THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 — KELLY AND PALERM 



81 



catch. A new net often has a godfather (padrino) , 

 and generally he, not the owner, casts it the first 

 time. Upon this occasion, an offering of food is 

 tossed into the stream so that the legendary "owner 

 of the water" (el dueno del agua) may grant luck 

 in fishing. A concrete case witnessed by Roberto 

 Williams follows : 



The owner of the new net removed from his shoulder 

 bag a cornhnsk, in which were wrapped : six wild minia- 

 ture tomatoes, two chilis, a head of garlic, a small onion, 

 and some leaves of epazote (No. 75). Generally squash 

 seed (pipi&n) also is included. 



The owner of the net threw away the husk wrapping, 

 gathered some dry leaves from the edge of the stream and, 

 clutching this assortment, entered the water. He was 

 accompanied by the godfather, who carried the net. The 

 two men stood about 2 m. apart. The owner tossed his 

 miscellaneous offering into the water, a meter in front 

 of the godfather. When it had sunk, the padrino threw 

 the new net over the same spot. He cast several times 

 before turning the net over to the owner. Generally, the 

 godfather is given half of the first catch. 



The owner of the net filled his mouth with water and 

 blew a bit into the mouths of the first fish caught — to 

 hasten their death, it is said. A meticulous fisherman 

 performs this act with each fish he catches, regardless of 

 whether or not the net is new. Some blow water into the 

 mouths of the first fish of each catch ; others make no 

 such gesture. 



A net may be "cured" on dry land, before the 

 actual fishing excursion. The account of a local 

 fishing enthusiast follows : 



With my first casting net, I did not "cure" it, but with 

 my second, I did. My uncle asked when I was going to 

 use the net for the first time, and I told him the following 

 Sunday. He answered, "Then it must be cured, so that 

 it will always catch fish. I shall cure it." 



My uncle went away, but came back later with a hand- 

 ful of squash seed (pipU'in), with seven chilis, and seven 

 cloves of garlic. We went to the patio of the house and my 

 uncle told me, "Stand as though you were in the arroyo and 

 cast your net." He stood to one side, while I did as he told 

 me. The moment I threw the net, he tossed the food from 

 his hand in such a way that some of it caught in the net. 

 I cleared the net, removing the squash seeds. Then my 

 uncle told me that the chili and garlic were to protect 

 the net from mal viento (literally, evil air; evil forces). 

 And, "just as your net caught the squash seeds, so it will 

 catch fish," he said. 



WILD PLANTS 



The Totonac make considerable use of their wild 

 plant resources, in part for food, in part for other 

 purposes. We collected between 300 and 400 

 herbarium specimens, about a fourth of which are 



considered curative — either because of medicinal 

 or magical properties. 



TOMATO AND CHILI 



Of all the wild plant products, the two most 

 important economically are the small tomato (to- 

 mate, Lycopersicon, No. 24) and the chili (Capsi- 

 cum, No. 214). Both are of direct interest to 

 every Totonac household, for they are used exten- 

 sively in cooking and, moreover, are sold to con- 

 siderable advantage by many families. These two 

 plants appear in great quantity as volunteers in 

 the maize fields. Some Totonac claim that they 

 are not interested in adopting the plow, because 

 it might endanger these two precious crops; and 

 this may not be entirely a matter of rationalization. 



The tomato is the miniature red form, about the 

 size and shape of a marble; the small yellow type 

 is unknown. There are two crops annually. The 

 first begins in February and continues into April, 

 when the maize starts to tassel; then "the yellow 

 powder which falls from the corn is so strong that 

 it dries the other plants in the field." However, 

 once the ears of corn begin to form, the tomato 

 sprouts anew, and by July is bearing again, ceasing 

 once more in September. 



The importance of the tomato as a local source 

 of vitamins can scarcely be overestimated. More- 

 over, it brings a welcome cash income to those who 

 have time and energy to gather the fruit. Many 

 women, especially the elderly and the need}', col- 

 lect every few days during the indicated seasons. 

 Some of the fruit is sold in Taj in — to housewives 

 who have no time to go to the fields ; to those whose 

 fields are too distant; or to those who are rela- 

 tively prosperous. However, the bulk of the to- 

 mates is marketed in Papantla. The gatherers 

 make frequent trips to town, each carrying on her 

 head a wooden tray filled with the fruit. The 

 •wild tomato sells readily in Papantla because it 

 has an excellent flavor and is much cheaper than 

 the large, cultivated, commercial tomato shipped 

 in for sale. 



It is difficult to calculate either yield or pro- 

 ceeds from the wild tomato, because the fruit is 

 collected in small quantities as it ripens, over a 

 period of several weeks. Of our 35 families, 2 

 do not plant corn, hence have no field in which 

 to collect; 2 claim not to gather the tomate; 14 

 collect for personal consumption; and 17 sell, in 



