THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 KELLY AND PALEKM 



115 



Totonac go daily to the field, especially when the 

 corn is young, to frighten the birds with rockets or 

 with stones. This is the particular responsibility 

 of the small boys of the family. 



The papdn (Appendix D, No. 25) is one of the 

 worst pests. "It is a large bird that comes to the 

 field and destroys the tassel ; one must cut it so that 

 another will form; otherwise the plant does not 

 produce. Woodpeckers also destroy the tassel, as 

 well as the young ears. Both these birds are killed 

 with firearms ; a trap is no good, because they do 

 not light on the ground." 



A scarecrow (espantajo {sic}, limakaksan, 

 limakaAan) also is used. Nowadays it is no more 

 than two sticks set up in the form of a cross, with 

 an old shirt draped on them. "Formerly scare- 

 crows were made of corn husks, with arms and 

 legs ; on the head they put a hat." Or : "The grand- 

 father of Matias Perez used to make scarecrows 

 in the form of a doll, out of dry banana leaves. He 

 put a hat on the head and hung the figure in the 

 field, from a tree or a long pole." From memory, 

 Modesto Gonzalez has drawn one of these figures, 

 complete with headgear (fig. 12) . Nowadays these 



Figure 12. — Scarecrow. Tracing of a sketch by Modesto 

 Gonzalez, showing the type of banana leaf effigy used 

 formerly in Tajin. 



893477—52 9 



works of art are scarcely remembered. As one lad 

 says, "we no longer use them; I think the birds 

 learned that they do no harm." 



Traps are set for prairie dog intruders, or poison 

 is bought for them. Squirrels and skunks are 

 killed with a shotgun. Sometimes dogs assist in 

 dispatching a skunk, but not all dogs will tackle 

 one. A skunk may be killed also with a machete. 

 To kill a fox or a raccoon, various dogs are 

 required. 



Natural phenomena — wind, drought, excess 

 rain, hail, and eclipses — all take their toll of crops 

 in Tajin. In March and April, strong, dry winds 

 may break the maize plants. The corn itself an- 

 nounces the imminence of such a wind : "Yester- 

 day the maize was sad and withered; today we 

 have a dry north wind." When the plants are 

 about to tassel, the wind may frighten them so 

 that they do not produce. To avoid this disaster, 

 one informant recommends blowing lustily in the 

 field, using a cow's horn as a trumpet. Others 

 form a series of crosses with ashes, to calm the 

 wind. And, of course, the red corn which is grow- 

 ing scattered throughout the field is supposed to 

 give further protection. 



Drought is a recurrent problem in the spring, 

 and sometimes the crops are literally lost — not 

 only maize, but A^anilla as well. Again, the red 

 corn is supposed to protect the field, this time 

 from excessive sun. The farmer does not rely 

 exclusively on its power, but he generally lights 

 a candle to St. Joseph, the Virgin of Guadalupe, 

 or to the image known as the Santo Entierro. 

 Moreover, each year, the community requests the 

 loan of a miraculous figure of St. Joseph, from a 

 neighboring settlement. The saint is well received 

 and well entertained, and most of the dance groups 

 give performances in his honor. If he is pleased 

 with the reception, he is expected to intervene and 

 bring rain. 



When all else fails, the archeological stone idols 

 are invoked. Those found in the fields are kept in 

 the houses, generally on or beneath the Christian 

 altars. In case of emergency, they are bathed, 

 in an effort to produce rain. Some people carry 

 jars of water to the archeological site and dash 

 it over the large stone figure in front of the main 

 pyramid. The treatment is continued until rains 

 come; and if constant recourse is had to the idols, 

 the rain generally is accompanied by strong winds. 



