JACKSON, Wyo. — The full “Hunter’s Moon” will peak this month on Saturday, Oct. 28.
Like the recent Harvest Moon, the Hunter’s Moon is based on the autumnal equinox, which fell on Sept. 23 this year. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the equinox, so it can either be in September or October. The Hunter’s Moon is the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon, so it can be in either October or November.
“The earliest use of the term ‘Hunter’s Moon,’ cited in the Oxford English Dictionary, is from 1710,” says the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The moon will rise at similar times over the next few nights, just like the Harvest Moon, creating a bright moonlight early in the evening. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, this light aided hunters, and that’s why it’s called the Hunter’s Moon.
American Indians have been naming the moons long before 1710. The moon names for October used by many tribes reference the changes experienced during the fall season.
According to Western Washington University, Newe (Shoshone) called October’s moon “naa-mea'” meaning, rutting. The Indé (Apache) called it “the time when the corn is taken,” the Hinanaeina (Arapaho) called it the “falling leaves moon,” and the Nakodabi (Assiniboine) called it “anukope” moon, which means “joins both sides.”
The Tsis tsis’tas (Cheyenne) called it the “freeze begins on stream’s edge moon” and the Nermernuh (Comanche) called it the “yuba mua,” meaning fall moon. The Nêhiyawak (Cree) called it the “opinahamowipizun,” which means “moon the birds fly south.” The Kaigini (Haida) which occupied what is now Alaska called October’s moon, “cha’áaw kungáay,” which means “bears hibernate moon.”
