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#0023
YOKES FOR THREE COWS
15
i-1 1 0 cm
Fig. 13. Yoke for three cows from Manjiron (Madrid). Length: 191 cm. □ Joch fur drei Kiihe, aus
Manjiron (Madrid). Lange 191 cm.
periences which appear very clear and pre-
cisely through conversations with old villag-
ers.
On the other hand specific questions re-
garding the use of yokes for three animals
show some imprecision in the responses and
in most of the cases they seem to belong to a
world of old memories. This is confirmed by
the scarcity of finds. Only two yokes of this
type have been found so far: one at Cincovil-
las (Fig. 12) and the other at Manjiron
(Fig-13).
Apart from La Serna del Monte and Aoslos
where they were last in use at the early sixties,
in the remaining area they seem to have dis-
appeared before the Civil War.23 It seems also
likely that even by that time their use was
already very restricted. Farmers from almost
every village visited remembered their use
just once or twice and only in relation to re-
bellious old heifers, as was confirmed in Pra-
dena del Rincon.
The issue concerning rebelliousness is
striking since not many people remember
high numbers of this type of animals. In any
case rebelliousness was always combated by
taking more time and patience with the ani-
mal and with one or two blows. From time to
time farmers carried out unusual practices
such as tying the animal to a cart to accustom
it to being under control.
Despite the scarce’information it is possible
to observe a wide area of distribution for this
type of yoke. It spreads throught out the vil-
lages of Serrada de la Fuente, Paredes de Bui-
trago, La Serna del Monte, Pradena del Rin-
con, Manjiron, Aoslos, Horcajo de al Sierra,
Horcajuelo, La Acebeda and Braojos. Be-
yond these, in Robledillo de la Jara, Berzosa
de Lozoya, La Puebla de la Sierra and Gan-
dullas they do not appear. In Robregordo this
type of yoke was never used though villagers
remembered seeing three animals yoked to a
stick with the same aim (Fig. 14).
The south eastern part of the area where
this type of yoke was not used corresponds to
what in Fig. 6 is shown to be the area where
cattle were less important since they coex-
15
i-1 1 0 cm
Fig. 13. Yoke for three cows from Manjiron (Madrid). Length: 191 cm. □ Joch fur drei Kiihe, aus
Manjiron (Madrid). Lange 191 cm.
periences which appear very clear and pre-
cisely through conversations with old villag-
ers.
On the other hand specific questions re-
garding the use of yokes for three animals
show some imprecision in the responses and
in most of the cases they seem to belong to a
world of old memories. This is confirmed by
the scarcity of finds. Only two yokes of this
type have been found so far: one at Cincovil-
las (Fig. 12) and the other at Manjiron
(Fig-13).
Apart from La Serna del Monte and Aoslos
where they were last in use at the early sixties,
in the remaining area they seem to have dis-
appeared before the Civil War.23 It seems also
likely that even by that time their use was
already very restricted. Farmers from almost
every village visited remembered their use
just once or twice and only in relation to re-
bellious old heifers, as was confirmed in Pra-
dena del Rincon.
The issue concerning rebelliousness is
striking since not many people remember
high numbers of this type of animals. In any
case rebelliousness was always combated by
taking more time and patience with the ani-
mal and with one or two blows. From time to
time farmers carried out unusual practices
such as tying the animal to a cart to accustom
it to being under control.
Despite the scarce’information it is possible
to observe a wide area of distribution for this
type of yoke. It spreads throught out the vil-
lages of Serrada de la Fuente, Paredes de Bui-
trago, La Serna del Monte, Pradena del Rin-
con, Manjiron, Aoslos, Horcajo de al Sierra,
Horcajuelo, La Acebeda and Braojos. Be-
yond these, in Robledillo de la Jara, Berzosa
de Lozoya, La Puebla de la Sierra and Gan-
dullas they do not appear. In Robregordo this
type of yoke was never used though villagers
remembered seeing three animals yoked to a
stick with the same aim (Fig. 14).
The south eastern part of the area where
this type of yoke was not used corresponds to
what in Fig. 6 is shown to be the area where
cattle were less important since they coex-