For Immediate Release
August 15, 2008

Mackinac Island’s Festival of the Falling Leaves Moon , September 20-22, 2008
Mackinac Island’s newest biannual festival celebrates the fur trade era on Mackinac Island. The fine folks at Spirits of the North will bring reenactors who will immerse themselves in the past while demonstrating just what Mackinac Island was like during the era of the War of 1812 with military reenactments, French voyageurs, fur traders, frolicking fun downtown, a Native American encampment at Windermere Point as well as symposium and storytelling.

Binaakwe-giizis
The name of the festival is the English translation of Binaakwe-giizis, which is Anishnaabe (Chippewa/Ojibwe) for falling leaves moon. This moon celebrates the time of year when the trees were told to stay awake for seven days and seven nights and only the cedar, pine and spruce obeyed. As a reward they are 'ever-green' and those that were unable to stay awake must shed their leaves each fall.

This year, the Falling Leaves Moon begins on September 20 and becomes a full moon in mid-October. The Falling Leaves Moon illuminates the remnants of the harvested crops, which provided cover for animals during the growing season.

During early times in the early days of America’s European immigration, farmers used the bright moonlight to hunt game, fish and gather rice while the Anishnaabe tribes hunted, fished, gathered and prepared to move to their winter camps in order to protect and sustain themselves through the long, cold winters in the Upper Midwest and collect furs for trade value. Mackinac Island's fur trade era was a time of imminent change.

Madame LaFramboise
To celebrate one of Mackinac Island's most notable women Madame LaFramboise (1779-1846), a prominent woman of Ottawa descent who married a French fur trader. She spoke fluent French, English and Ottawa and was able to keep the lines of communication open between everyone in the fur industry. The Madame LaFramboise Fashion Show will take place on Saturday, September 21 from 3pm-5pm at Grand Hotel’s newest restaurant Gate House.