January 2013 Volume 47 Issue 1
swədəbš qyuuqs
To new beginnings
sexSiCelwa?s (suhw-SHEETS-ehl-wah-s) Moon of the Windy Time
“The Moon around late January/February is “moon of the windy time.” In the bays, Chinook salmon, also called black mouth or kings, are fished year round. Sea-run cutthroat trout and steelhead are fished during the winter moons; ducks, geese, elk and deer are hunted; and tools and baskets are constructed. Ironwood, as strong as its name, is usually harvested from the shrub oceanspray and used for making many of these tools:fish spears, fish sticks for cooking, and long kitting needles for sewing cattail sleeping mats. Ironwood is harvested before and after the height of the fishing season.”—13 Moons: The 13 Lunar Phases, And How They Guide the Swinomish People