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#0029
YOKES FOR THREE COWS
21
Fig. 20. Yoke from Lafitole (Hautes-Pyrenees, France). Drawing from Brunhes Delamarre’s photograph.
□ Joch aus Lafitole (Hautes Pyrenees, Frankreich). Zeichnung nach einem Foto von Brunhes Delamarre.
attention to aspects related to cattle apart
from those referring to horses (Alvarez de
Morales 1990, 83-84). Amongst Andalousian
writers, only Ibn al-'Awwam (11th and 12th
centuries) drew attention to cattle. He looked
at different ways of taming. The author
showed some ritual practices which were in-
tended to demonstrate the animal’s bravery
and whose origin go back as far as classical
and medieval authors such as Galen, Aristotle
or Kastos (Ibn al-cAwwam 1988, 464-466,
vol. II). He did not mention any of the Latin
practices already studied apart from the fact
of stroking the animal.
It is not until the 15th and 16th century that
we find a detailed account of taming with
particular reference to the yoke for three ani-
mals. Gabriel Alonso de Herrera from Toledo
devotes chapter XLVI of his book Agriculture
General first edited in 1513, to the subject:
“There are young bulls too stubborn to stand
up which are also very strong animals, even
an ox will not be able to control them. Thus,
it is worth constructing a yoke to which three
oxen can be fastened and place the rebellious
animal right in the middle. Therefore, the ani-
mal will be forced to obey even though it re-
fuses to stand up as it will be pulled by the
two trained oxen” (Herrera 1981, 404).
The text from which this fragment has been
extracted is completely based on Columella’s.
However, some of the information contained
in Varro’s work has also been added. Conse-
quently one should question whether the text
we are dealing with really shows a true pic-
ture of the time or is just a literary copy.
Regarding the first possibility which does
not exclude the second,29 one should appeal
to the already examined ethnological data.
The possibility that works such as those by
G. A. de Herrera, Fray Miguel de Agustin or
Columella had influenced the later taming
techniques should not be denied. However,
we should, perhaps weigh up the real value of
these texts in relation to a possible modifica-
tion in rural habits.30 The very fact that Her-
rera’s book was mostly designed for wealthy
owners could, perhaps, be explained in terms
of its influence on the most literate classes.31
To conclude we should mention the Llibre
dels secrets d’ agriculture, casa rustica i pestoril
published in Catalan in 1617 and later trans-
lated into Castilian. Its author, Fray Miguel
de Agustin also mentions breaking in tech-
niques. The Catalan version is as follows:
“Two years old is too early to break it in and
after five it is too late. It is advised to accus-
tom them to suffer from hunger to be able to
manage them more easily. It is also suggested
to yoke a bullock together with a well-trained
21
Fig. 20. Yoke from Lafitole (Hautes-Pyrenees, France). Drawing from Brunhes Delamarre’s photograph.
□ Joch aus Lafitole (Hautes Pyrenees, Frankreich). Zeichnung nach einem Foto von Brunhes Delamarre.
attention to aspects related to cattle apart
from those referring to horses (Alvarez de
Morales 1990, 83-84). Amongst Andalousian
writers, only Ibn al-'Awwam (11th and 12th
centuries) drew attention to cattle. He looked
at different ways of taming. The author
showed some ritual practices which were in-
tended to demonstrate the animal’s bravery
and whose origin go back as far as classical
and medieval authors such as Galen, Aristotle
or Kastos (Ibn al-cAwwam 1988, 464-466,
vol. II). He did not mention any of the Latin
practices already studied apart from the fact
of stroking the animal.
It is not until the 15th and 16th century that
we find a detailed account of taming with
particular reference to the yoke for three ani-
mals. Gabriel Alonso de Herrera from Toledo
devotes chapter XLVI of his book Agriculture
General first edited in 1513, to the subject:
“There are young bulls too stubborn to stand
up which are also very strong animals, even
an ox will not be able to control them. Thus,
it is worth constructing a yoke to which three
oxen can be fastened and place the rebellious
animal right in the middle. Therefore, the ani-
mal will be forced to obey even though it re-
fuses to stand up as it will be pulled by the
two trained oxen” (Herrera 1981, 404).
The text from which this fragment has been
extracted is completely based on Columella’s.
However, some of the information contained
in Varro’s work has also been added. Conse-
quently one should question whether the text
we are dealing with really shows a true pic-
ture of the time or is just a literary copy.
Regarding the first possibility which does
not exclude the second,29 one should appeal
to the already examined ethnological data.
The possibility that works such as those by
G. A. de Herrera, Fray Miguel de Agustin or
Columella had influenced the later taming
techniques should not be denied. However,
we should, perhaps weigh up the real value of
these texts in relation to a possible modifica-
tion in rural habits.30 The very fact that Her-
rera’s book was mostly designed for wealthy
owners could, perhaps, be explained in terms
of its influence on the most literate classes.31
To conclude we should mention the Llibre
dels secrets d’ agriculture, casa rustica i pestoril
published in Catalan in 1617 and later trans-
lated into Castilian. Its author, Fray Miguel
de Agustin also mentions breaking in tech-
niques. The Catalan version is as follows:
“Two years old is too early to break it in and
after five it is too late. It is advised to accus-
tom them to suffer from hunger to be able to
manage them more easily. It is also suggested
to yoke a bullock together with a well-trained