The Cherokee calendar is traditionally defined as a Lunar calendar marked by 13 moon cycles of 28 days.[note 1] Each cycle was accompanied by a ceremony. In order to rectify the Cherokee calendar with that of the Julian calendar, these cycles were reduced to 12. The seasonal round of ceremonies was integral to Cherokee society. It was considered an important spiritual element for social cohesion and a way to bring all the Cherokee clans together.

The Cherokee, like many other Native tribes, used the number of scutes on the backs of certain species of turtles to determine their calendar cycle. The scutes around the edge added up to 28, the same number of days as in a lunar cycle, while the center contained 13 larger scutes, representing the 13 moon cycles of a year.[1][2]

Turtle shell calendar

Thirteen seasonal moon ceremonies

Cherokee priests, known as ᎠᏂᎫᏔᏂ (A-ni-ku-ta-ni), defined the 13 ceremonies as listed below. The common names in English are listed followed by their names in Cherokee syllabics, the Cherokee name's transcription in the Latin alphabet in parentheses, and a literal translation of the Cherokee name for some of the moons.[3]

  • Cold Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎧᎾᏬᎦ (Nv-da Ka-na-wo-ga)
  • Bone Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎪᎳ (Nv-da Ko-la); lit. 'So little food the people eat bone marrow soup'
  • Wind Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎤᏃᎴ (Nv-da U-no-le); lit. 'Winds prepare the land for renewal'
  • Flower Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎠᏥᎷᏍᎩ (Nv-da A-tsi-lu-s-gi); lit. 'Flowers bloom and the earth is renewed'
  • Planting Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎦᏢᏍᎦ (Nv-da Ga-hlv-sga); lit. 'Putting it in a hole'
  • Green Corn Moon – ᏅᏓ ᏎᎷᎢᏤᎢᏳᏍᏗ (Nv-da Se-lu-i-tse-i-yu-s-di); lit. 'The corn is up'
  • Corn in Tassel Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎤᏥᏣᏔ (Nv-da U-tsi-dsa-ta); lit. 'The corn is showing a tassel'
  • Ripe Corn Moon – ᏅᏓ ᏎᎷᎤᏩᏅᏌ (Nv-da Se-lu-u-wa-nv-sa)
  • End of Fruit Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎤᏓᏔᏅᎠᎩᏍᏗ ᎤᎵᏍᏛ (Nv-da U-da-ta-nv-a-gi-s-di U-li-s-dv)
  • Nut Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎤᏓᏔᏅ (Nv-da U-da-ta-nv)
  • Harvest Moon – ᏅᏓ ᏥᎠᎶᎭ (Nv-da Tsi-yah-lo-ha)
  • Hunting Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎦᏃᎭᎵᏙᎭ (Nv-da Ga-no-ha-li-do-ha)
  • Snow Moon – ᏅᏓ ᎫᏘᎭ (Nv-da Gu-ti-ha); lit. 'First snowfall'

Cherokee names for Julian calendar months

With the expansion of Euro-American influences in North America, the Cherokee adapted their calendar to the widely accepted Julian calendar. As such the 13-moon phase calendar was gradually replaced by a 12-month calendar. However, the months were still associated with ceremonies and are still practiced by traditional Cherokee today.

Below is a list of months according to the Julian calendar followed by their Latin transliterated Kituwah and Overhill dialect name and then Cherokee syllabics for each dialect.[4][5][6][7]

