From a release
HALIFAX: The Mikmaq have long used the moon’s 29-day cycle to connect to recurring events in the natural world.
In their new book authors Cathy LeBlanc and Dave Chapman track the passage of one full year in Mi’kma’ki.
They begin in Mate Calling Time, named after the time of year moose can be heard calling out for each other. following 11 moons include Frogs Croaking Time, Birds Shedding Feathers Time and Trees Fully Leafed Time.
Powerful paintings by Mi’kmaw painter Loretta Gould illustrate events in each lunar month. Stories are told through conversations between author Cathy LeBlanc – “Auntie” – and her young niece Holly.
The stories are based on learnings of the seasons shared with Cathy and Dave by Mi’kmaw elders.
In this book for the first time everyone living in Mi’kmaki can learn more about the natural world through the wisdom embodied in the Mi’kmaw Moons. Cathy and Dave have been presenting the Mi’kmaw Moons to audiences of young people and adults at Keji National Park for eight years.
Cathy Jean LeBlanc is a member of Acadia First Nation and a graduate of St. Thomas University. She is a Mi’kmaw cultural interpreter and student support worker for Indigenous and African Nova Scotian youth.
LeBlanc lives in Bridgewater, N.S.
David Chapman is a physicist and life member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. He was the editor of the RASC Observer’s Handbook (2012–2016 editions).
He is a lifetime amateur astronomer. He lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Loretta Gould is a Mi’kmaw painter and quilter. She is a member of Whycobah First Nation, and lives in Cape Breton.
Mi’kmaw Moons is published by Formac Publishing of Halifax.
