How the weather shaped traditions in this Native American culture

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Weather in Indigenous communities

For centuries, the weather has played a vital role in the lives of American Indians.

From satellites to radars to the FOX Weather app, there are a number of ways to get the weather. 

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However, long before weather technology was sent into space or downsized to fit in the palm of your hand, the weather was forecast using traditional methods.

"Most tribes throughout North America, we look at the weather for our way of life," said Larry Yazzie, member of the Meskwaki Nation of Central Iowa. He said the tribe's name means, "People of the Red Earth."

Archival image of a Meskwaki woman, child and a dog outside of a dwelling in Tama, Iowa. During the summer months (May to September), the Meskwaki lived in villages located along major rivers in the center of tribal lands. Their homes consisted of poles covered with slabs of elm bark.

(State Historical Society of Iowa)

Several traditions of the Meskwaki are aligned with the weather and the seasons, with different ceremonies occurring at various times of the year.

"Spring to us is the new year, new beginning," Yazzie said. "It’s the time we plant our corn, time to plant our crops. In the fall is when we harvest our crops – harvest our corn in a traditional way. We still do that today."

According to Yazzie, the Meskwaki gauged the seasons by noting the behavior of animals.

An American bullfrog sits by the water.

(Ben Hasty / MediaNews Group / Reading Eagle / Getty Images)

"There's an old saying that, every time we hear the frogs sing, spring is coming," he said, adding that hearing certain birds around their homes is another way to indicate the arrival of spring.

The seasons were also delineated using astronomical methods.

"The moon plays a significant role in our way of life," Yazzie said. "Our tribe, and I know that many other tribes have certain ceremonies for full moon."

The first full moon after the spring equinox (March 20).

(Gregorio B. Dantes Jr. / Pacific Press / LightRocket / Getty Images)

Preserving the planet

For Yazzie, remembering and sharing these stories and traditional methods is a way to help take care of the planet.

"We live in a planet that's so beautiful, that gives us life and gives us happiness and love," he said. "I want to make sure that I'm doing my part and making sure that we create a beautiful place for our kids, our grandchildren, our grandchildren's kids."

"These stories (need) to be passed down to generations so that we can continue to preserve our world that we live in today," he added.

The 104th Annual Meskwaki Powwow in August 2018. It is a four-day event that commemorates the end of summer.

(Meskwaki Media Services)

‘The Super Bowl of all powwows’

Part of the storytelling involves festivals, such as the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

For nearly 40 years, indigenous tribes across North America have come together at the festival, which has become one of the largest powwows on the continent.

According to Yazzie, the Gathering of Nations is "the Super Bowl of all powwows."

"It's a great opportunity to educate yourself about indigenous people," he said. "We're not just in the history books. We're not just in museums. We're alive, we're here, and we celebrate life through music and dance."

A young man participates in an inter-tribal dance at the Gathering Of Nations PowWow on April 25, 2003 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

(Phillippe Diederich / Getty Images)

The Gathering of Nations and other events help preserve traditions that are closely tied to preserving the planet.

"If you look around, these trees, these plants, they’re life, they’re spirits," Yazzie said. "That's what was taught to us as indigenous people in our teachings and our stories – that these are living spirits. They're living and breathing just like how we live, how we breathe."