Cree calendar, children's book relates life experiences to nature

A new children's book frames its author's childhood memories with the moons of the Cree calendar.

When the Trees Crackle with Cold documents Bernice Johnson-Laxdal early years, illustrated by Miriam Korner.

"We have to look back and know where we came from, [give] recognition to the culture we have and it still continues today," Johnson-Laxdal said.

Korner, meanwhile, hopes the book will help readers learn Indigenous culture and consider people's connection to nature and its importance to life. 

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The Cree calendar follows the cycle of nature and the changing of seasons as a reference point, said Johnson-Laxdal.

The month of February is known as the Eagle Moon in the Cree calendar, for instance. The moon signifies the return of the eagle to the riverbank, Johnson-Laxdal said. 

She explained how during her childhood, her father would take his dogs and sled out to the trap lines for weeks. When he returned from his journey with furs to sell, it was like the eagle returning.

October is known as the Migrating Moon in the Cree calendar. Johnson-Laxdal used the migration of birds down south and put it in the context of her own life.

She mentioned that her family would pick cranberries toward the end of September. Though they were not quite ripe, they would eventually ripen over time as they were stored, she said. Then in October, the family would prepare cranberry preserves for the winter months. 

"If you go out to a remote cabin, that's exactly what we do. We don't count the days; we forget what day of the week it is," Korner said.

"But we watch nature closely and I always found that very interesting and I think it's beautiful that the Cree people express that in their way of counting their months." 

Johnson-Laxdal's new book is aimed at children but it is one she hopes resonates with older generations as well.