A Grass Burning Moon

More about A Grass Burning Moon

From the Myaamia Center at Miami University, the Cultural Resources Office of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and guests from the Myaamia community.
https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/ecology/lunar-months/saasaakayolia-kiilhswa/

"Šaašaakayolia Kiilhswa ‘Grass Burning Moon’ is named for the specific way fires burn during this time of the year. At the end of neepinwiki ‘summer,’ we move through the transition of teekwaakiki ‘fall’ and into peepoonki ‘winter.’ It is during this time that the forest understory and prairie grasses start to dry out. Generations ago, Myaamiaki ‘Miami people’ intentionally lit fires during this time of year. Fire cleared out the brush and brambles in the forests and helped maintain healthy grasses on the prairies. One benefit of these intentional fires was to create habitats that were favorable to big game like moohswa ‘White-tailed deer,’ miihšiwia ‘Eastern American elk,’ and lenaswa ‘bison.’ During this month, there is still enough moisture retained in the plant material that fires are of low intensity. These fires mostly smolder and burn in streaky patches."