DOI Artikel:
Mingote Calderón, José Luis: Yokes for three cows: a vanished technique for breaking in cattle in La Sierra Norte of Madrid
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49004#0011
YOKES FOR THREE COWS.
A VANISHED TECHNIQUE FOR BREAKING IN
CATTLE IN LA SIERRA NORTE OF MADRID
By
Jose Luis Mingote Calderon
In autumn 1988 field work was carried out in
the north of Madrid province in an area called
Sierra Pobre as part of a bigger project devel-
oped by Angel Luis Fernanz Chamon (Fig.
I).1 Data were collected on traditional agri-
culture and livestock especially on tools and
techniques that had already disappeared, but
it was still possible to document certain activ-
ities carried out in the same way as before the
heavy depopulation of the area in the sixties.
During the field work season we were in-
formed of the existence of a yoke of three
bows, for three animals,2 in some of the vil-
lages, though we did not see any. Later, in
1990, in Manjiron we had the opportunity to
see an old yoke for three cows. Bearing in
mind the rarity of the object and the complete
lack of scientific literature on the subject, we
thought it worthy of further research to es-
tablish the geographical distribution of its use
in the area and its importance within the cat-
tle taming technique.
Even though what could be defined as “tra-
ditional agriculture” is practically non exist-
ent, there are still farmers using cattle for
draught for traditional ards, harrows or carts
in the same way as in the forties.3 The actual
situation implies that the number of tasks in
which cows participate and their importance
have been greatly reduced. Therefore the
technique of taming is very close to a recent
past where the main power was draught cat-
tle.
This fact conditioned our field work meth-
odology since most of the information came
from the oral testimonies of old people and
from photographs of tools that were usually
in lofts. Our analysis is based on technologi-
cal considerations bearing in mind not only
material aspects but also the implicit knowl-
edge or practice of its use. Hence this work is
also of interest to researchers involved in ani-
mal domestication. It diminishes the “pauv-
rete” of material culture and increases the “ri-
chesse de savoirs” mentioned by Digard
(1990, 207-209).
In Spanish and French different words are
used according to whether the animal is being
held and trained by exercise (Sp: doma; Fr:
dressage) or to refer to the action and effect of
domestication, i.e. the animal becoming used
to the presence of man (Sp: domesticar; Fr:
apprivoisement). Here we will employ the
terms to tame and taming as the equivalent of
doma and dressage.4
The study of yokes in Spain
In Spain there are relatively few papers that
analyse elements of material culture linked to
transport. It is worth mentioning those relat-
ing to the yoke and to the cart with a move-
able axle, carro chilion.
Amongst the scholars who have focused on
yokes is Telesforo de Aranzadi (1906; 1909;
1917, 39-55, 1929 and 1946, 333-334) to
whom we owe most of the ideas in later
A VANISHED TECHNIQUE FOR BREAKING IN
CATTLE IN LA SIERRA NORTE OF MADRID
By
Jose Luis Mingote Calderon
In autumn 1988 field work was carried out in
the north of Madrid province in an area called
Sierra Pobre as part of a bigger project devel-
oped by Angel Luis Fernanz Chamon (Fig.
I).1 Data were collected on traditional agri-
culture and livestock especially on tools and
techniques that had already disappeared, but
it was still possible to document certain activ-
ities carried out in the same way as before the
heavy depopulation of the area in the sixties.
During the field work season we were in-
formed of the existence of a yoke of three
bows, for three animals,2 in some of the vil-
lages, though we did not see any. Later, in
1990, in Manjiron we had the opportunity to
see an old yoke for three cows. Bearing in
mind the rarity of the object and the complete
lack of scientific literature on the subject, we
thought it worthy of further research to es-
tablish the geographical distribution of its use
in the area and its importance within the cat-
tle taming technique.
Even though what could be defined as “tra-
ditional agriculture” is practically non exist-
ent, there are still farmers using cattle for
draught for traditional ards, harrows or carts
in the same way as in the forties.3 The actual
situation implies that the number of tasks in
which cows participate and their importance
have been greatly reduced. Therefore the
technique of taming is very close to a recent
past where the main power was draught cat-
tle.
This fact conditioned our field work meth-
odology since most of the information came
from the oral testimonies of old people and
from photographs of tools that were usually
in lofts. Our analysis is based on technologi-
cal considerations bearing in mind not only
material aspects but also the implicit knowl-
edge or practice of its use. Hence this work is
also of interest to researchers involved in ani-
mal domestication. It diminishes the “pauv-
rete” of material culture and increases the “ri-
chesse de savoirs” mentioned by Digard
(1990, 207-209).
In Spanish and French different words are
used according to whether the animal is being
held and trained by exercise (Sp: doma; Fr:
dressage) or to refer to the action and effect of
domestication, i.e. the animal becoming used
to the presence of man (Sp: domesticar; Fr:
apprivoisement). Here we will employ the
terms to tame and taming as the equivalent of
doma and dressage.4
The study of yokes in Spain
In Spain there are relatively few papers that
analyse elements of material culture linked to
transport. It is worth mentioning those relat-
ing to the yoke and to the cart with a move-
able axle, carro chilion.
Amongst the scholars who have focused on
yokes is Telesforo de Aranzadi (1906; 1909;
1917, 39-55, 1929 and 1946, 333-334) to
whom we owe most of the ideas in later