Month Kituwah Name 1 Kituwah Syllabics Overhill Name1 Overhill Syllabics
January U-no-lv-ta-na ᎤᏃᎸᏔᎾ U-no-lv-ta-ni ᎤᏃᎸᏔᏂ
February Ka-ga-li ᎧᎦᎵ Ka-ga-li ᎧᎦᎵ
March A-nvh-yi ᎠᏅᏱ A-na-yi-li-sv ᎠᎾᏱᎵᏒ
April Ka-woh-ni ᎧᏬᏂ Gu-wo-ni ᎫᏬᏂ
May A-n(i)-s-gv-ti ᎠᏂᏍᎨᏘ A-na-s-gv-ti ᎠᎾᏍᎬᏘ
June De-ha-lu-yi ᏕᎭᎷᏱ De-ha-lu-yi ᏕᎭᎷᏱ
July Ku-ye-gwo-na ᎫᏰᏉᎾ Gu-ye-quo-ni ᎫᏰᏉᏂ
August Ga-lo-ne-e ᎦᎶᏁᎡ Ga-lo-ni ᎦᎶᏂ
September Du-li-s-di ᏚᎵᏍᏗ Du-li-s-di ᏚᎵᏍᏗ
October Du-ni-n(i)h-di ᏚᏂᏂᏗ Du-ni-no-di ᏚᏂᏃᏗ
November Nv-da-de-gwa ᏅᏓᏕᏆ Nv-da-de-qua ᏅᏓᏕᏆ
December U-s-ki-ya ᎤᏍᎩᏯ V-s-gi-yi ᎥᏍᎩᏱ

Below is a list of months as they appeared in ethnological studies and books of the Cherokee people from 1894 into the late 20th century, with Julian calendar name followed by Cherokee names and finally the meanings and associations:

Month Cherokee Name Meanings/Associations
January Unolvtana or Unâlatŭni[8] "windblown"[9][10]
February Kagaʔli or Gŭgăli[8] "month when the stars and moon are fixed in the heavens"[9]
March Anvhyi referring to strawberries (anŭ)[10]
April Kawohni or Kùwáni[8] "duck" as in "when the ducks return", "ducks swim in ponds month"[9][10]
May Anisgvti, Ansgvti,[8] month of strawberries[9] or making pottery (ŭntĭ),[10]
June Dehaluyi,[8] Green Corn ceremony, blackberry month[9]
July Kuyegwona,[8] huckleberry month[9]
August Gaʔloni,[8] wild grapes month,[9] refers to drying up of the streams[10]
September Dulisdi,[8] translation unknown, Bounding Bush Feast[9]
October Dunihidi, Duninhdi,[8] harvestime month, Great New Moon Ceremony[9]
November Nvdadequa, Nvdadeqwa,[8] big moon month[9] [10]
December Vsdgiyi, Vskihyi,[8] translation unknown[9]

Seasons

Below are the seasons of the year with relatable names from Mooney in 1894, the Kituwah and Overhill dialects and their respective Syllabics.

Season Name and Meaning per Mooney[10] Kituwah Name (Syllabics)[7] Overhill Name (Syllabics)[6]
Spring Gagéyl, "near the summer" Go-ge-yi (ᎪᎨᏱ) Go-ge-yi (ᎪᎨᏱ)
Summer Gagi, Go-gi (ᎪᎩ) Go-gi (ᎪᎩ)
Autumn Ulăgăhûstû (refers to falling of the leaves) U-la-go-ho-s-di (ᎤᎳᎪᎰᏍᏗ) U-la-go-hv-s-di (ᎤᎳᎪᎲᏍᏗ)
Winter Gâlû Go-la (ᎪᎳ) Go-la (ᎪᎳ)

Notes

  1. ↑ This traditional definition of a moon cycle, however, is shorter than the synodic month by approximately one and a half days.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "The lunar calendar on a turtles's back". Ontario Parks. Parks Blog. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "THIRTEEN MOONS Curriculum" (PDF). onlc.ca. Ontario Native Literacy Coalition, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  3. ↑ "The UCN - Cherokee Moons Page". theucn.com. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  4. ↑ "Learning Cherokee". learningcherokee.weebly.com. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "Days Months" (PDF). cherokee.org. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Word List". cherokee.org. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  7. 1 2 "cherokee language engine". cherokeelanguage.org. EBCI. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Feeling 234
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Dubin 193
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mooney 1894.

Bibliography

  • Bruchac, Joseph; London, Jonathan (1992). Thirteen moons on turtle's back. Puffin Books. ISBN 9780698115842. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  • Dubin, Lois Sherr (1999). North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment: From Prehistory to the Present. New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 0-8109-3689-5.
  • Feeling, Durbin (1975). Pulte, William (ed.). Cherokee-English Dictionary. Tahlequah, Oklahoma: Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. LCCN 75329756.
  • Mooney, James (July 1894). "The Cherokee Calendar System". American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal (1880-1914). 16 (4): 244.
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