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tkgallytoday at 4:13 AM2 repliesview on HN

“Most Indians [= indigenous Americans] did not know how old they were. They measured time in days, moons, and winters, but they had no weeks, hours, or minutes. On the eve of an important event, when they were afraid they might oversleep in the morning—for example, when a war party discovered an enemy camp and wanted to make sure to wake up and attack it at first light—Indians would drink a lot of water before going to bed.” — Ian Frazier, Great Plains (1989), p. 48.


Replies

devsdatoday at 4:30 AM

> but they had no weeks, hours, or minutes.

I don't think this is true.

We (Asian) Indians make a big deal out of beginning and doing important tasks at auspicious times. That wouldn't be possible without some means of measuring time of day even if its not perfect.

Edit: updated for clarity and leaving original comment as is.

show 1 reply
al_borlandtoday at 6:28 AM

I first learned this from Lisa Simpson.

https://youtu.be/pmRtY_vvW1U