From childhood the Wampanoags learned to make certain observations of
the stars, planets, and of the seasons and weather.[486] The time of
day was measured by the height of the sun in the day and by the moon
and stars at night.[487] Longer spans of time were kept account of
in terms of the moon and of “summers” and “winters”.[488] Reckoning
according to the moon, they had thirteen months, each with its own
name.[489] Many of the stars were named; the north star was called
_Maske_, meaning “bear”.[490] Winds were named according to their
direction; of these there were seven to nine.[491] By observing
the winds and the sky the Wampanoags made fairly accurate weather
predictions.[492]