Indian Summer?

October 2022

Today it is a bright, sunny 85-degree day.  So what, right?  But it’s October 21st. That’s very warm for this time of year in Michigan. Nothing too extraordinary but still unusual.  My next-door neighbor and I were outside in our yards, as you should be on such a day.  In a small talk sort of way, he shouts out “Quite the Indian Summer, eh?”  I hadn’t heard that in a long time.  Figuring it’s probably not politically correct in today’s climate.  Notice what I did there? Anyway, I acknowledged the fact, we chatted a minute, and then we went on with our respective chores.

But I started to ponder, where the heck did that term come from?  Indian Summer?  So of course, once I was done sweating my way through the summerlike winterization of my yard and house, I looked it up.  I didn’t look too hard but regardless, I wasn’t able to garner a lot of clarity on the topic. 

Essentially, Indian summer is “a term used for a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that occurs in fall, generally after the first frost”.  No one is sure of the origin of this.  And Etymologists have apparently done “exhaustive” research to try to find out.  Individuals in that field must have a lot of time on their hands.  I had to look up Etymologist.  Maybe I have too much time on MY hands? Anyway…

The use of the term appears to date from the 1850’s and originates in North America.  But that’s all anyone really knows. Nonetheless, it is terminology that has been used in the title of books, poetry, television shows and movies for a long, long time.  My neighbor in Battle Creek, Michigan uses it to this day.  So, the concept has legs and has used them in a variety of different ways.  Politically correct or not. But why Indian summer?  What the heck do native Americans or people from India have to do with a North American climatological phenomenon? 

If you are politically sensitive over antiquated terminology, please stop reading here.  I do not mean to be inconsiderate to anyone, but I am going to tread a fine line. I am going to go backwards to a time when people were less sensitive, and when other people said whatever the heck they wanted.  I don’t advocate either side of this equation but if you’re reading this now, you have been warned. 

When I was young someone used the term Indian Summer. I remember asking my eldest brother what that meant.  At this time there was also a popular term “Indian Giver”.  I knew what that was.  That was when someone gave you something and then abruptly took it away.  I didn’t know where that came from either, but I knew how we used it.  Sadly, I did not know any Etymologists then either. 

My brother was older and scholarly.  He was no Etymologist, but he liked to use big words.  Given I was only maybe 8-years old, I think he dumbed his answer down a little.  In his opinion, “Indian Giver” came from the propensity of the early European settlers, and inevitably the American Government, of giving land to the native Americans and then taking it back when they decided it had value to them. So, pushing these people off land they had given to them, after having already pushed them off land that was theirs anyway.  And that sucked.

I have no idea if that is the truth of the matter.  I mean the use of the term of course.  The practice of taking back something given to our native brethren is a historical fact.  My brother explained that Indian Summer was the same type of thing.  Mother nature gave us back summer, just to tease us, and then would abruptly take it away.  Turning her into an Indian Giver. Hmmm.  I guess that I just stored that away until now. At least how rotten it makes me feel.

As American’s, we try not to think about how the original non-native settlers of this continent treated the aboriginal population.  It seems so long ago but it really wasn’t.  I won’t go all philosophical on you, but our predecessors have a lot to atone for.  I don’t feel guilt, per se, but I feel guilty for them. I can’t blame my ancestors.  They were still in Holland back then.  Likely exploiting someone else.  Or they themselves being exploited.  Who knows?  It seems like someone is always getting taken advantage of.

Now I spend time in Native American casinos.  Exploiting myself.  I work very hard to take back what I leave there, which is usually several hundred dollars every time I go.  I guess some of the natives are winning in the end.  As for mother nature, I don’t mind her taking back the summertime heat.  I happen to like autumn.  Damn!  Now I need to consult an Etymologist on where the term autumn came from!