Native American group welcomes summer with moonrise ceremony

By: Abbey Stirgwolt

NEWARK -- A group of seven sat huddled against the chill of the Wednesday dusk and remained perfectly silent and still, obscured from view by a billow of smoke that blew from a shallow dish of burning sage.

As they awaited the rising of the moon atop Observatory Mound in the Octagon Earthworks, the members of the Native American Alliance of Ohio prayed to the Creator and told stories of the moon and stars.

They were there to usher in the coming summer, a tradition observed by their people for many years, said Barbara Crandell, 79, whose heritage is Cherokee.

"This particular day is the first full moon after the blackberries bloom," Crandell said, noting that Native American tradition first marked the change of seasons by plants and crops, not by the white culture's calendar.

The group chose the Octagon Earthworks for the gathering because of the location's rich ties with their ancestors, Crandell said.

"We're at a sacred place, a native place," said Pat Mason, who is a member of the Friends of the Mounds organization.

Crandell said the meeting was facilitated on the grounds, which normally are closed to the public, through the Ohio Historical Society.

"There's a great significance to me, being on the Observatory Mound," she said.

As she stood on a platform overlooking the Octagon Earthworks -- now the site of Moundbuilders Country Club -- Helen Griffin also reflected on the stories the mounds contained.

"These mounds are like church places to us," Griffin said, noting many of the area mounds had been desecrated by people who she said do not seem to understand their significance. "These mounds are very important to us because they are our connection to our past."

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