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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHKOPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 13 



rubbish, at which time the nets were removed from 

 their temporary position and subsequently were used as 

 throwing nets. 



Casting is described as follows : 



One end of a retrieving cord is attached to the apex of 

 the net ; its other terminates in a loop, which is slipped 

 over the left wrist. The cord is doubled a couple of times 

 and is held in the left hand, which also clutches the rim 

 of the net. One of the lead weights is caught in the 

 mouth ; the right arm is passed beneath the net and the 

 rim of the latter is grasped in the right hand. Finally, 

 with the right arm, the net is thrown outward, in such 

 manner that it falls open on the water, a meter or more 

 from the fisherman. With the weight of the small leads, 

 the net sinks and closes, imprisoning the fish which happen 

 to be beneath it. 



Today, fish poison is little used, and then "far 

 from the houses." Nevertheless, Modesto Gon- 

 zalez lists five uncultivated plants which are 

 effective : 



a. Camote amarillo (Dioscorea, No. 109). Its tuber 

 is scraped or ground, then tossed into the water. 



6. Camote bianco (Dioscorea, No. 147) ; use apparently 

 the same as the preceding. 



c. Spanish name unknown ; in Totonac, laqasrnaiyak 

 (Serjania, No. 199). A vine, whose stem is hacked in 

 pieces, 20 to 25 cm. long; these then are cracked with a 

 heavy stick and tossed into the arroyo. The poison is said 

 to have no effect on humans. 



d. Bejuco de chile (Salmea, No. 49). The vine is cut 

 in short lengths and thrown into the water. Again, not 

 injurious to humans. 



e. Palo de leche (Seoasiiana, No. 99). The bark is 

 slashed and the milky fluid which exudes is collected and 

 dumped into the stream. Great care is taken, for this 

 liquid is extremely irritating to the eyes ; it is said, in fact, 

 to attack the sight of the fish. 



Unlike the other poisons, Don Modesto thinks that this 

 one might be used to dispatch humans. He has heard 

 that "when one is angry and wants to die," he gathers 

 the milk of this tree. However, neither he nor other 

 Informants can give a specific case of suicide by this means. 



Fishing luck must vary widely, but we know 

 of one group of four which caught, between them, 

 87 guapotes and 1 guavina, and collected, as well, 

 3 shrimp. If the catch always were this numerous, 

 fish might provide an important protein element in 

 Totonac diet. But our impression is that its role 

 is definitely minor — even though, as a special deli- 

 cacy, dry fish occasionally is purchased in the 

 Papantla market. 



There is no fixed rule for the division of the 

 catch. Antonio Bautista says that he and his 

 friends put the fish in maguey fiber bags; when 

 one bag is full, they use another. At the end of 



the day, they divide the largest fish equally among 

 all participants ; next, the smaller fish. The man 

 who has had outstanding success generally gets 

 a bit more than the others. Mauro Perez and his 

 friends likewise divide the catch equally. But 

 Francisco Morales and his companions proceed 

 differently: each one keeps what he catches per- 

 sonally; if he bags only one shrimp, that is his 

 haul for the day. Lorenzo Xochigua once went 

 with a party which was to fish by rocket. One 

 man stood on the bank and tossed the rocket — but 

 he came away empty-handed, for "his companions 

 grabbed the fish so rapidly that none was left for 

 him." 



One with a cowlick at the back of his head in- 

 variably is a good fisherman and is invited fre- 

 quently to accompany fishing parties. If a 

 fisherman notices that one of his companions is 

 blessed with such a cowlick, he attempts to tie his 

 own little finger, unobserved, so that he too may 

 share the luck. If several are fishing and only one 

 seems to be successful, the others may examine 

 him for a cowlick. If they find one at the back 

 of his head, they tie his little finger with a vine 

 or with the antenna of a shrimp, to destroy his 

 luck. Outnumbered b} f his companions, he is 

 obliged to submit. Lads new to fishing may be de- 

 ceived. They allow their companions to tie their 

 thumbs or little fingers in the belief that this movp 

 will bring good luck ; on the contrary, the result is 

 quite the opposite. 



No fisherman will have luck — cowlick or not — 

 if he carries with him a mirror, money, or a knife. 

 However, he may bury these articles in the bank 

 of the arroyo; or he may cover them with sand 

 and wrap them in leaves. Thus enclosed, they may 

 be carried in the shoulder bag without ill effect. 



When one hopes that a rival may have poor 

 luck, he goes ahead and tosses poison in the stream, 

 so that the latecomer will find the fish already dead. 

 Or he wears a ring — evidently the equivalent of 

 tying his finger — and the other is unable to catch 

 anything. Another alternative is to make the sign 

 of the cross in the air, with the machete, along the 

 road where the competitor is to pass; or, unob- 

 served, to toss a fistful of sand on the shoulder of 

 the rival. All these measures guarantee poor luck 

 in fishing. 



Attention also centers upon the net. Some tie 

 the "teeth" of the shrimp to it, to insure a large 



