Humboldt County Historical Society

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Passing the Moon through 13 Baskets: A Guide to the Natural Year and Native American Celebrations on the Wild Redwood Coast
By Susan Calla, Sandra Jerabek and Loren Bommelyn
Illustrations by Kevin Haapala

    This handsome, informative and practical guidebook takes its organizing principle from an ancient Yurok tradition: in appreciation and anticipation of nature's bounty, an offering is placed in a basket each month on the full moon. Each chapter, one for each month, beautifully balances a Yurok or Tolowa nature legend against detailed descriptions of the flora and fauna that will be on view that month as nature's pageant unfolds. Through this appealing presentation, one senses the intimate connection native peoples enjoy with the natural world. To top it all off, each chapter concludes with a calendar of functions and list of resources, so the reader knows just where to go to witness the carnivorous Hooded Cobra Lily, the annual newt migration or the spectacle of tens of thousands of geese flying at dawn.