Imai

The IAU catalogue's account

The Mursi name a line of four stars imai (δ Cru), thaadoi (β Cru), waar (β Cen) and sholbi (α Cen). Their successive disappearance (heliacal setting) are used to determine when the River Omo will flood (it does this several times) and hence to determine when to plant the annual crop of cowpeas beside it (after the last flood but before the ground dries out). Imai is the Mursi name for the grass that grows along the banks of the river (Rhynchelytrum repens). It is said that when the imai star disappears, the Omo rises high enough to flatten the imai grass.

Source language

African/ Mursi

Reference

Turton and Ruggles (1978), "Agreeing to Disagree: the measurement of duration in a south-western Ethiopian community", Current Anthropology, 19 (1978), 585-600.

Source: IAU Catalog of Star Names (IAU-CSN), Working Group on Star Names. The account is the IAU's own text and is quoted in full: it is published under CC BY.