﻿212 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  The 
  farmer's 
  year 
  in 
  the 
  Andes 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  a 
  dry 
  season, 
  April 
  

   to 
  November 
  (winter), 
  and 
  a 
  rainy 
  season, 
  December 
  to 
  March 
  (sum- 
  

   mer). 
  The 
  Inca 
  subdivided 
  these 
  seasons 
  with 
  descriptive 
  names 
  

   such 
  as 
  "growing 
  time," 
  "season 
  of 
  flowers," 
  "time 
  of 
  heat," 
  etc. 
  

   The 
  time 
  for 
  sowing 
  was 
  regulated 
  by 
  solar 
  observation. 
  (See 
  Lore 
  

   and 
  Learning, 
  Astronomy, 
  pp. 
  327-327.) 
  

  

  Plowing 
  began 
  in 
  August 
  with 
  an 
  assembly 
  to 
  plow 
  the 
  fields 
  as- 
  

   signed 
  to 
  government 
  and 
  religion. 
  This 
  occasioned 
  a 
  great 
  festival 
  

   (fig. 
  23, 
  a). 
  The 
  plowmen 
  formed 
  a 
  line 
  across 
  the 
  field, 
  each 
  tax- 
  

   payer 
  in 
  his 
  assigned 
  strip, 
  and 
  worked 
  backward. 
  Each 
  man's 
  wife 
  

   faced 
  him 
  with 
  a 
  hoe 
  to 
  break 
  the 
  clods. 
  The 
  work 
  was 
  done 
  in 
  time 
  

   to 
  a 
  chant 
  (haylyi), 
  which 
  was 
  also 
  used 
  to 
  celebrate 
  military 
  vic- 
  

   tories. 
  (Garcilaso, 
  1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  5, 
  ch. 
  2; 
  Poma, 
  1936, 
  pp. 
  250-51; 
  

   Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  8.) 
  Chicha 
  was 
  provided 
  the 
  workers. 
  

   After 
  fulfilling 
  their 
  tax 
  obligations, 
  the 
  householders 
  tilled 
  their 
  own 
  

   fields 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way, 
  helping 
  each 
  other 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  ex- 
  

   change 
  obligations 
  (ayni). 
  

  

  Early 
  maize 
  to 
  be 
  harvested 
  in 
  January 
  was 
  planted 
  in 
  August, 
  

   but 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  maize 
  was 
  sown 
  in 
  September 
  (fig. 
  24, 
  a). 
  The 
  

   farmer 
  made 
  a 
  hole, 
  and 
  his 
  wife 
  threw 
  in 
  a 
  handful 
  of 
  grains. 
  Po- 
  

   tatoes 
  were 
  planted 
  similarly 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  rainy 
  season. 
  

   The 
  priests 
  of 
  the 
  Sun 
  fasted 
  from 
  sowing 
  time 
  until 
  the 
  maize 
  plants 
  

   were 
  a 
  centimeter 
  high, 
  and, 
  in 
  Cuzco, 
  a 
  public 
  ceremony 
  was 
  held 
  

   with 
  sacrifices 
  of 
  llamas, 
  dances, 
  and 
  ceremonial 
  drinking 
  (fig. 
  25, 
  b). 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  critical 
  time 
  of 
  year 
  was 
  October 
  and 
  November, 
  when 
  

   the 
  fields 
  were 
  driest 
  and 
  the 
  rains 
  had 
  not 
  started. 
  If 
  the 
  rains 
  were 
  

   late, 
  special 
  ceremonies 
  (fig. 
  24, 
  b) 
  were 
  held 
  to 
  appeal 
  to 
  the 
  sympa- 
  

   thies 
  of 
  the 
  Thunder 
  God 
  (ilyap'a). 
  Processions 
  of 
  people 
  dressed 
  

   in 
  mourning 
  and 
  holding 
  banners 
  went 
  through 
  the 
  streets 
  wailing. 
  

   Black 
  llamas 
  or 
  dogs 
  were 
  tied 
  to 
  stakes 
  in 
  open 
  places 
  and 
  left 
  to 
  cry 
  

   from 
  hunger 
  until 
  the 
  Thunder 
  God 
  took 
  pity 
  on 
  them 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   people 
  and 
  sent 
  rain. 
  Chicha 
  was 
  sprinkled 
  around 
  them. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  rainy 
  months, 
  the 
  chief 
  agricultural 
  work 
  was 
  weeding 
  

   and 
  driving 
  away 
  birds 
  (fig. 
  24, 
  c), 
  deer, 
  foxes, 
  skunks, 
  and 
  other 
  

   animals 
  dangerous 
  to 
  the 
  crops. 
  A 
  small 
  hut 
  was 
  built 
  beside 
  the 
  

   field 
  for 
  a 
  caretaker 
  if 
  the 
  crop 
  was 
  too 
  far 
  away 
  to 
  be 
  watched 
  from 
  

   the 
  bouse. 
  The 
  farmer 
  went 
  out 
  by 
  day 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  crop 
  with 
  a 
  

   fox 
  skin 
  over 
  his 
  head, 
  a 
  staff 
  with 
  rattles 
  and 
  tassels, 
  and 
  a 
  sling; 
  

   in 
  such 
  a 
  costume, 
  he 
  was 
  called 
  "guardian 
  of 
  the 
  fields" 
  (arariwa). 
  

   If 
  necessary, 
  a 
  woman 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  drum 
  watched 
  at 
  night. 
  The 
  

   chief 
  danger 
  from 
  human 
  thieves 
  was 
  in 
  April, 
  when 
  the 
  maize 
  was 
  

   ripe 
  but 
  not 
  quite 
  ready 
  for 
  harvest. 
  

  

  Men 
  and 
  women 
  worked 
  together 
  to 
  harvest 
  the 
  maize. 
  The 
  grain 
  

   was 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  ears 
  and 
  stored 
  in 
  the 
  house. 
  A 
  public 
  festi- 
  

   val 
  (aymobay) 
  was 
  celebrated 
  with 
  songs 
  and 
  dances 
  as 
  the 
  grain 
  

  

  