Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-10-09
MANY LANDS HAVE
AN INDIAN SUMMER
BEAUTIFUL FALL PERIOD IS NOT
EXCLUSIVELY AN AMERICAN
SEASON.

Tho beautiful fall period commonly
called Indian summer has made Iowa
the envied of some Of her less favor
ed sister states, but just where Indian
summer as title originated, offers q
question for students to answer.
Some would have it of aboriginal
origin, others again say 1t is not pecU
liar to America but borrowed from the
older lands, England. France, etc.
The god Nanibozhu- 81 the Ojibways
would sit on q rock on the shore OF
Lake Superior and smoke a while, q
week or two, before he went away to
And warm place to sleep during the
winter. The smoke blown from his
mouth and curling up from his pipe
was carried by the winds and humans
saw it as haze.
1861, produces Indian summer" The
Rev. Peter Jones was an Indian, but
there was nothing in the legend OF Ma
l.ibozhu concerning Indian summer
until he put 1t there.
The English had "All Hallown sum
mer" and had borrowed "St. Martins
summer from the French.
This night the siege assuredly I'll
raise:
! Expect Saint Martins summer, hal
cyon days,
Since have entered into these wars.
(Henry VI. part I, act l, scene ~
They also knew "St. Luke's sum
mer." st. Luke's day falls on October
Is, All Hallows November I, and st.
Martins November H. The English
cclonists in America accepted the sea,
son as Indian summer" but without
leaving us their reason for the I'm
dian" It is explained that the In
dams burned over the underbrush In
the forests in November and that the
smoke caused the haze noted as q
characteristic OF the pleasant days Of
late fall and gave the period its name.
II surmised, also, that the deceitful-
ness of the redskin might have been
represented to the settlers in the in
constant and Indispensable season.
A kindred suggestion has been that
after an early furry Of snow, after
frost and inclemency threatening the
Immediate hardships Of winter, came
the peaceful days or weeks OF great
charm when the settler, confident that
war parties had sought the small COM
forts OF the fortified Indian village In
expectation OF severe weather, would
be surprised by sudden foe making
use OF "Indian summer" for forays.
Just why the English colonists gave
~ tha names they know-All Hal
llown, 81. Martins, and st. Luke's-for
the term by which now not only we
but the English themselves know the
rich, .fuh colored odorous days Of fall
.ot %o~&I ~, thu r1iont ronnpd0
which refer to the name.
| It is successful Americanism
which supplanted ancient English
names even in the verse OF poet lau-
reate commemorating the happy.
placid years Of venerable queen.
| It is a time of no fixed calendar
limits. An early record refers to In
dian summer in January. Thoreau
noted the characteristic weather OF
the period at dates varying from Sep
tember 81 to December 1S.
The German "Altweibersommer
(Old Wives summer) and ''Nachsom.
mer (after summer) fall In late au'
tumn. The Scotch equivalent was
l"Go summer" or Goose summer" All
Hallown and st. Martins were days OF
Il late fall and the prevailing American
notion of Indian summer Is late
rather than early fall
OF more local meaning and less gem
eral term is "Squaw winter" OF tenn.
restuous fiurries which threaten IN
immediate inserting Of all meteorolog-
ical rigors only to yield to the soft in.
fluences OF returning warmth. Thus
in sections the existence of Indian
summer is not conceded until there
has been mock winter preceding the
mock summer.
-~,,.,- - r-n~~