CRUZ DAS almas: a BRAZILIAN VILLAGE — PIERSON 



81 



to shelter farm implements and a charrete^^ three 

 of whose sides are of poles and the fourth of large, 

 rough-hewn boards; a small chicken house, three 

 of whose sides are of poles of bamboo and other 

 wood and the fourth is open; a shelter for pigs, 

 about 9 feet square, with sides similar to those of 

 the chicken house, except that the poles are placed 

 horizontally instead of vertically, and the whole 

 is supported on four large stakes ; and a structure 

 for feeding small chickens separately from large 

 chickens, made of poles and conical in form, about 

 3 feet wide at the base and 6 feet high. The roof 

 of the shed is of galvanized iron and those of the 

 chicken house and the shelter for pigs are of tile. 

 Other sitios visited usually had a small shelter 

 either for chickens or pigs. One sitio had no out- 

 buildings of any kind. There are no barns in the 

 community. 



On one of the sitios where maize is ground, there 

 is a small machine shop near the mill, made of 

 brick and calcirained on the outside, with a dirt 

 floor and tile roof. 



At the sede, or seat, of the fazenda that lies at 

 the edge of the village, there are a number of 

 buildings other than the house. Opposite the lat- 

 ter, beyond a yard where the cattle come in, is a 

 dwelling about 12 feet wide by 15 feet long and 8 

 feet high, used by an employee and his family. 

 Attached to the left side of this dwelling is a 

 shed, open at the front; then another dwelling 

 similar to the first ; then another shed ; and, finally, 

 a third dwelling, equal in size to each of the other 

 two. Over the five structures built side by side is 

 a long, continuous roof of tile. At one end of the 

 cattle yard, located so that, together with this 

 structure and the farmhouse, it forms a rough U, 

 is the sawmill referred to in the section on Lumber 

 (p. 91 ) . Near the sawmill and to one side of the 

 farmhouse, are two large storerooms, each about 

 20 feet in width and 16 feet high at the ridge pole. 

 One of the storerooms is 13 feet in length and the 

 other is about twice as long. Beyond the store- 

 rooms is another dwelling for employees. On the 

 other side of the house are two low sheds, one of 

 which is used for chickens, the other for calves. 

 Immediately back of the farmhouse is a small 

 privy. All the buildings are of brick, covered with 

 reboque and calcimined in white, with tile roofs. 



"» Tools and Other Equipment, p. 55. 



MANUFACTURING PROCESSES 



A number of relatively simple manufacturing 

 processes are undertaken in the community. Al- 

 though no one at present makes piloes for his 

 neighbors, occasionally a family will prepare their 

 own by burning out the central portion of a log 

 of the desired size and trimming the cavity with 

 a steel chisel and a mallet. 



On 9 of 17 farms visited, home-made soap is 

 prepared for the family's use. It is usually made 

 of ashes, beef suet (or lard, if available), and wa- 

 ter. Sometimes, either lye or the leaves of the 

 guaanma {Urena lobata), saia hranca, or tuna (a 

 species of cactus) plants are added, although the 

 lye is usually considered an unnecessary expense, 

 especially at present prices. 



Holes are punched in an empty gasoline tin 

 and the tin is filled with ashes. Water is added 

 and allowed to drip through into a vessel set under- 

 neath. Meanwhile, suet is melted in a tacho, or 

 copper pan, and the dark-colored liquid from the 

 ashes is added slowly until "there is enough to cut 

 the fat." The mixture is then cooked until quite 

 thick, being stirred occasionally, if the fire is 

 burning low ; continuously, if the fire is hot. In 

 the latter case, cooking can be completed in about 

 11/2 days; in the former, in 3 to 4 days. The soap 

 is then left to cool, subsequent to which it is cut 

 into pieces convenient for handling. It is used 

 for washing clothes, dishes, hair, and the body. 

 Many families, even among those which are able 

 to purchase factory-made soap, prefer the home- 

 made variety. It is thought to be especially effica- 

 cious in the treatment of skin diseases and dan- 

 druff. "It is mighty good for the itch," said a 

 farm woman, "and also for rash." 



A considerable quantity of Unguiga, or the Bra- 

 zilian variety of pork sausage, used to be made for 

 sale in the village and surrounding area. Pork 

 was cut up in fine pieces and seasoned with salt 

 and parsley. Pepper, garlic, onions, marjoram, 

 or vinegar sometimes were also used. The follow- 

 ing morning, the sausage was stuffed into well- 

 washed casings of pig or goat intestines, and 

 smoked for a day. 



As has been indicated, tuffwm fiber is occasion- 

 ally used. Several fronds of the tucwna palm 

 are cut in an available patch of timber and brought 

 home. They ordinarily are around 18 inches long 

 and 2 or 3 inches wide at the largest part. The 



