Cherokee calendar

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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.

Contents

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 Turtle shell calendar.jpg
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]

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 Name 1 Overhill Syllabics
JanuaryU-no-lv-ta-naᎤᏃᎸᏔᎾU-no-lv-ta-niᎤᏃᎸᏔᏂ
FebruaryKa-ga-liᎧᎦᎵKa-ga-liᎧᎦᎵ
MarchA-nvh-yiᎠᏅᏱA-na-yi-li-svᎠᎾᏱᎵᏒ
AprilKa-woh-niᎧᏬᏂGu-wo-niᎫᏬᏂ
MayA-n(i)-s-gv-tiᎠᏂᏍᎨᏘA-na-s-gv-tiᎠᎾᏍᎬᏘ
JuneDe-ha-lu-yiᏕᎭᎷᏱDe-ha-lu-yiᏕᎭᎷᏱ
JulyKu-ye-gwo-naᎫᏰᏉᎾGu-ye-quo-niᎫᏰᏉᏂ
AugustGa-lo-ne-eᎦᎶᏁᎡGa-lo-niᎦᎶᏂ
SeptemberDu-li-s-diᏚᎵᏍᏗDu-li-s-diᏚᎵᏍᏗ
OctoberDu-ni-n(i)h-diᏚᏂᏂᏗDu-ni-no-diᏚᏂᏃᏗ
NovemberNv-da-de-gwaᏅᏓᏕᏆNv-da-de-quaᏅᏓᏕᏆ
DecemberU-s-ki-yaᎤᏍᎩᏯV-s-gi-yiᎥᏍᎩᏱ

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 NameMeanings/Associations
JanuaryUnolvtana or Unâlatŭni [8] "windblown" [9] [10]
FebruaryKagaʔli or Gŭgăli [8] "month when the stars and moon are fixed in the heavens" [9]
MarchAnvhyireferring to strawberries (anŭ) [10]
AprilKawohni or Kùwáni [8] "duck" as in "when the ducks return", "ducks swim in ponds month" [9] [10]
MayAnisgvti, Ansgvti, [8] month of strawberries [9] or making pottery (ŭntĭ), [10]
JuneDehaluyi, [8] Green Corn ceremony, blackberry month [9]
JulyKuyegwona, [8] huckleberry month [9]
AugustGaʔloni, [8] wild grapes month, [9] refers to drying up of the streams [10]
SeptemberDulisdi, [8] translation unknown, Bounding Bush Feast [9]
OctoberDunihidi, Duninhdi, [8] harvestime month, Great New Moon Ceremony [9]
NovemberNvdadequa, Nvdadeqwa, [8] big moon month [9] [10]
DecemberVsdgiyi, 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 GâlûGo-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.

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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. 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