20 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 1 



are connected by a piece of wood at top and 

 bottom. Almost invariably they have a small 

 gable roof (linuitakata in Angahuan, the name of 

 the storehouses on posts ah'cady descriljed) . Two 

 pieces are supported by the gate posts at right 

 angles to the gate. The ends of these are con- 

 nected with two pieces which support rafters. 

 Construction is like that of a gabled house i-oof 

 in miniatiu'e. Sometimes a light floor is Itiid, and 

 the space is used to store maize husks for tamah'S 

 or some similar, not very valuable, material. 

 The gate roofs keep the gate from rotting or 

 warping from rain. They arc an mevitable part 

 of the Tarascan landscape and may be seen some- 

 times hi open fields over the entrance to the fiekl 

 even though there be no gate (pis. 3, right; 7, 

 lower, left). In the Lake region, they are roofetl 

 with tile, a practice sometimes seen elsewh<a-e 

 (pi. 7, middle, J-ight). 



In some cases, liowever, simpler constructions 

 are used. The gate may simply be upright planks 

 restuig in a groove at the bottom and lielil by cord 

 loops at the top. In the fields, gates are often 

 made by planting two posts with holes chopped in 

 each to receive bars. Such gates are sometimes 

 seen in towii also. Tluy are called "agujas" in 

 Cheran, but ui Paricutin they are called jarasurita. 



Sheds are usually built leaning against a house 

 or wall. They consist ordinarily of only a slopmg 

 roof of shakes supported by a crude home-made 

 framework. The upper end of the roof rests 

 against the house or wall, the lower end is sup- 

 ported by posts. A great variety of cnidely built 

 structures is found, servmg for hen houses, barns, 

 storage of fodder, or toilets. Crude roofs called 

 " pcstana" are also built over entrances to houses 

 and kitchens (pi. 2, upper). 



Many houses have pigpens made of poles. 

 These often have an entrance directly from the 

 street which can be closed from inside. As a rule 

 ])igs roam the streets during the day. At night 

 they must be penned carefidly, especially m the 

 outskhts of town. Otherwise, coyotes may kill 

 them. 



In some house _yards there are large domed 

 ovens, used primarily for makuig bread. They 

 are often rented to bakers who do not have ovens. 

 The construction is mostly of adobe but sometimes 

 stone is used about the entrance and in fomida- 

 tions. A rough shake roof supported by poles 

 protects the oven from the ram. 



Temporary shades (onjetarakua) arc built of 

 poles and covered with branches and grass for use 

 in weddings and fiestas. 



SPECIALIZATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SKILLS 



Wliilc a high degi'ee of specialization is charac- 

 teristic of the Tarascans in comparison with most 

 primitive people, such a term is always relative. 

 Actually almost any man in Cheriin is first of all a 

 farmer; only landless men, which means also poor 

 men, are not farmers. Probably most Cherrin 

 men are fairly skilled with an ax, sufficiently so to 

 do a reasonably competent job felling a tree, 

 trimming poles, cutting fence posts or ties, and 

 hewing out rough timbers. On the other hand, 

 to make a living at woodworking occupations 

 requires more skill and speed than would be 

 possessed by many men. In the same way, any 

 man might do a fair job of building a dry-stone 

 field wall, but he would not be as fast as a special- 

 ist, nor could he put up a masom-y wall or lay 

 adobe bricks in a fashion that would meet Cheran 

 standards of fitness. Nevertlieless, these facts 

 make an absolutely correct assessment of the 



distribution of skills diificult. The following list 

 of specialists, then, merely gives those who make a 

 major part of their living from the specialty 

 indicated. In some cases, the individuals no 

 doubt get all their living from their professional 

 occupation ; in others, they either farm themselves, 

 do farm work, or are employing farmers. 



Carpenters 9 



Masons 5 



Brick and tile makers 2 



The above rei)resents a fairly accurate census of 

 those men in Cheran who have special skills and 

 who would be hired for work in their fiehl by others 

 if possible. To put it another way, the average 

 man would recognize that one of these specialists 

 would do a more competent and finished job than 

 he could do himself; consequently, any ordinary 

 man woidd make some sacrifices to employ these 



