Temporal cycles and their relationship with the sky among the Toba of Western Formosa, Argentina

Abstract

From an ethnographic point of view we propose a work that is encompassed within the field of cultural astronomy, focusing on the Toba who inhabit the middle Pilcomayo in Argentina. In this article, we will be researching the ways in which different time cycles have been reported to elapse for the Toba of Western Formosa, Argentina. For our research into these periods, we consider first of all the interpretations made about the sky, but also various environmental signals, like climate changes, and signs given by animals (their singing or sounds made by some of them). Therefore, in this work specifically, we will refer to: the stars in general, Orion’s Belt, the Pleiades, Venus, the Moon and the Sun.