Message: 5        
   Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 20:02:12 -0500
   From: "blue panther" <[email protected]>
Subject: A Calendar of Sticks - Choctaw

A Calendar of Sticks - Choctaw

At one time, there was little need to know which day it was. Choctaws
had no
calendars or alarm clocks. These were not necessary because parents
worked
at home and there were no schools as we know them today. But when
someone
did need to know when a certain day had arrived, a simple but ingenious
"calendar" was used. A Choctaw gathered the same number of sticks as
the
number of days ahead, and then tossed out one stick for each day that
passed. When only one stick was left, the t! ime was up! The names of the
twelve months were known to Choctaws by different names than we know
them
today.

January - Cooking month
February - Little Famine month
March - Big Famine month
April - Wildcat month
May - Panther month
June - Windy month
July - Crane month
August - Women's month
September - Mulberry month
October - Blackberry month
November - Sassafras month
December - Peach month

Submitted by Wolf Walker.

From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories.