The Kiwai Papuans count the months by means of little sticks, which are tied into two bundles corresponding to the two seasons of the year. One end is pointed, the other oblique, and when a month has passed, the stick corresponding to it is turned round. The stick belonging to the month _keke_ is provided with a top-knot and feather, that of _karongo_ has a mark cut in it and a top-knot like that of _keke_, but no feather[1091]. CHAPTER XIII. ARTIFICIAL PERIODS OF TIME. FEASTS. In the more fully developed calendar there are not seldom found periods of time which are reckoned without reference to any of the factors given by Nature. Such are, for example, our months, which, though historically arising from the lunar month, are now only periods of time with a definite number of days, independent of the moon. Such also is our shifting seven-day week, which, chiefly through the agency of Mohammedanism, has also been widely extended among peoples of a lower stage of development. These artificial periods, arising often from a natural period which for purposes of the calendar has been detached from its natural basis, belong to a highly developed stage of time-reckoning. Only among certain comparatively far-advanced, semi-primitive peoples does an artificial period of the simplest kind first appear, and then only one, the market-week, the origin of which it is very easy to understand. The market-week appears in two widely separated districts--in West Central Africa, and in certain of the East Indian islands. Among the Bakongo the markets are four, viz. _konzo_, _nkenge_, _nsona_, and _nkandu_. These have given their names to the four days that comprise the Congo week. All the markets held on a certain day all over the Lower Congo are called _konzo_, all on the next day _nkenge_, etc. These markets are held at different places, e. g. all the _konzo_ markets are held on different sites from all the markets held on the three successive days, and are so arranged that one in four will be within two or three miles of a town, the next day’s market may be ten miles away from the first town, but near some other town or towns, the next from 15 to 20 miles, the next perhaps 25 miles away from the first town. Thus every village has at least one market during the week within a reasonable distance of its doors. In order to describe the markets the place-names are sometimes added, e. g. _nsona Ngungu_. Each market has its special wares[1092]. The Babwende have the same names[1093]. Three Bantu tribes of the Congo State have the four-day week, but in certain cases with different names; one of the days is market-day[1094]. This is a very practical arrangement, which must gradually have regulated itself. There are also greater markets which are held every eight days[1095]--a doubling of the period, therefore. The same is the case among the Edo-speaking peoples, among whom the week is everywhere a recognised period of time, and is,