Beaver Moon

While traveling in the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver overheard the native-American description of the November full moon as a “Beaver Moon.”

He learned that native people called it that, because it appeared when beavers were finishing their preparations for winter.

“Beaver Moon” was not the only description for the November moon. The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains that indigenous Americans had many names for this moon.

The Dakota and Lakota called it a “Deer Rutting Moon.” The Tlinget described it as a “Digging” or “Scratching Moon” when bear would dig their winter dens, while the Algonquin called it a “Whitefish Moon” as it appeared when fish spawned. The Cree and Assiniboine people described the November moon as a “Frost Moon” and the Anishinaabe used the term “Freezing Moon.”

Let’s just say that whatever you call it, it’s beautiful.