The seasons art’ four in number. Spring, called hinA nwadelé, ‘when summer is near,’ is the time when agricultural activities are resumed after the comparative idleness of the winter. ‘Summer,’ wäde’, a term apparently related to wäfá, ‘south,’ is the long and active season. Autumn, yacadilé, ‘when the tree leaves are yellow,’ is a period of combined rest, hunting and enjoyment. Winter was called wictá, ‘snow comes (?).’ This season the people spent in idleness and recreation.
The year is further divided into moons or months, each of which has its name. The names of eleven of these moons with translations and the corresponding months in our calendar are as follows:
Se a latcpi’ – Ground frozen month – January.
Ho’da dzó – Wind month – February.
Wädeá’ sinén – Little summer – March.
Wdeäeä’ – Big summer – April
Deceo’ nendzó – Mulberry ripening month – May.
Cpáco nendzó – Blackberry ripening month – June.
Wageä’ kyä – Middle of summer – July.
Tsénc agá – Dog day – August.
Tsogá li’ne tseee – Hay cutting month – September.
Tsofeo’ honstän – Corn ripening month – October.
Ho’ctAndeä’ kyä – Middle of winter – December.
The passage of time during the daytime is commonly observed by glancing at the sun. During the nighttime the moon and stars, if the weather is clear, serve the same purpose.
The day itself is divided into different periods equivalent, in our reckoning, to morning, noon, afternoon and evening. The names for these are agyälé, ‘at dawn,’ ‘morning’; yubalén, ‘noon,’ derivative from yu’ba ‘high,’ referring to the sun; padonA nhogyé, ‘afternoon,’ ‘toward the night;’ fea ‘evening,’ and lastly, pado’ ‘night.’