WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 85 



the ruka ("everybody knows the place") "where when the sun strikes 

 it, we know it is a certain time of day." 



When indoors, time was told by the location of sunrays at a given 

 spot within the ruka. "In spite of the fact that there is no clock in any 

 home of the 59 children in this school," noted a non-Araucanian 

 teacher, "a child is seldom late to school. The children of one of the 

 families unfailingly arrive just five minutes before the opening." 

 During a visit in the ruka of these children, the writer complimented 

 the mother on this. Promptly the lo-year-old daughter pointed to 

 the edge of the hearthstone and said, "When the sunbeams strike there 

 [they came through a crack in the door], we have to start for school; 

 each day they come a little farther over this way." Shadows were 

 not used in telling time. 



On cloudy or rainy days time is not accurately known, but is merely 

 guessed. The day we departed from Conaripe was a cloudy one, and 

 the boy who was to take our luggage by oxcart to a boat had to be 

 sent for. He apoligized. "We did not think it was time to leave; it 

 is so cloudy that the sun does not show even faintly." The day of 

 departure from Alepue was a rainy one, and the man who was ac- 

 companying us arrived 15 minutes before the time set for leaving. 

 "With no sun shining, I could not tell the time ; but I shall wait here 

 for you," he remarked. 



Hunger indicates an approximate time. The first meal of the day 

 is customarily eaten as soon after rising as it can be prepared ; others, 

 when hunger indicates it; usually a second one is eaten late in the 

 afternoon. 



Divisions of the day are dawn ; sunrise ; forenoon, or not yet noon ; 

 noon, or sun is at the zenith, or the day is half gone ; afternoon, or 

 the day is passing, or the time between two lights ; sunset ; and dusk. 

 Names for the divisions differ from area to area, as shown in table 2. 

 (See table 8 for Argentine Araucanian names for divisions of the 

 day.) 



"In winter," said an informant, "we use the above words also, but 

 the time between the parts of the day is shorter, since the days are 

 shorter." According to Cooper's sources (1946, p. 754) the 24-hour 

 day was divided into 10 or 12 parts. According to Moesbach there are 

 about 15 divisions (1936, pp. 82-84). 



The night is called pun (darkness) ; the moon at zenith, raqipun 

 (the night divided). "A man may wake up and notice whether the 

 night has passed ranipurj. Or a child may take sick, and its mother 

 say, 'That child took sick after ranipui].' " In general, with reference 

 to time of night the moon has little significance. 



