Many moons ago

Origin

This evocative phrase conjures the image of time being measured by the lunar cycle, a practice common in many ancient and indigenous cultures. For Native American tribes, in particular, the moon's phases served as a natural calendar, with each full moon marking the passage of a month. To speak of "many moons" was to literally describe the passing of many months or years, stretching back into a distant past. The phrase seeped into English usage, popularized through literature and historical accounts that romanticized Native American speech, ultimately becoming a poetic and slightly archaic idiom for "a very long time ago," carrying with it a sense of deep history and natural timekeeping.