Warm, sunny days in late October are a special treat. Helen Hunt Jackson captures this in her first stanza of the poem October’s Bright Blue Weather, one we memorized in elementary school in ancient times. (We posted her September poem earlier.)
O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October’s bright blue weather;
Rare days, indeed, and so more appreciated! Judging from descriptions in the rest of the poem, Ms Jackson must have been thinking of Indian Summer.
Like turtle, tortoise and terapin (see our earlier post), people seem to use the term “Indian Summer” differently. Where I grew up, in the snow country of New York State, Indian Summer was the wonderful few days of warm, sunny, hazy weather in October or November that happened unexpectedly after the first frost. It was our last chance to be outside with light jackets before Old Man Winter locked us into boots and snowsuits and mittens and hats.
So, what is the definition of Indian Summer that is generally accepted? It depends on where you live. In the Northeast US, it’s when the weather is sunny, in the high 60s or low 70s, virtually all of the leaves of the trees have turned and at least one frost has occurred. According to the US Weather Service, there may be several occurrences of Indian Summer in a fall season or none at all (horrors!). For the US Weather Service’s description of the weather variables that constitute Indian Summer, click here.
But why “Indian” Summer? What does “Indian” have to do with it? This is far less clear, although a great many have spent much time trying to pinpoint the origin of the term.
Most research seems to assume that the term originated in the Northeast US, probably during colonial times, and that it took its name from the activities of Native Americans, then known as “Indians.” (And do you know why?) This included, for example, a time of late harvest or hunting in preparation for winter or, less positively, the time of the last raids on colonial settlements before winter set in.
Other research contends that the term “Indian Summer” was a term adopted in the New World from British naval usage. India was a British colony at the time and a major destination for British traders. In the seas around India, the good sailing/shipping times were when cyclones (hurricanes) were least likely. This fair-weather time, from November to March, was nicknamed “summer” by British sailors because it was a favorable time. (We use “summer” similarly to denote good times — e.g, the “summer” of one’s life.) Ships were able to carry the most cargo during this calm time. Some ships actually had “I.S.” marked on their hulls at the load level thought safe during Indian Summer.
What do you think?
What other uses of Indian Summer have you heard?
