Malcolm X wrote in his autobiography that he could not take seriously someone who did not wear a watch. He denied respect to anyone without respect for the value of Time. Extreme, yet his belief is a powerful one and he speaks, in this case, for much of Western society.
By contrast, nearly all the interviews that follow express views that are in direct opposition to the idea of Time as a concept at all, let alone the subtle emphasis we often place on watches, punctuality, and accomplishment.
The five Native Americans and three non-natives I interviewed at the Springfield (Oregon) Filbert Festival in late August expressed a variety of opinions when asked about their theories of Time. However, most tracked their personal journeys using something other than a watch, appointment book, or anything else labeled indispensable in popular thinking. And almost everyone saw a clock as a limitation when applied to their lives.
