December's Cold Supermoon: Reclaiming Indigenous Astronomical Knowledge

As the final supermoon of 2025 graces our skies this Thursday, December 4, we must acknowledge that celestial observation has long been colonised by Western scientific discourse, marginalising the profound astronomical wisdom of Indigenous communities worldwide.

Dr. Mark Gallaway's technical explanation—that the Moon's elliptical orbit brings it closest to Earth at perigee, approximately 356,400 kilometres away—represents just one epistemological framework. Indigenous astronomers across Turtle Island and beyond have understood lunar cycles through holistic, land-based knowledge systems for millennia.

Beyond Western Nomenclature

The term "Cold Moon" itself reflects European seasonal experiences, erasing the diverse ways marginalised communities have named and understood December's lunar presence. Many Indigenous nations have their own names for this moon, often connected to specific ecological relationships and survival practices that sustained communities through systematic colonial violence.

The supermoon phenomenon—appearing 7% larger and 30% brighter than average—will reach maximum brightness at 6:14 p.m. EST. Yet this spectacle occurs within a context where light pollution disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of colour, denying them equitable access to astronomical wonder.

Accessibility and Environmental Justice

Gallaway's recommendation to "bundle up" when observing assumes access to adequate winter clothing—a privilege denied to many experiencing housing insecurity. The intersection of environmental justice and astronomical access remains largely unexamined in mainstream science communication.

The supermoon's proximity to the Pleiades constellation and Aldebaran offers an opportunity to centre Indigenous star knowledge. Many Indigenous cultures have rich traditions surrounding these celestial bodies, often suppressed through educational colonisation and cultural genocide.

Challenging Astrological Hierarchies

While astrologers Sharan Sammi and Jenna Ewing speak of "closing chapters" and "emotional release," we must interrogate how New Age spirituality often appropriates Indigenous cosmological practices whilst maintaining exclusionary economic barriers. True astronomical justice requires dismantling the commodification of celestial wisdom.

The recommendation against telescope use—because supermoons "wash out shadows"—inadvertently highlights how technological mediation can distance us from embodied, sensory relationships with the cosmos that many Indigenous traditions prioritise.

Decolonising Sky Observation

As we witness December's Cold Supermoon, let us commit to decolonising our astronomical practices. This means acknowledging Indigenous sovereignty over traditional territories from which we observe, supporting Indigenous astronomers and knowledge keepers, and challenging the extractive relationship Western science maintains with celestial phenomena.

The moon rises for all, yet access to dark skies, warm clothing, and leisure time for observation remains stratified by systemic inequalities. This supermoon invites us not merely to gaze upward, but to examine the earthbound structures that determine who gets to wonder freely at the cosmos.