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#0025
YOKES FOR THREE COWS
17
Fig. 15. Location of yokes for three cows in Spain. 1, La Montana (Cantabria); 2, Pajares (La Rioja); 3,
Sayago (Zamora); 4, Campo Charro (Salamanca); 5, Sierra Norte (Madrid); 6, Teruel; 7, Cazalla de la
Sierra (Sevilla). □ Verbreitung der Joche fur drei Ktihe in Spanien. 1. La Montana (Cantabria); 2. Pajares
(La Rioja); 3. Sayago (Zamora); 4. Campo Charro (Salamanca); 5. Sierra Norte (Madrid); 6. Teruel; 7.
Cazalla de la Sierra (Sevilla).
practices. We will focus particularly on the
use of a yoke for three animals. In order to
tackle this task we have searched for informa-
tion following a double line. On the one hand
we have tried to document the actual Spanish
evidence as well as that from neighbouring
countries; on the other some historical
sources have also been traced.
Regarding their modern distribution, in-
formation has been sought from bibliograph-
ical accounts, and from interviews with sev-
eral museum directors, though in the case of
the latter, the search has not been as wide as
desired. Data show that this type of yoke is
much more spread than was expected. It also
shows a greater functional complexity than
that already examined. This complexity may
be linked to some historical aspects that will
be examined later.
Based on the scarcity of references on the
subject in ethnological literature, it might be
deduced that their use in earlies times was not
often regarded as a common practice.
There is, however, some available docu-
mentary information from Zamora, Teruel,
Salamanca and La Rioja (Fig. 15).
Martin Aparicio (1987, 17-18) mentions a
yoke in Campo Charro, Salamanca province,
to which three animals can be fastened.22 Al-
though he is not very explicit, he notices that
17
Fig. 15. Location of yokes for three cows in Spain. 1, La Montana (Cantabria); 2, Pajares (La Rioja); 3,
Sayago (Zamora); 4, Campo Charro (Salamanca); 5, Sierra Norte (Madrid); 6, Teruel; 7, Cazalla de la
Sierra (Sevilla). □ Verbreitung der Joche fur drei Ktihe in Spanien. 1. La Montana (Cantabria); 2. Pajares
(La Rioja); 3. Sayago (Zamora); 4. Campo Charro (Salamanca); 5. Sierra Norte (Madrid); 6. Teruel; 7.
Cazalla de la Sierra (Sevilla).
practices. We will focus particularly on the
use of a yoke for three animals. In order to
tackle this task we have searched for informa-
tion following a double line. On the one hand
we have tried to document the actual Spanish
evidence as well as that from neighbouring
countries; on the other some historical
sources have also been traced.
Regarding their modern distribution, in-
formation has been sought from bibliograph-
ical accounts, and from interviews with sev-
eral museum directors, though in the case of
the latter, the search has not been as wide as
desired. Data show that this type of yoke is
much more spread than was expected. It also
shows a greater functional complexity than
that already examined. This complexity may
be linked to some historical aspects that will
be examined later.
Based on the scarcity of references on the
subject in ethnological literature, it might be
deduced that their use in earlies times was not
often regarded as a common practice.
There is, however, some available docu-
mentary information from Zamora, Teruel,
Salamanca and La Rioja (Fig. 15).
Martin Aparicio (1987, 17-18) mentions a
yoke in Campo Charro, Salamanca province,
to which three animals can be fastened.22 Al-
though he is not very explicit, he notices that