I02 Hutton Webster 



the outcome of the expansion of Islam. ®^ Thus it has been 

 ah-eady noticed (supra) that the Javanese dropped their five-day 

 week for the Moliammedan cycle ; in the case of the Achehnese, 

 who form a kingdom in Sumatra, not only has the seven-day 

 week been borrowed but the people go so far as to make Friday, 

 the Mohammedan sabbath,*'^ a day paiitang for all agricultural 

 work, pantang being the native term for tabuf'° 



In another part of the world, on the west African coast, a 

 seven-day week is employed by the Tshi- and Ga-speaking tribes, 

 but here the evidence less certainly supports a theory of borrow- 

 ing.'^® The Tshi- and Ga-cycles are strictly lunar, and do not 

 run continuously through the year. Moreover, the other tribes 

 of the Guinea coast employ cycles of five, six, eight, nine, and 

 ten days which are undoubtedly of native origin. It is true that 

 Mohammedan states were formed to the north of the forest 

 country of the Gold Coast as early as the eleventh century after 

 the Christian era; and it may be argued therefore that the west 

 African seven-day week was taken over from Islam as appears 

 to have been the case with the Mohammedan Mandingoes of 

 Senegambia who have the same institution.*'" One would sup- 



'"'^ Waitz, op. cit., v. 169. For the astrological significance of the J-day 

 week among the Malays see W. W. Skeat, Malay Magic. London, 1900, 

 pp. 548 sq. 



*** The Koran contains no directions for the religious observance of 

 Saturday or Sunday, but on Friday (Juin'ah, the Day of Assembly) the 

 people are directed to gather in the chief mosques for prayer and other 

 exercises (T. P. Hughes, Dictionary of Islam, London, 1885, pp. 131, 666). 



"" C. S. Hurgronje, The Achehnese, Leiden, 1906, i. 261, 236. Cf. supra 

 on the similar Polynesian naming of the Christian Sabbath. 



''"Ellis, Tshi-Speaking Peoples, 215 sq.; idem, Y or uha-S peaking Peoples, 

 142 sq. Ellis regarded the hebdomadal cycle in West Africa as purely of 

 native origin (Tshi, 217). See also B. Cruickshank, Eighteen Years on the 

 Gold Coast of Africa, London, 1853, ii.jSg sq. 



"' R. Caillie, Travels through Central Africa to Tijnhuctoo, London, 

 1830, i. 346. The market-day among the Mandingoes is held once every 

 week as in west Africa. I have not been able to discover whether the 

 Mandingoe week is periodic or lunar. If the former is found then the 

 argument for the native origin of the Tshi lunar 7-day week would be 

 much strengthened. 



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