Introduction

The conceptions of time
play a vital role in the study of anthropology and through these notions we are able to discuss the effects had upon temporality and history. Much has been written of time
in philosophy, sociology, history and anthropology, each of the disciplines combining and intertwining to formulate an understanding of time,
which still has no solid consensus. If anything, there have been more differentiations in the notions of time,
as ‘time
has gone on’, which makes it all the more difficult to articulate ‘time’.
Time’
existed before human beings, but it was a ‘time’
that we cannot even begin to comprehend. A commonly held view among anthropologists is the view that notions of time
differ across different cultures. This view was constructed on the basis of the daily and seasonal rhythms in social life, allowing for the formation of time,
thus making it ‘social time’
(Durkheim, 2001). From the academic literature in the field, it has been suggested that there are two key variants of time:
western and non-western, daily/everyday and ritual, or more commonly known as linear and cyclical (Bloch, 1977). Before delving into this debate, it is important to understand the conditions in which these ideas of time
first arose. It is widely adhered to that cyclical time
is the first conception of time
existing in primordial or early