Читать книгу Primitive Time-reckoning. A study in the origins and first development of the art of counting time among the primitive and early culture peoples онлайн

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By way of supplement two or three curious exceptional cases may be noted. A completely isolated instance is offered by the Bangala of the Upper Congo, who count in lunar months, and, since there is no dry season, reckon for longer periods by the rise of the rivers[341]. In the monsoon districts however it is frequently a peculiarity to distinguish the seasons by the winds. Of Sumatra it is reported:—The principal seasons are named after the quarters of the heavens from which the wind blows. At the time when we were in Taluk, April to mid-June, the south monsoon was blowing; the east, the west, and the north monsoons also come under consideration for the seasons. Moreover the people also distinguish a dry and a rainy period. The seasons 4. tahun djin, 5. tahun wou, 6. tahun sai were regarded as falling within the rainy period, while the dry season set in with 1. t. ali, and continued with 2. t. dal awal, and 3. t. dal akhir. In the two seasons 7. t. ha and 8. t. ‘am dry and wet weather alternate[342]. In New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago), between the two greater seasons of the south-east and the north-west monsoons, each consisting of 5 months, there were two smaller intermediate seasons of one month each, the period of variable winds and the period of calm[343]. In Songa (Vellalavella), one of the Solomon Islands, various seasons are distinguished according to the direction of the wind:—the time of the west wind, nanano; the time of the almond-ripening, tovarauru (the time of the north wind); rari, the time of the south wind—during this period calm prevails at night but there is wind in the day-time; sassa nanamo, time of the east wind; mbule, time of calm, lasting about a month. After mbule follow tovaruru, lasting about 2 months, and sassa nanamo, one month. In Lambutjo the matter is still further complicated. The following winds are distinguished:—south wind, west wind, good wind at the time of almond-ripening, lasting about one month. Further the east wind, strong or quite weak with squalls, not good. Three months afterwards comes the west wind, lasting about 2–3 months. After the east wind a south-west wind, very strong, at that time one cannot sail on the sea: it often comes 5 months after the east wind. After the south-west wind a SE wind, lasting only 1–2 weeks. Then strong E wind, lasting 1–2 months, during which time navigation in canoes is impossible. Then again a time of ‘clear water’, i. e. calm, lasting two months. After this, S wind, NW wind, and NE wind. Each of these lasts only a short time, altogether they occupy 3–4 months. Then begins a lighter E wind, lasting 3–4 weeks. Then about one month of light W wind, then again stronger E wind for 1–2 months. Afterwards S wind for 1½-2 months, lighter SE wind for 1–2 weeks, and then again stronger E wind for 2–3 months. At the time of the west wind there is much rain, at the time of the east wind much sunshine[344]. It is very interesting to see how accurately primitive peoples observe Nature, but these are not indications of time. On the Gazelle Peninsula it has been observed that when the SE monsoon blows the sun comes up in the east, and when the NW monsoon blows it rises in the south: the wind comes from the opposite direction to that in which the sun rises[345].