DRUM SERIES - POSTER - Groundhog Moon, Frog Drum, Trout Moon (Horizontal)

DRUM SERIES - POSTER - Groundhog Moon, Frog Drum, Trout Moon (Horizontal)Artist: Roy Henry Vickers Medium: Poster Poster Size: 38" x 16. 25" Drum Size: 10" diameter Orientation: Horizontal Information A Poster Reproduction of the DRUM SERIES featuring the images of Groundhog Moon, Frog Drum, and Trout Moon. Please note this poster will ship rolled in a tube. STORIES Groundhog Moon In the early days of the Gitksan people on the Skeena River, there was no September. That time of the year was called the moon of the groundhog.

Information

A Poster Reproduction of the DRUM SERIES featuring the images of Groundhog Moon, Frog Drum, and Trout Moon.

Please note this poster will ship rolled in a tube.

STORIES

Groundhog Moon 

In the early days of the Gitksan people on the Skeena River, there was no September. That time of the year was called the moon of the groundhog. All the moons had names that revealed common occurrences in the people's lives.

In September, the groundhogs are fat and ready to hibernate, and so are common food to the people.

During my visits to the mountains, I've noticed that the grizzly bear is preparing for a long sleep and is looking for groundhogs.

So, the footsteps of humans and grizzlies lead them in the hunt for an annual feed of groundhogs.

Frog Drum

This Frog Drum is the first in a series of thirteen drum designs that represent the names of the moons from various Coastal Nations. I have chosen the frog to begin the series for several reasons. This design has been with me for about eight years, though it has been waiting for the others to be completed. Time has gone by quickly, and I have decided to release the first designs before I know exactly what the others will be.

This past February, I completed my third traditional fast and committed to becoming a Sweat Lodge leader. When I came out of my fast, it was near the end of February, and the frogs began emerging after the winter months, singing throughout the Saanich Peninsula.

Their song reminded me that the moon in February is called the Frog Moon among the Tsartlip people. With the March moon, the frogs continue to sing, heralding the arrival of spring.

Trout Moon

I originally intended to name the last three moons in the Gitksan lunar series, but I discovered that there are no traditional names for the October and November moons among the Gitksan.

The Nishga refer to October’s moon as the Moon of Trout Fishing. I personally enjoy fishing for Steelhead in October, especially in the Kispiox and Skeena Rivers.

On Thanksgiving Day in 2004, I fished the upper Kispiox River, where I caught my first Steelhead on a fly in a spot sheltered by cottonwood trees. It was a rewarding day, and for me, October will always be the Trout Moon.