Primitive Natives
p. 38 · Read in the full issue
And The
Calendar Problem
THE different ways in which primitives peoples have tried to put a fixedfc measure upon the solar year is toldfc m an interesting article, “Primitives Calendars,” by E. R. Leach, in the Junes issue of “Oceania,” the quarterly produced! by Professor A. P. Elkin for the Australian!
National Research Council.
Most communities have tried to mark} the passage of time according to thes periodicity of the moon; but, unfortu nately, the solar year consists of 365.241 days, while 12 lunar months account fori only 354.37 days. The problem of how toe fit a regular number of months, compris ing a regular number of days, to a figures like 365.24, has baffled the experts sinces the dawn of civilisation; and even they are trying to abolish the present! clumsy, but generally-used Gregorian r Calendar, in favour of the World Calen dar, which offers the best solution of th©s puzzle yet devised. So far, however, thes United Nations have refused to face upc to the pleas and arguments of the World I Calendar advocates.
According to Dr. Leach, some of oun Pacific Islands peoples made a remark ably good attempt to provide themselves c with a workable calendar. Mr. Leoc Austen, a former District Officer ini Papua, writes an illuminating note om how the natives of the Trobriands dealt d with the problem, as it affected theiri seasonal plantings.
It is reported that the price of brides c in Papua has risen from about £lO pre war to anything up to £2OO to-day Ase few natives earn more than £2 per week most of them seem fated to remain i bachelors.