CRUZ DAS almas: a BRAZILIAN VILLAGE — PIERSON 



55 



farmers own hand-poweied corn shellers which 

 are factory-made. Most farmers have a simple 

 press for squeezing out cane juice, called the en- 

 genho. It may be operated by either liand or ani- 

 mal traction. An engenho observed on a local 

 farm had iron cogs, stood about 6 feet high, and 

 was turned by means of a horizontal pole about 19 

 feet long. Occasionally, the cogs are of wood (pi. 

 15). 



The pok'i, or local stove; the pilao, or mortar; 

 the girau, or wooden platform; the gamela, or 

 wooden bowl, the wooden basin for bathing, and 

 the iron and sewing machine, all to be seen with 

 greater or less frequency in village and farm- 

 houses, are referred to elsewhere."' 



Used locally in transport are the riding saddle, 

 charrete^ carroga, oxcart, can'inho, ca^amba, pack- 

 saddle, wheelbarrow, and boat, together with cer- 

 tain accessories, such as the yoke, goad picud, jacd, 

 bridle, and harness. The charrete is used for 

 carrying persons. It is an open, two-wheeled cart 

 with shafts for a horse or other animal. The 

 carroga is a similar cart for delivering milk or 

 chickens or other light produce. The oxcart is 

 usually about 61^ feet long and 31-^ feet wide and 

 clears the ground 2 feet at the axle. The tongue 

 is built into the body of the cart so that the cart 

 tilts as the tongue is raised. Some oxcarts have 

 solid wooden wheels, called rodas duras, held on 

 a wooden axle by a wooden pin ; others have iron- 

 rimmed wheels ivith wooden spokes and an iron 

 axle and may also be fitted with a hand-operated 

 brake. In either case, loads are held in place bj' 

 wooden uprights spaced about every 18 inches, 

 inside which a long, pliable mat made of taquara 

 may be stood on end and bent in an oval to form 

 a relatively tight box approximately the length 

 and width of the oxcart and about 4 feet high. 

 The camnho is a miniature oxcart pulled by hand 

 and used to carry light objects. The cacainba is 

 similar to the oxcart but is smaller and has wooden 

 sides and ends. It is used for hauling dirt. Boats 

 are built locally of boards sawn from native 

 timber and are maneuvered with poles and 

 paddles which have been cut in the Trvata. 



The packsaddle is composed of a heavy pad laid 

 over the animal's back and an upright of wood 

 supported by it on either side, from which large 

 baskets are suspended. It is held in place by wide 



"' See Dwellings and Furnishings, p. 42. 

 843805—51 5 



leather straps which pass around the animal's 

 breast, under the belly and over the rump. A sec- 

 ond pad is placed under the baskets to protect the 

 animal from friction. The local riding saddle is 

 similar to a western saddle except that there is 

 no horn and the bow is wider and set in such a 

 way that the legs of the rider, provided he is thin 

 enough, fit under it. Saddlebags of raw cowhide 

 are sometimes used. The cilhao, or ladies' side 

 saddle, is occasionally seen hanging on the wall in 

 a farmer's house, but is raiely used today. 



The central portion of the ox yoke is of wood, 

 as also are the uprights that fit on each side of the 

 animals' necks. Fastenings are of leather. The 

 goad is made of a stick about 5 feet in length, to 

 one extremity of which is attached a small spiked 

 wheel. A lash of braided leather about 3 feet long 

 also is fastened to the stick. The picud is a simple 

 cloth sack used for carrying small objects while 

 traveling on horseback or on foot (pi. 2, /). The 

 jacd is a rectangvdar basket with rounded corners, 

 made of taquara. It is attached to each side of a 

 packsaddle and is used for carrying grain, fruit, 

 and similar objects. The size varies. A pair ob- 

 served being used were each about 20 inches long, 

 16 inches wide, and 30 inches high. The headgear 

 of bridles is of leather; the reins are sometimes of 

 leather, occasionally of rope. The harness is of 

 leather, rope or chain. The hoco, also called the 

 pafrona, is a canvas or leather satchel used to carry 

 food or ammunition. One farmer in the conamun- 

 ity was observed to own a sled. It has wooden 

 runners and was said to have been introduced into 

 the region by Japanese. Further details of these 

 nieiuis of transport may be seen in plates 13 and 

 14. 



On 17 farms visited, the tools and other equip- 

 ment owned by farmers were as listed in table 9. 



Table 9. — Equipment on 17 farms, Cruz das Almas com- 

 munity, 19JfS 



