87
8 Señas of the Annual Cycle
Another important set of signs refers to the annual cycle. Since ancient times,
(Dobrizhoffer, 1967–1969 [1783]: Vol. II, Chap. VIII, 77–78; Canela cited by
Lehmann-Nitsche, 1927: 151) the reappearance around June—after a period of
invisibility—of the stellar group known as the Pleiades in academic astronomy and
as Lapilalaxachi by the Moqoit, is a sign of the ‘proximity of fruits’ and the forthcoming abundance of rhea chicks (Lehmann-Nitsche, 1927: 77–79). It is also a sign
of the beginning of the year (Giménez Benítez et  al., 2002; López, 2009b). The
accounts we have collected sustain this idea and point to Lapilalaxachi as the
announcer of the frosts that lead to the subsequent germination of seeds. Other testimonies suggest that in the same moment of the year, the reappearance of the central star of the group called ‘Orion’s belt’ in criollo astronomy, is a sign that good
weather is approaching and the pastures are beginning to grow (Lehmann-Nitsche,
1927: 77–79).
Fig. 6 Old algarrobo tree asterism, Mapiqo’xoic
Signs, Not Phenomena: Moqoit Cosmo-politics and Alternative Experiences…