Wintery moon

In Haudenosaunee culture, the moon is their oldest Grandmother - Yukhisótha' - who lights the night-time sky. Grandmother Moon was the first of all mothers who came from the Sky World. She is the leader of women all over the world, and governs the movement of ocean tides. By her changing face, time is measured; and it is Grandmother Moon who watches over the creation of new life, the cycling of the seasons, all the plants' growing cycles, and the ebb and flow of the oceans. Grandmother Moon renews herself 13 times in a calendar year, hence the 13 Moons (Oneida Cultural Heritage Department, 2016).

Haudenosaunee people look up to the moon for when to have ceremonies, and as a guide for when to plant crops that bear fruit above the ground (following the new moon) or when to plant root crops (following the full moon) (Oneida Cultural Heritage Department, 2016).