THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 KELLY AND PALERM 



75 



one, upward and to the left. The whole business was 

 covered with leaves and branches. The dogs were let 

 loose, and the frightened deer, attempting to escape, was 

 impaled. 



Don Miguel likewise is said to hare described a deer 

 call, used in April, to imitate the cry of the fawn. Two 

 leugths of cane were cut, one of slightly greater diameter 

 than the other. To the tip of the smaller cane, a cobweb 

 was glued securely, and the end inserted in the larger 

 cylinder. The hunter blew on the larger cane, prudently 

 taking refuge behind a tree, because the onrush of the 

 doe generally was violent. 



In Tajin, it is customary to divide the meat 

 between the several hunters. The heart is tossed 

 in the fire and eaten at once, with salt ; it is thought 

 to give one strength. Generally, the head and 

 hooves are smoked. If dogs are used in the chase, 

 the head of the deer invariably goes to their owner, 

 for his animals to eat. To sell the head is unthink- 

 able ; in that case, "the dogs never would be able to 

 locate another deer." However, great care is taken 

 that the dogs have no access to the hooves, which 

 are hung high in a tree, or behind the house. 

 Should the dogs eat them, "they will be unable to 

 run after deer." 



The deer provides important talismans for 

 hunting. A membrane is cut from the throat and 

 stuck to the corner of the house, to insure subse- 

 quent good hunting. "A small stone" (presum- 

 ably bezoar) also is said to bring good luck in the 

 chase. According to one informant, it is found in 

 the heart; according to another, in the intestines. 

 What is even more prized as a charm is a "worm" 

 (gusano, stakulu-ajuke, slikaemju-ke; latter, said 

 to mean the diviner of the deer). All agree con- 

 cerning its virtues, but its whereabouts is uncer- 

 tain. One thought the worm was to be found in 

 the hooves; another in the neck; generally, it is 

 described as far up the nose of the animal, where 

 there are two hollows, in each of which a "worm" 

 lives. It must be extracted immediately the deer 

 is killed or it will disappear. Francisco Villa- 

 nueva once saw the worms but did not remove 

 them. Santiago Simbron has seen the hollows, but 

 not the worm ; his father, however, had one, and 

 it brought him marked success in hunting. If 

 shown to anyone, the charm loses its virtue. Stored 

 in a small cane, with a little blood from the deer, 

 it is kept in a corner of the house, and is carried 

 only when the owner goes hunting. If there are a 

 dozen men, engaged in a large drive, the deer 

 infallibly falls to the owner of the "worm." 



The peccary (jabali, kiwipasni; kiwi, palo; 

 pasni, picerco; free translation : forest pig) always 

 has been less plentiful than the deer. Like the 

 latter, today it is found chiefly in monte alto. The 

 meat is not prized, at least by Pedro Perez, who 

 complains that it has the flavor of uncastrated hog. 



The peccary is chased with dogs. When tired, it 

 makes a stand in front of a large tree, generally 

 one with surface roots. It grinds its teeth and 

 gives vigorous battle with its tusks. The animal 

 is dispatched by a shot, for it is considered danger- 

 ous quarry and no hunter cares to approach. 

 Sometimes, the dogs are injured and it is advisable 

 to cure them at once. The hair from the back of 

 the peccary is collected and burned, and the result- 

 ing ash is sprinkled on the wound. This is parallel 

 to the magical treatment given humans who are 

 suffering from "fright." 



Although relatively scarce, the armadillo 

 (kuyu 2 ) still is found occasionally. Its meat is 

 considered tasty, similar in flavor to pork, and 

 may be served with mole sauce (p. 158). A dog 

 runs the armadillo into its hole in the ground; it 

 enters head first and is extracted by pulling on the 

 tail. The throat is cut with a knife or machete. 



No other way of hunting armadillo was reported 

 locally, but Pedro Perez, on the authority of 

 Miguel Andres (p. 74), describes a deadfall used 

 formerly in the Comalteco area. It was similar to 

 that shown in figure 5, but the uprights were taller 

 and were reinforced by the addition of securely 

 tied crosspieces. However, the trunk was sus- 

 pended in the middle, not at the end, with a quan- 

 tity of stone on top, to give added weight. 



From time to time, a lynx ( ?) (oma, tankiwi, 

 translated cola de palo, or nalgas de palo; wooden 

 rump) is killed; the meat generally is eaten in 

 mole sauce. Jaguar (tigre, la-panit) was found 

 only in the days of monte alto; a smaller feline, 

 lighter colored, called tigrillo (soke-mi-sin), is, 

 however, killed once in a while. Similarly, a 

 hunter may take an occasional crack at small 

 animals such as the opossum (tlacuaehe, istan), 

 the raccoon (mapache), skunk {zorrillo, sasan), 

 badger (tejon, skuti), and marten (marta, 

 stawakua). 



The badger may be hunted with dogs. If they 

 grab the quarry, it is likely to cut their throats, 

 and ideally, the dogs pursue the animal and hold 

 it at bay until the hunter arrives. For the marten, 



