Borana astronomical calendar
Calendario astronómico borana
- Date
- documentado en 1973 (origen antiguo) · confidence low
- Place
- Yabelo, Oromia, Ethiopia
- Credited to
- Borana (Oromo) people
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
The Borana adjust their lunar calendar by observing the new Moon's conjunction with seven stars or asterisms, and organise the social gadaa cycle by it. It is one of the few astronomically based calendars of sub-Saharan Africa still alive.
It was described by Asmarom Legesse (1973) and analysed by Lynch and Robbins (1978) in comparison with Namoratunga, but the antiquity and astronomical reading of the system are debated.
What it led to
- the ritual and agricultural calendar of Borana pastoralists
- studies of African archaeoastronomy
- comparative study with Namoratunga