CRTJZ DAS A1>MAS: A BRAZILIAN VILLAGE — PIERSON 



51 



in the ground in which to plant maize, or to set 

 bamboo or other small poles when building a light 

 fence. It has a slender blade 10 inches in length 

 which tapers from about 3 inches at the point to 

 214 inches where the handle is inserted. Tlie ax 

 used locally has a steel blade about 7 inches long 

 and a cutting edge which extends a little over 5 

 inches. The upper side of the blade is sti'aight ; 

 the lower side, however, slopes inward from the 

 tip until, at the handle, there is a width of only 3 

 inches. The sickle is used to harvest rice; it is 

 factory-made. 



The maul used locally for splitting wood always 

 has an iron head. The wedge also is of iron. The 

 pick is used on occasion, as also is the shovel. 

 Like those of the enxada, the blades of the 

 enxaddo, foice, poddosinho, cavadeira, ax. shovel, 

 and pick, and the head of the maul, are all factory- 

 made, and the respective handles have been cut 

 from local timber and fitted by the farmer. 



Tlie plow is used less than the extent of its pres- 

 ence in the community would seem to indicate. 

 Both terrain and tradition are against it. The 

 hoe is more easily handled on hillsides. The tra- 

 dition of hoe agriculture, like the slash and burn 

 technique, is deeply rooted. The plow is factory- 

 made and has a steel share and moldboard. The 

 fore part of the beam rests upon a small iron wheel. 

 With the exception of bolts and braces, all the 

 other parts are of wood. The riscador is a sort of 

 diminutive lister used to open shallow furrows for 

 planting. It also is factory-made. The share is 

 of steel ; all other parts are of wood. The grade 

 is a simple, triangular harrow made by the farmer 

 or a village carpenter. Each side is about 4 feet 

 long. The frame is of wood and the teeth are 

 iron spikes. The village carpenters and most 

 farmers have handsaws. The tra^ador, or cross- 

 cut saw, also is occasionally used. 



The facdo, or machete, is a useful instrument for 

 cutting one's way through vines and dense under- 

 growth in the mata. It is a long and sharply 

 pointed knife with a slightly curved cutting edge. 

 The blade is of steel and usually measures about 

 16 inches from handle to tip and varies in width 

 from about 1% inches at the handle to 214 inches 

 at the point of curvature. It is factory-made and 

 usually is worn at the belt in a leather sheath. 

 Further details of these implements may be ob- 

 served in figures 8 to 11 and plate 15. 



As has been indicated, there are used for hunt- 

 ing or protection, the rifle, shotgun, picapau, 

 slingshot, garrucha, and faea de hainJia,' and for 

 catching fish, the covo, tarra-fa, trotline. fishpole, 

 line, and hook."* The arapiKa, used for trapping 

 game birds and small animals also has been de- 

 scribed elsewhere."^ 



Threshing beans is accomplished by piling the 

 beans and beating them with long, pliant sticks 

 (pi. 11, c). For winnowing, the apd, or winnow- 

 ing tray, and the peneira, or sieve, are universally 

 employed. Each is woven of faguara, is round in 

 form, and measures approximately 21 inches in 

 diameter. The tipifl for squeezing cid/'a when 

 making cidrdo is described elsewhere."" 



The monjolo, once widely used for crushing 

 maize, rice, and other foodstuffs is disappearing 

 from the community. Villagei-s will say, "Caftow" 

 (It is gone). If one visits about the countiTside, 

 however, he will find at least six farmere whose 

 monjolos, although seldom used, are still in good 

 order and will function on occasion. One fanner 

 has two, both of which he sometimes uses. 



The inonjolo consists of a large mortar and 

 pestle, operated by water power (fig. 12). A 

 wooden "hammer" is mounted on an axle and 

 made to operate like a walking beam, alternately 

 liaising its head and dropping it into a wooden 

 mortar. A beam observed on a fann in the com- 

 mmiity is about 9 feet long, 10 inches wide, and 

 G inches thick. It is made of jacarandd which, as 

 has been indicated, is a hard, durable wood. The 

 head, or mdo (hand) as it is called, is also of wood 

 and is fitted into one end of the beam. It is some- 

 what pointed on the lower end so as better to fit, 

 as it drops, into the mortar below. In the opposite 

 end of the beam, a trough has been cut about 18 

 inches long and -4 inches deep. The mortar also 

 has been made of jacarandd. It is firmly set in 

 the gi'ound, out of which it extends about 16 

 inches. The upper portion has been hollowed out 

 to leave a cuvity about 14 inches in diameter at 

 the top whose sides gradually slope inward imtil, 

 at the bottom, the cavity is only about 2 inches in 

 diameter. 



The monjolo is set up at the side of a small 

 stream from which water is diverted and made to 



"* See Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping, p. 32. 

 "■' See The Arapuca, p. 85 ; also plate 20. 

 1'" See Sugar Making, p, 88. 



