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DECEMBER, 1907.)
RECORD OF THE LANGUAGES OF SAVAGES.
369
That is, in this loenrāta the Car Nicobarese four phase system is taken in calendaring the months, i. e., the months are divided into waxing, full, waning, and disappearing moon.
When the notches fill one side of the kenrāta, they commence on the other, and are thus able to keep tally of time for a short while.
Car Nicobar Calendar.
(Kenrāta.)
Note.
Mr. de Roepstorff's Calendar. In Mr. de Roepstorff's posthumous Dictionary of the Nancowry (Central) Dialect, of 1884, is given a complete and most interesting Calendar, found among his papers, for the year 1883 day by day, but unfortunately there is something wrong about it. He has given Danäh-kapa and Kabâ-chaij as two separate solar months, whereas they are duplicate names for the closing month of the N.-E. Monsoon, and thus gives 13 and not 12 solar months to the year. He has also got the months Channi and Hammua in the reverse order. Further, his months work out thus for the solar year, giving an intercalary day each to (7) Hammua (May-Jane) and (9) Manakngapoah (August-September).
Month 1. 9th January to 7th February 30 days.
2.8th February to 8th March 3. 9th March to 6th April 4. 7th April to 6th May 5. 7th May to 5th June 6. 6th June to 3rd July 7. 4th July to 3rd Angust 31 8. 4th August to 31st August 9. 1st September to 1st October 10. 2nd October to 30th October 11. 31st October to 29th November
12. 30th November to 28th December 29 , , 13. 29th December to 8th January 11 ,
365 days This would have resulted in the Nicobarese full year of two monsoons being completed in 383 days, and this reckoning would have brought about a muddle in the ensuing year, 1884, which does not as matter of fact occar.
It is to be observed that the S.-W. Monsoon was taken in that year as commencing on 7th May and the N-W. on 1st November, so that the S.-W. Monsoon half year lasted 177 days and the N.-W. about 188.
It is to be noted also that in Mr. de Roepstorff's calendar the She days are 10, the Yam days 10, and the Tatlānga days 5 in each month, while the odd dark nights run thus: for 1 month none, for 1 month 3, for 6 months 4, for 3 months 5, for 2 months 6 in the month.
