So what is “Indian Summer” anyway?

Since you're reading this, you may be wondering if the unusually warm weather we are seeing this week is the phenomenon commonly referred to as "Indian Summer." Let's examine further.

According to the National Weather Service's Glossary of Weather Terms, Indian Summer is defined as "an abnormally warm and dry weather period, varying in length, that comes in the autumn time of the year, usually in October or November, and only after the first killing frost/freeze."

Based on those words, I'd say this week's weather is textbook Indian Summer weather. 1) We had our first killing freeze last week and over the weekend, 2) Much of this week will be abnormally warm, and 3) it's early November. There, that was easy!

So, where did the term Indian Summer come from? Now that is not so easy. There are many, many theories, but no one really knows. In fact, it may not have anything to do with Native Americans at all which I found surprising in my research. Check out this exerpt from an article published by William R. Deedler, a weather historian for the National Weather Service office in Detroit:

"One explanation of the term "Indian Summer" might be that the early native Indians chose that time of year as their hunting season. This seems reasonable seeing the fall months are still considered the main hunting season for several animals. Also, the mild and hazy weather encourages the animals out, and the haziness of the air gives the hunter the advantage to sneak up on its prey without being detected. Taking this idea one step further, Indians at that time were known to have set fires to prairie grass, underbrush and woods to accentuate the hazy, smokey conditions. But Albert Matthews pointed out that the Indians also did this at other times of the year. Other possibilities include; the Indians made use of the dry, hazy weather to attack the whites before the hard winter set in; that this was the season of the Indian harvest; or, that the predominant southwest winds that accompanied the Indian Summer period were regarded by the Indians as a favor or "blessing" from a "god" in the desert Southwest. Another idea, of a more prejudicial origin, was that possibly the earliest English immigrants equated Indian Summer to "fools" Summer, given the reliability of the resulting weather. Finally, another hypothesis, not at all in the American Indian "camp" of theories, was put forward by an author by the name of H. E. Ware, who noted that ships at that time traversing the Indian Ocean loaded up their cargo the most during the "Indian Summer", or fair weather season. Several ships actually had an "I.S." on their hull at the load level thought safe during the Indian Summer."

The hunting theory makes sense to me, until I think about the fact that all people hunt, not just Native Americans, so that one is out for me. The shipping theory would be plausible if a condition of Indian Summer wasn't that it occur after the first killing freeze. My life experience so far has found it very difficult to kill water, so that one is out for me.

That brings me to the more prejudicial explanation, which, unfortunately, with the white man's history of injustice toward Native Americans, makes the most sense to me. However, the fact of the matter is no one knows the truth and probably never will. What do you think?

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