THE TERENA AND THE CADUVEO OF SOUTHERN MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL OBERG 



11 



beans, which they leave to take care of themselves. When 

 they think that the crops ought to be matured, they send 

 a messenger to tind out. If these inspectors bring good 

 news, they will return to their settlements and look after 

 their fields. [Sanchez Labrador, 1910-17, vol. 2, p. 258.] 



The first rains of the season, usually in late Sep- 

 tember or October, gave the signal for planting. 

 Lands selected for cultivation were first cleared 

 of trees, underbrush, and grass with an ax (origi- 

 nally made of stone but in post-Columbian times 

 of iron). The trees and bushes were then burnt 

 and the ashes scattered over the field. With a dig- 

 ging stick, ilome-i, made from the wood of the 

 "pale santo," the cultivator would then dig the 

 ground, squatting on his heels, moving from place 

 to place until the field was turned. With the com- 

 ing of the Spaniards the Terena claim they began 

 to use iron hoes and even a simple iron-shod wooden 

 plow drawn by oxen. After the field was prepared 

 the Terena waited for the first rains before put- 

 ting in the seed. "We waited,"' they say, "until 

 the first flowers appeared on the trees.'' 



The above information checks closely with what 

 Sanchez Labrador observed in the middle of the 

 eighteenth century : 



The Ghana are a good-humoured, modest people. They 

 have a peculiar way of cultivating the land. With the 

 above-mentioned spades they dig and weed, not as the 

 Spaniards do, but sitting down. Their spades have han- 

 dles one and one-half yards in length. The Chand sit 

 down and work with their spades as far as they can 

 reach and then move along until all the land has been 

 prepared for planting. They cultivate manioc, maize, 

 beans, squashes, sweet potatoes, tobacco, and some cotton. 

 [Ibid., vol. 2, pp. 291-292.] 



The economic unit was the family or household, 

 which consisted of the husband and wife, the chil- 

 dren, and, in some cases, the sons-in-law. The 

 clearing and digging of the land were performed 

 by men. Women and children assisted in plant- 

 ing, weeding, and harvesting. Cotton seeds, for 

 instance, could be planted only by women. 



The principal crops grown by the Terena were 

 maize, sweet and bitter manioc, cara, beans, sweet- 

 potatoes, pumpkins, gourds, sugarcane, cotton, 

 and tobacco. 



Maize (soporo). — The Terena distinguished at 

 least three kinds of maize: A long-eared yellow 

 maize called hianJceti-soporo, a white variety called 

 heopuiti-soporo, and a mixed-colored ear called 

 kuatl-soporo. Maize was planted at the begin- 

 ning of the rains and was ready for use 3 to 6 



nionths later, depending upon the type and the 

 conditions of rainfall. Fresh maize was roasted 

 before a fire or made into porridge or into cakes 

 called shipa. A fermented beverage was also pre- 

 pared from newly harvested maize. Ears of maize 

 were also dried and stored in the house to be 

 later crushed in a mortar and used for making 

 porridge. 



Manioc (chupii).— Wliile in the Chaco, the 

 Terena cultivated both the sweet manioc, eshdti- 

 chupil, and the bitter manioc, suati-chupu. Man- 

 ioc was planted at the same time as maize and 

 was weeded to give the young plants a good start. 

 Sweet manioc matured in about 8 months and 

 bitter manioc in about 12 months. Bitter manioc 

 was thus a valuable food reserve, as it became 

 available during the lean months of September 

 and October. 



Sweet manioc was eaten boiled and baked or cut 

 up and boiled with meat. Bitter manioc, however, 

 had to be processed in order to rid the tubers of 

 their poisonous acids. The tubers were first 

 cleaned, then shredded with a wooden grater. The 

 pulp was then rolled in a cotton cloth which was 

 wrung with the aid of two sticks, one at each end 

 of the cloth press. The pulp was then rolled into 

 small cakes, hihi, or large cakes, hapapc, and baked 

 until the bitter taste disappeared. 



Sweetpotatoes (kohe). — The sweetpotato was 

 a favorite food of the Terena and was planted 

 in large quantities. The Terena recognized three 

 varieties : A white variety known as hcpuiti-kohi', 

 a yellow variety, hiati-kohc, and a purple variety, 

 haraitl-kohe. Although sweetpotatoes could be 

 planted throughout the year, the biggest plant- 

 ings were made at the beginning of the rainy 

 season. Sweetpotatoes planted in October were 

 ready for use in March. 



Sweetpotatoes were eaten boiled, or baked on 

 hot coals or in earth ovens. A hole in the ground 

 was filled with wood and after the wood had burnt 

 down to coals, the potatoes were placed in it, cov- 

 ered with soil and left for a day or two. 



Maize, sweetpotatoes, and manioc were the 

 staple subsistence crops of the Terena. In addi- 

 tion to being substantial foods, these crops be- 

 came available for use over a period stretching 

 from Januaiy to October. Maize came in from 

 January to March, sweetpotatoes from March to 

 July, manioc from August to October. 



