THE TAJIN TOTONAC — PART 1 — KELLY AND PALERM 



247 



pesos, although during the war years, the price 

 soared to $25.00 pesos. The leather sheath (fig. 

 68) also is purchased in Papantla, together with 

 a thick thong, about 1.5 cm. wide, by which the 

 sheath is attached to the waist. These accessories 

 cost $5.00 and $1.00 pesos respectively. The 

 leather cover is not made in Papantla and we are 

 uncertain of its provenience; it is said to come 

 from Cuernavaca (sic), but a saddler in Villa 

 Juarez assured us that he produces machete covers 

 for the Papantla trade. 



A thong passes through slits near the top of the 

 sheath, to which it is affixed in a variety of ways 

 (fig. 69). Some put a commercial metal buckle 



it ; women who assist in the fields often handle the 

 machete with considerable skill. 



In clearing a field and in building a house, the 

 machete is the principal tool used, except when 

 large trees must be felled. Moreover, it functions 

 with appalling efficiency as a weapon, and a fair 

 proportion of the local homicides results from 

 machete wounds. 29 However, more and more, 

 firearms are used in such cases, for one can shoot 

 from a certain distance and thus escape more 

 readily. 



Under no circumstances, may a woman step over 

 the machete. Obviously, it continues to cut; but 





Figure 69. — Ways of affixing thong to machete sheath. The thong is numbered consecutively along its length to facili- 

 tate following the course of the wrapping. For each specimen, obverse and reverse are shown. With one exception, 

 the former has a pair of parallel slits; the latter, a central seam. However, in d, both seam and slits are on the re- 

 verse side. In c, a twig thrust through the slashes, presumably keeps the thong from riding upward. 



on one end of the leather strip and fasten it thus 

 about the waist; others simply tie the thongs. 

 Usually the machete hangs at the left side of the 

 waist, ready to be grasped with the right hand. 

 We know several left-handed men in Taj in; they 

 carry the knife on the opposite side. 



When a boy begins to assist his father in the 

 fields, he learns to wield a short machete. Ac- 

 cordingly, training starts early, and all local men 

 are highly proficient in handling the knife ; some, 

 at least, are close to ambidextrous. About the 

 house, the machete has the combined functions of 

 a knife and hatchet, and a woman sometimes uses 



"it may bounce from the hand" and wound the 

 operator. 



Firearms are now in general use. Since weap- 

 ons are not included in our census, we have no 

 way of knowing how plentiful they are, but among 

 our acquaintances, a good many seem to be sup- 

 plied. Chief reliance is on an ancient type of 

 muzzle-loading fowling piece, double-barreled, 

 and with two triggers. Powder is added first and 



20 In local thought, the machete is firmly identified as a homi- 

 cidal weapon. One informant was recounting folktales and in- 

 cluded, for good measure, his version of certain Biblical events. 

 He described the death of Christ as follows : "Lucgo mataron a 

 Nuc8tro ffei'ior; lo hicicron cacliitos y lo scpultaron." 



