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Story
May 10, 1912
The Herald Advance
Milbank, Grant County, South Dakota
What is this article about?
Article on unusual time measurement methods: Apache Indians use a star-marked gourd at night; Assam hill people count betel nut chews for time and distance; Montagnais Indians in Canada use a shadow-marked stick in snow to signal progress to followers.
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OCR Quality
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Excellent
Full Text
HOW THEY MEASURE TIME
Strange Methods Employed by Various Indian Tribes In Keeping the Time.
To ascertain the time at night the Apache Indians employed a gourd on which the stars of the heavens were marked. As the constellations rose in the sky the Indian referred to his gourd and found out the hour. By turning the gourd around he could tell the order in which the constellations might be expected to appear.
The hill people of Assam reckon time and distance by the number of quids of betel nut chewed. It will be remembered how, according to Washington Irving, the Dutch colonial assembly was invariably dismissed at the last puff of the third pipe of tobacco of Governor Wouter Van Twiller.
A Montagnais Indian of Canada will set up a tall stick in the snow when traveling ahead of friends who are to follow. He marks with his foot the line of shadow cast, and by the change in the angle of the shadow the oncoming party can tell on arriving at the spot about how far head the leader is. --Harper's Weekly.
Strange Methods Employed by Various Indian Tribes In Keeping the Time.
To ascertain the time at night the Apache Indians employed a gourd on which the stars of the heavens were marked. As the constellations rose in the sky the Indian referred to his gourd and found out the hour. By turning the gourd around he could tell the order in which the constellations might be expected to appear.
The hill people of Assam reckon time and distance by the number of quids of betel nut chewed. It will be remembered how, according to Washington Irving, the Dutch colonial assembly was invariably dismissed at the last puff of the third pipe of tobacco of Governor Wouter Van Twiller.
A Montagnais Indian of Canada will set up a tall stick in the snow when traveling ahead of friends who are to follow. He marks with his foot the line of shadow cast, and by the change in the angle of the shadow the oncoming party can tell on arriving at the spot about how far head the leader is. --Harper's Weekly.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
What keywords are associated?
Time Measurement
Apache Gourd
Betel Nut
Shadow Stick
Indigenous Methods
Montagnais Indian
What entities or persons were involved?
Apache Indians
Hill People Of Assam
Montagnais Indian
Governor Wouter Van Twiller
Where did it happen?
Apache Lands, Assam, Canada
Story Details
Key Persons
Apache Indians
Hill People Of Assam
Montagnais Indian
Governor Wouter Van Twiller
Location
Apache Lands, Assam, Canada
Story Details
Descriptions of three indigenous methods for measuring time: Apache use of a star-marked gourd for nighttime hours; Assam hill people's counting of betel nut chews; Montagnais traveler's use of a shadow-marked stick in snow to indicate lead distance.