CHERAN: A SIERRA TARASCAN VILLAGE — BEALS 



155 



"demons" were dressed in black, wearing a 

 crown of feathers on the back of the head, 

 with a black veil over most of the face. The 

 devils bore such names as "cunning," astncia. 

 Some of the dancers were dressed as ranchers. 

 Two small boys represented angels (one, 

 Michael, with a sword), but the majority were 

 dressed in shepherd's costumes. The girls 

 wore loose blouses, fairly long full skirts, straw 

 hats with ribbons, and shoes. The boys wore 

 satin blouses and bloomers, stockings, shoes, 

 and straw hats. Pinks, blues, and whites pre- 

 dominated in the costumes. Both sexes carried 

 shepherd's crooks, decorated with celluloid 

 animals, ribbons, balls of yarn, and feathers. 



The performance begins with a long relato 

 by the devils in which they talk about a journey 

 they are going to make, the curious things they 

 are going to see, etc. Then a ranchera and a 

 ranckcru dance a jarabc. The other rancheros 

 supervise the two files of children. Then there 

 is a relato by the dancers. Then the dancers 

 give their crooks to friends or relatives and 

 dance. The Etiropcos dance about the files of 

 children alone or occasionally with the hermits. 

 The devils and the hermits, on the other hand, 

 constantly engage in byplay, pursuing one 

 another. Occasionally one or two of the devils 

 will capture a hermit and force him to dance 

 along with them. Also, from time to time the 

 hermits use their whips to keep the children 

 from crowding in too much on the dancers. 



The hcrmitanos were special buffoons. One 

 was seen "praying" before the church with his 

 hands together but with both thumbs to his 

 nose. Boys threw bits of stick or pebbles at 

 them; the hcrmitauos would threaten the crowd 

 with their whips or if they identified the 

 offender, would pursue him with their whips — 

 and sometimes used them if the stones had 

 been too big. 



The dances are performed first in front of 

 the church before the saints' images, which are 

 brought out of the church for this. Then the 

 dancers eat in the house of the carguero, after 

 which they dance. Then they go to various 

 houses and dance. The householders give them 

 fruit, sugarcane, peanuts, or other small gifts. 

 Then they return to the house of the carguero 

 to eat once more. 



At primarily Mestizo San Juan Parangari- 

 cutiro on January 7 a dance of Europcos was 

 observed. The two main dancers were a man 

 and woman in burlesque of catrin-ranchero cos- 

 tumes (the "woman" was a man dressed in 

 women's clothes). The woman wore a straw 

 hat with artificial flowers, a well-made white 

 wooden mask of a European woman's face, a 

 cloth enveloping all of the head not covered by 

 the mask, a yellow waist, and a black rayichera's 

 skirt with a beautifully embroidered yellow silk 

 apron, gloves, and a handbag. In her hands 

 she carried a narrow woman's sash. The man 

 wore a white wig with ribbons, white mask 

 with black beard and attractive features, a 

 sweater, a moro dancer's cape (but worn a 

 little lower than the moro dancer does, so the 

 mirror was over the man's buttocks), and 

 several women's aprons of silk or rayon hung 

 from about his neck. About his legs from the 

 knees down were wrapped numerous women's 

 belts and about his ankles were copper bells. 

 Over one shoulder he carried a stick with one end 

 carved into a Inirro's head, adorned with rib- 

 bons and with a bell hung from the neck of 

 the burro. 



The other dancers were dressed somewhat 

 like the male leader, except the cape was black 

 with an opening like that of a serape although 

 worn as a cape. The lining of the cape was in 

 brilliant colors of silk or rayon. Ornamenta- 

 tion of the cape was done with colored sequins. 

 Otherwise the costume was the same, but no 

 stick was carried. 



The dance music varied according to various 

 aspects of the dance, changes being indicated 

 by the male leader ringing his bell. The 

 dancers formed in two files, with the male leader 

 at the head of one file, the woman leader at the 

 head of the other. When the music began, the 

 dancers leaped in the air several times and 

 shouted in a high voice. Then the files per- 

 formed several circuits ; the one headed by the 

 male making its circuit first, followed by the 

 other. Following the circuits the dancers per- 

 formed a sort of jarabe, but remained in one 

 place. From time to time they leaped high in 

 the air (individually), shouting in a falsetto 

 voice. As they came down they spread their 

 capes wide and, with hair and aprons flying in 



