November 2024 Full Beaver Moon

November’s full Beaver Moon rises at 4:23PM EST on Friday, November 15.  Full Moons rise as the Sun is setting.  The Sun sets at 5:06PM on this day – another indicator that nights are growing longer.  The traditional full Moon names we use today originated with the Algonquin tribes that lived from New England to Lake Superior.  The full Moon was a marker of time and of the seasons.  Native Americans were very in tune with nature and the changes that came with each season.  They gave each full Moon a unique descriptive name based on what they observed taking place in the changing environment surrounding them.  The Beaver Moon is the fourth and last supermoon of 2024.  Although supermoons are a bit larger and a bit brighter because they are closer to Earth the differences are so small the eye can’t see them. 

Beavers are quite active this time of year.  They’re preparing for winter – building up their lodges, storing food and growing thick warm winter coats.  This was also the time of year, before the water froze, when hunters trapped beaver for food and for their thick, warm, waterproof fur, used to make clothing and hats.  Although Beaver Moon is the traditional and best-known name for the November Moon other Native American tribes had different names for this Moon.  The Tlingit named it Digging Moon for animals digging and scratching at the ground for nuts and other food.  The Dakota and Lakota call this Moon the Deer Rutting Moon because this is the time of year deer are looking for mates.  And the Kiowa call this Moon the Geese Going Moon as geese migrate this time of year.  Other names describe the changing temperature.  The Cree, Choctaw, and Assiniboine call it the Frost Moon. The Ojibwe people call it the Freezing Moon.  The Abenaki call it the Freezing River Maker Moon.  And the Wishram call it the Snowy Mountains in the Morning Moon.

Take the time to enjoy a walk under the full Beaver Moon.