CHERAN : A SIERRA TARASCAN VILLAGE — BEALS 



13 



Probably no group of Tarascans has great diffi- 

 culty in understanding any other group. As 

 Tarascan has not been subjected to intensive 

 grammatical analysis, thus far no affiliations 

 for the language have been seriously proposed. 

 To summarize the discussion, the Tarascans 

 appear to be fairly typical of the plateau In- 

 dians of Central Mexico in type, but they speak 

 a unique language. Both anciently and today 



they occupy a temperate to cold environment, 

 which offers rich rewards to a farming people 

 but which otherwise possesses relatively meager 

 resources. In prehistoric times the Tarascans 

 were able to utilize the present area as a base 

 to develop a modest empire. In historic times, 

 their empire gone, they still have maintained a 

 degree of individuality in the face of an en- 

 croaching modern civilization. 



TECHNOLOGY 



EXPLOITATIVE ACTIVITIES 



In this section are described the techniques of 

 the Cheran Tai'ascans for the exploitation of the 

 environment. With a few exceptions, manufac- 

 turing processes, the uses to which the products 

 are put, and the economic system into which 

 they enter are discussed in later sections. 



COLLECTING 



Plants. — No food plants are collected regu- 

 larly. Recourse is sometimes had to edible 

 greens in times of starvation or as an occa- 

 sional means of bringing variety into the diet. 

 Most useful plants, except medicinal herbs, 

 exist in the town in virtually a semidomes- 

 ticated state. This is particularly true of the 

 most commonly used plants such as kulantro 

 (silantro),- the most frequently employed herb 

 for flavoring food. Similarly, vianzayiillo, 

 probably the most generally used medicinal 

 herb, is to be found in every garden. Discus- 

 sion of these plants can therefore best be de- 

 ferred to the discussions of medicine and the 

 house gardens. 



A small wild maguey growing in the moun- 

 tains and in the malpais (lava flows) is col- 

 lected from November to May. The heart is 

 roasted in pit ovens and sold. 



One minor commercial enterprise, formerly 

 of some importance, is collecting 7-aiz de paja, 

 the roots of a coarse grass. The roots are cut 

 off and carried to Cheran, where they are care- 

 fully laid out in rows on sunny, dry days. 

 After drying, they are tied in bundles for sale 



- Tarascan words are in Roman and Spanish words are in italic 

 unless they are in frequent English usage, Spanish words with 

 special local meanings are in quotation marks. 



for the manufacture of brushes. The entire 

 family may work at this task. While some 

 collecting of raiz de paja still is carried on, 

 the market collapsed badly with the outbreak 

 of war in 1939, depriving a number of families 

 of an important part of their livelihood. In 

 good times, the roots sold at 30 to 35 centavos 

 a kilo.'' 



A root, calankote, is used for washing wool- 

 ens and is considered superior to soap.* It is 

 dug in the barrancas, both for use and for sale. 

 In Angahuan, Rendon found seeds of a bush 

 called komerame used for the same purpose, as 

 well as leaves called apiipen and roots of the 

 plant paCankua. 



Honey gathering. — The one collecting tech- 

 nique still important in Cheran is gathering 

 wild honey. Not only are there still specialists 

 who spend many weeks at the occupation dur- 

 ing proper seasons of the year, but there are 

 numerous ceremonial associations. The pana- 

 leros or honey collectors are divided into two 

 groups, each with an image and a mayordomia 

 of San Anselmo, patron saint of the group. 

 There are also important ceremonial activities 

 on the part of the panaleros in connection with 

 the fiesta of Corpus Christi in June. The vari- 

 ous ceremonies are described later. 



Most gathering of wild honey takes place in 

 the regions of old lava flows or malpais. The 

 malpaises of Turicuaro and Tanaco are con- 

 sidered among the best today for honey gather- 



^ In La Caiiada, wild gourds, guajes (arumbas), are collected 

 and sold in the Chilchota market. The leaf of a wild bay (7). 

 baya (hongakua), is used in washing clothes by La Canada 

 Tarascans. who claim the plant is eaten by the Sierra Tarascans. 

 Soaproot. amole, is used in La Canada for bathing. 



* The orthography used for native words is that recommended by 

 Proyecto Tarasco and the Consejo de Lenguas Indigenas (Swadesh. 

 1940). 



