Abstract
The annual cultivation cycle in rainfed upland fields in a Sundanese hamlet in Priangan, a hilly region in West Java, is described at some length. This report focuses on how Sundanese peasants reckon the timing of agricultural operations. In upland fields (or gardens), which are generally referred to as kĕbon and are usually located on steep hillsides, tobacco, maize, hill-rice, Phaseolus beans, cassava, etc., are simultaneously or sequentially raised for cash income and home consumption. The agricultural operations for these garden crops are seasonal, in contrast to wet-rice cultivation, which is not seasonal because sufficient water is available throughout the year. The timing of upland agricultural operations is not calendrically fixed, but reckoned by continuous and careful observation of such indicators as seasonal fluctuations in rainfall frequency, moisture and wind direction, phenological changes in wild flora, the seasonal appearance or specific behavior of certain insects and birds, and, in particular, such marked stellar events as heliacal risings and culminations of the Pleiades (béntang kĕrĕti), Orion's belt (béntang wuluku), and the Southern Cross (béntang langlayangan). These indicators allow the reckoning of time with varying accuracy throughout the year. Peasants believe that these allow them to identify the “best” timing for crucial agricultural operations such as sowing, planting, etc., and that delay in operations will result in reduction of yields. Interestingly, precipitation data suggest that some of these “best” times for crucial agricultural operations accord with the agroclimatologically determined times of onset and termination of the wet season. The peasants' reckoning of the timing of agricultural operations reflects the persistence of the pranåtåmångså, the traditional Javanese agricultural calendar.
