Star Stories, part 34.
Image: "Mother Earth and the Dance of the 13 Moons" 2022-2024 Zhaawano Giizhik