366 CALENDAR HISTORY OF THE KIOWA Teth anx. n 



Year — Tbe years are counted by winters; one year, jx'igo sai, literally, one winter or 



cold season, from sai-gia, or aai, winter; plural, sdla. 

 Days of the week (modern) — Sunday, Dakitidii; Monday, Daliia lyahin; Tuesday, 



Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, have no names, but are counted as two, three, 



four, or five days after Sunday; Saturday, Valia-iiaii, literally, little Sunday. 

 Christmas (modern) — Pia-kii'idii, " eatin;; day," or "feast day." 

 Fourth of .July (modern) — TaaUi! (i. e., .Inly, which they take to be the name of the 



day); Tsii'iikia kii'idu, "race day,"' because on that occasion races are held by 



the Indians at the agency and at Fort Sill. 



THE SEASONS 



Tlie Kiowa di.stiuguisbed only four season.s, unlike some of tlie agri- 

 (uiltural tribes of tbe east, wbo distinguisbed five, separating tbe autumn 

 season into carly^ wben tbe leaves cbange color, and late, wben tbe 

 leaves fall, but assigning entirely different names to eacb. Tbe Kiowa 

 begin tbe year with tbe beginning of winter as tixed by the first snow- 

 fall. This seems to have been tbe case also with tbe Pawnee and per- 

 haps with other prairie tribes. To an agricultural people tbe renewal 

 of vegetation would seem a more natural starting point. 



Tbe first season is called Saigya or S(ita, abbreviated Sai, which is 

 considered to begin on tbe first fall of snow. In western Oklahoma 

 this is generally about tbe first or middle of December, although on 

 one occasion, about ten years ago, this occurred as early as October. 

 Cold weather and frost may come, but it is not called Sai[/ya until 

 snow falls. 



Next comes Ascgya, spring. This is an archaic term which cannot 

 be analyzed. It is sometimes called by tbe more modern name of 

 SonpiUa, "grass springing." It is considered to begin wben the grass 

 and buds sprout and the mares foal (about first of March), and is known 

 to be near at hand when the breasts of tbe eagles begin to turn white 

 and wben tbe panther whelps are born. Tbe old men say that one half 

 of tbe month Ka'guai PV/ SUn belongs to Saigya and tbe other half 

 to Asegya. 



Tbe third season is Patgya or Pai'tn. abbreviated Pai, summer. Tbe 

 name seems to have a connection with the word for sun, pai. It begins 

 after the grass has ceased sprouting {sonjnita) and is considered to 

 continue until fires are needed in tbe tipis at night, i. e., from about 

 June to September. During this season tbe fires are made outside 

 tbe tipis, or, rather, outside the leafy arbors under which tbe people sit 

 and sleep during tbe hot weather. 



Next comes tbe fourth and last season, Faongya or autumn. Tbe term 

 is archaic and seems to refer to tbe thickening of the fur (-pa) of tbe 

 buffalo and other animals as the cold weather ajjproacbes. It is some- 

 times called Ai(len-gynguiidal-6mgyii-i, the time "wben the leaves are 

 red." Tbe season is supposed to begin when the leaves change color 

 and fires become comfortable in the tipis at night, that is, about the first 

 of September. 



