78 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 1 2 



zebu is much liked for its hardy characteristics and 

 especially for its resistance to insect pests (see 

 pi. 20, g). Many local cattle are descendants of 

 the zebu, mixed especially with the caracu. 



Cows ai-e milked only once a day, early in the 

 morning, usually about sunrise. The quantity of 

 milk obtained from each cow is relatively small. 

 They are then put out to pasture and left until 

 about sundown when they are driven into the cattle 

 yard for the night and the next morning's milking. 

 The milk is put in cans of from about 2 to 11 gal- 

 lons each ^^^ and taken to Boa Vista, where it is 

 delivered to leiterlas, or raw-milk stations which 

 sell directly to the consumer. 



Cheese occasionally is made, but rarely for other 

 than home consumption. A piece of the lining of 

 a cow's stomach used to be dropped into the milk 

 to aid coagulation. "The same piece worked well 

 for 6 months, or so," said an informant. Today 

 a coagulant purchased at the pharmacy is used 

 instead. A "pinch of salt" is also added. Wlien 

 tlie milk is well curdled, the mass is put in a cloth 

 bag and hung to drain. The curds are then placed 

 in a tin can like one seen being used which was 

 about 6 inches in diameter and 8 inches high and 

 had its sides perforated to permit any remaining 

 whey to escape. A weight is laid on the curds to 

 hasten this process and left about a day, after 

 which the rather soft cheese is taken out ready for 

 use. 



Of the several kinds of grass that grow in the 

 community, the catingueiro, or gordura (literally, 

 fat) , is preferred for pasture because of the ease 

 with which it can be seeded, as well as its vigor- 

 ous growth. Local residents distinguish three va- 

 rieties: the Negro Hair {cdbelo de negro), the 

 purple, and the white. The first seeds were brought 

 into the community only 8 years ago. It has 

 spread so rapidly that farmers who do not raise 

 cattle often protest bitterly against it. "It has 

 become a pest {praga) that no one can stand," said 

 a farmer. "It just takes over the land. Once it 

 gets into your fields, there's no way to get rid 

 of it." 



THE DOG 



The dog, and especially the hunting dog, is of 

 considerable importance in the life of the com- 

 munity. In the village, there are appi-oximately 



"2 The cans are of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 50 litera. 



70 dogs. Six families have three each and one 

 family has four. On the surrounding farms, two 

 dogs per family are common ; several families have 

 five or six and one family has eight. On one farm 

 are kept 40 dogs, used especially for hunting deer. 

 All the dogs are of mixed breed. No two ob- 

 served are alike in form or color. Many are di- 

 vided, however, into precise classes by their owners, 

 in keeping with hunting or lierding characteristics. 

 These classifications include: 



Portuguese term English translation^" 



Paqueiro Huuter of pacas 



Perdigueiro Hunter of partridges 



Veadeiro Hunter of deer 



M6stre p'ra porco An expert with wild pigs 



M6stre p'ra capivara An expert with capivaras 



Boiadelro Cattle herder 



Other dogs have, so to speak, no specialty. If 

 one inquires of their owner what they are used for, 

 the reply ordinarily is, "They are only to keep one 

 company." 



At first sight, it would seem that many of these 

 dogs are little appreciated. With only one excep- 

 tion among those observed, they are thin, hungry- 

 looking, and unkempt and often have running 

 sores, especially on the ears. Their appearance, 

 however, merely reflects the fact that the dogs 

 live, eat, take shelter, and sufi'er privation and the 

 attacks of insects along with their owners in a 

 common lot. If there is food, they are fed; if 

 food is lacking, they make the best of it. If in- 

 sects attack, that fact is considered to be in the 

 nature of things, as similarly is the cure of the 

 sores which the bites produce. 



There are numerous evidences of sentimental at- 

 tachment and even admiration, on the part of the 

 men for their dogs, especially for those employed 

 in the hunt. One hears remarks like the follow- 

 ing, "Since Desi^ique died, I have lost every desire 

 to hunt. He was some dog ! A better hunter of 

 paca I never saw." "Do you remember him?" a 

 bystander is asked. "Do I remember him?" comes 

 the reply. "I should say I do ! What a good dog 

 he was to have on a hunt." The dog in question 

 has been dead nearly 6 years. Reminiscences of 

 this sort are common in the conversation of the 

 men when they get together, and reveal sentiments 

 not unlike those shown toward human beings. A 



1" Translations here, as elsewhere in this publication, are made 

 freely. In an attempt to render into English as precisely as pos- 

 sible actual meanings. 



