DOI article:
Mingote Calderón, José Luis: Yokes for three cows: a vanished technique for breaking in cattle in La Sierra Norte of Madrid
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49004#0024
16
J. L. MINGOTE CALDERON
Fig. 14. Areas of Sierra Norte (shaded) where the
yokes for three cows were used. □ Gebiete der
Sierra Norte (schraffiert), wo Joche fur drei Kiihe
in Gebrauch waren.
isted with mules and donkeys for draught.
In all villages where this yoke was present,
it was only used for breaking in heifers and
never for draught during taming processes.
Only at Braojos did villagers very vaguely re-
member its use in pulling an ard. This opin-
ion, however, appears confusing when one
looks at the typology. Hence, apart from
Manjiron and Cincovillas’ yokes, at Braojos,
La Serna del Monte and Paredes de Buitrago
yokes were pierced by holes whereas those
from Serrada de la Fuente, Horcajo de la
Sierra, Pradena del Rincon and Aoslos were
not. Now, the question is to what extent this
type of triple yoke with holes was in use ear-
lier in date than the memories of our inform-
ants and whether it was just used to yoke
draught animals during breaking in proc-
esses?
Based on data collected from Sierra Pobre
alone it is not possible to answer this ques-
tion. It seems likely, however, that this the-
ory will be confirmed if we take into account
other types of information, as we will see lat-
er. The lack of precision regarding the pres-
ence or absence of holes in the yoke rests on
the fact that no one interviewed had seen
them being made. Moreover all implements
remembered were old ones. Therefore they
should perhaps be considered as old wit-
nesses to a declining taming technique.
As for the link between the triple yoke and
a high economic level it is worth mentioning
its absence in Gandullas where there were no
wealthy families. Conversely they were pre-
sent in La Serna del Monte associated with la
Casa Grande (the Wealthy Dwelling) as well
as in Manjiron and Braojos.
For the remaining villages it was impos-
sible to determine whether this scheme would
also be valid, though the only yoke of this
type present in Serrada de la Fuente some
thirty years ago and not in use by this time
did not belong to a rich farmer. In Pradena
del Rincon it belonged to the Town Hall, lo
tenian de pueblo.
Therefore it seems that the small number of
examples and the fact that in most cases they
were personal and private property, must
have orientated their use in a very particular
way, the documentation of which is almost
impossible. Triple yokes were borrowed from
the owner without having to return the fa-
vour. Again in Aoslos the existence of three
triple yokes allowed farmers to turn to the
nearest owner. Villagers from La Serna del
Monte and Horcajo de la Sierra realized that
they were asking for a favour and therefore
they would eventually have to return it,
though it was not a strict rule. Farmers from
Pradena del Rincon did not have to pay any-
thing to the Town Hall.21
Yoke for three cows in Spanish and European
ethnological literature
In this section we will try to examine partic-
ularities and generalities about the above
J. L. MINGOTE CALDERON
Fig. 14. Areas of Sierra Norte (shaded) where the
yokes for three cows were used. □ Gebiete der
Sierra Norte (schraffiert), wo Joche fur drei Kiihe
in Gebrauch waren.
isted with mules and donkeys for draught.
In all villages where this yoke was present,
it was only used for breaking in heifers and
never for draught during taming processes.
Only at Braojos did villagers very vaguely re-
member its use in pulling an ard. This opin-
ion, however, appears confusing when one
looks at the typology. Hence, apart from
Manjiron and Cincovillas’ yokes, at Braojos,
La Serna del Monte and Paredes de Buitrago
yokes were pierced by holes whereas those
from Serrada de la Fuente, Horcajo de la
Sierra, Pradena del Rincon and Aoslos were
not. Now, the question is to what extent this
type of triple yoke with holes was in use ear-
lier in date than the memories of our inform-
ants and whether it was just used to yoke
draught animals during breaking in proc-
esses?
Based on data collected from Sierra Pobre
alone it is not possible to answer this ques-
tion. It seems likely, however, that this the-
ory will be confirmed if we take into account
other types of information, as we will see lat-
er. The lack of precision regarding the pres-
ence or absence of holes in the yoke rests on
the fact that no one interviewed had seen
them being made. Moreover all implements
remembered were old ones. Therefore they
should perhaps be considered as old wit-
nesses to a declining taming technique.
As for the link between the triple yoke and
a high economic level it is worth mentioning
its absence in Gandullas where there were no
wealthy families. Conversely they were pre-
sent in La Serna del Monte associated with la
Casa Grande (the Wealthy Dwelling) as well
as in Manjiron and Braojos.
For the remaining villages it was impos-
sible to determine whether this scheme would
also be valid, though the only yoke of this
type present in Serrada de la Fuente some
thirty years ago and not in use by this time
did not belong to a rich farmer. In Pradena
del Rincon it belonged to the Town Hall, lo
tenian de pueblo.
Therefore it seems that the small number of
examples and the fact that in most cases they
were personal and private property, must
have orientated their use in a very particular
way, the documentation of which is almost
impossible. Triple yokes were borrowed from
the owner without having to return the fa-
vour. Again in Aoslos the existence of three
triple yokes allowed farmers to turn to the
nearest owner. Villagers from La Serna del
Monte and Horcajo de la Sierra realized that
they were asking for a favour and therefore
they would eventually have to return it,
though it was not a strict rule. Farmers from
Pradena del Rincon did not have to pay any-
thing to the Town Hall.21
Yoke for three cows in Spanish and European
ethnological literature
In this section we will try to examine partic-
ularities and generalities about the above