CRUZ DAS almas: a BRAZILIAN VILLAGE — PIERSON 



49 



girls go barefoot, except in tlie colder weather 

 when some sort of footwear, usually leather 

 sandals or light canvas shoes may be used. 



Although the clothing when worn at work may 

 be quite dirty and often ragged, that worn to Mass 

 or to festas, dances, and other public gatherings is 

 almost invariably clean and whole. The rather 

 striking variation between the condition of every- 

 day work clothes and those used on other occasions 

 reflects an evident and intense pride and care in 

 personal appearance when in public. 



On a farm whicli was visited, the father was 

 wearing a cotton shirt, cotton trousers, and low 

 leather shoes, without socks. His wife had on a 

 faded cotton dress and apron. Slae was barefoot. 

 A 7-year-old boy also was barefoot. He was 

 wearing light cotton pants and a light cotton shirt. 

 His three sisters, aged 6, 10, and 12, also were bare- 

 foot. Each wore a light cotton dress. A 6- 

 month-old baby had on a cotton dress, a cotton 

 slip, and improvised cotton diapers. The clothes 

 of the family, although patched, were clean. An- 

 other farmer who was visited on the same day was 

 wearing a faded shirt, light trousers, and scuffed 

 oxfords, without socks. His wife had on a 

 threadbare dress and a light jacket. On her feet 

 were old slippers. She wore no stockings. A 

 12-year-old boy was barefoot. He wore a light 

 shirt and short pants. The grandfather was also 

 barefoot and dressed similarly to the father. All 

 the clothing of this family was of cotton and most 

 of it was quite soiled. 



On a chilly day when the thermometer regis- 

 tered approximately 0° centigrade, or freezing, a 

 mother in the village was observed to be wearing 

 a cotton blouse and cotton skirt and a light cotton 

 jacket. She was barefoot and without stockings. 

 Since 7 o'clock in the morning, she had been at 

 the creek, washing clothes. Her 14-year-old 

 daughter was wearing a cotton dress and a light 

 cotton jacket. She also was barefoot and without 

 stockings. A 10-year-old son had on a cotton 

 shirt, cotton pants and canvas shoes, without stock- 

 ings. A 62-year-old woman, who was observed on 

 the same day, had on a cotton dress and apron and 

 over her head and shoulders she wore a threadbare 

 man's coat. She was barefoot and her hands were 

 trembling with the cold. A 35-year-old woman 

 who was accompanying her had on a cotton 



print dress. She also was barefoot. A 7-year-old 

 girl wore a similar dress, without sleeves. Her 

 10-year-old sister had on a light cotton dress, over 

 which she wore a faded coat with long sleeves. 

 Both girls were barefoot. A 7-month-old baby had 

 on a cotton dress and a loose crocheted woolen 

 jacket. On the same clay, a farm mother and her 

 two daughters, aged 9 and 13, were observed to 

 be barefoot and without stockings. The mother 

 was using the same dress, now showing much more 

 wear, of thin cotton material which she had been 

 using on the occasion of a previous visit, several 

 months before. The two girls had on cotton print 

 dresses with short sleeves. The wife of a village 

 official, a women 35 years of age, was wearing a 

 cotton dress and apron and flannel slippers, with- 

 out stockings. A 12-year-old gii'l had on a light 

 cotton dress, over which she wote a cotton smock 

 with long sleeves. She was barefoot. Five boys, 

 aged 6 to 12, who were playing in the streets, were 

 all wearing short cotton pants and cotton shirts. 

 All but one boy had on canvas shoes ; he was wear- 

 ing ta.jnccncos, or slippers with wooden soles and a 

 leather strap over the toe. A man was dressed in a 

 shirt, trousers and coat, all of cotton. He walked 

 bent over, as if suffering from the cold. Another 

 man was dressed in a cotton shirt, cotton trousers, 

 and a sleeveless jacket. He had on shoes and rude 

 puttees. Most of the children had colds and sev- 

 eral coughed from time to time. None had a hand- 

 kerchief. 



As has been indicated, most men, women, and 

 children sleep in the same clothes which they have 

 worn at work or play during the day. In warm 

 weather, these may be reduced to undergarments. 

 The children in a few families use pajamas and 

 an occasional woman or girl, a nightgown. 



Few ornaments are worn, except earrings, which 

 are almost universal adornment for the women 

 when dressed for a visit. Mass, festa, or dance. 

 The ornaments are ordinarily of cheap alloy with 

 imitation stones, except in rare cases where a more 

 expensive heirloom has been handed clown in the 

 family. Cheap rings also are worn occasionally 

 by the women, rarely by the men. Only one per- 

 son, a young man in the village, wears a wrist- 

 watch. The use of eyeglasses is comparatively 

 rare, only three pairs having been observed in the 

 community, two of which were being worn by 



