Predicting Weather By The Moon - Xavier University Libraries

Weather By The Moon
Almost all cultures we know of have set farming
clocks around the month. Then crops were planted and harvested
at particular phases.
MAORI AND THE MOON
The pre-European Maori month was purely a lunar
one, commencing with the New Moon –or rather, with the
Whiro night, when it is not visible – it follows that the
named nights of the Moon’s age always presented in the
same aspect, and so served as a reliable calendar. Maori
farmers began planting kumara (sweet potato) on the nights
called Oue, Ari, Rakaunui, Rakaumatohi, Takirau, and
Orongonui, which were the 4th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 19th and
28th nights of the Moon or lunar month. No planting was
done during Full Moon, nor on ‘Korekore’ days(21 st , 22 nd ,
and 23 rd nights) for it was believed that very poor crops
would result. Although absolute uniformity was rare among
the various tribes of the Maori people, due to scattering
and diversity; nevertheless, most planted close to these
dates. The planting months were September, October and
November.
‘Kumara was planted at the time when the Moon is due
north, at Sunset, or twilight, the planting may be continued
for three days. Some tribes planted the tubers only during
spring tides, that is for a period of three days at that period’
An exception seems to have been for gourds, which
were big tuber bowls grown for storage. They were not eaten
but used to hold seeds and water. Because they required
rapid vigorous growth, gourds were generally planted on
the Full Moon. This practice seems widespread.
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