The Tarahumaras

Tarahumaras


Probably this might be the first time you read the word Tarahumara which is pronounced Taraumara and it is a Spanish version of the word Rarámuri (light feet). This is the name of avery interesting group of people living in Chihuahua State, in northern Mexico, since 15,000 years ago, according to their oldest remains in the zone. It is said that they arrived to Mexico by theBering Strait, which would also explain their peculiar features (slanted eyes, round faces, thick and straight hair). However, they have their own explanations to the world through their beautifullegends. One legend says that at the begining the sun and moon were children dressed on maguey leaves living in a cottage, they had no light at all, and they felt very lonely, so they decided to create the“Tarahumaras”. How did they do it? After creating earth, Onorúame (God of the Sun) wated to taste it, he took ears (corn), then he took the grains out with which he formed the figure of a man.Onorúame blowed three times to it to give it life! After creating man, he created a woman as well by doing the same; except that this time he blowed four times instead of three, due to women need morestrength to give birth. This is how the Corn race came to be. As usual, there must be a dark side of the story, so Onorúame’s brother (the devil) felt envy and wished to create people as well, and so hedid, but in a different way. The devil did not have corn, and he blowed only once, and this is how the white man appeared.

Apart from their legends, the Rarámuris have more things to share with us.Their culture is one of them. They are very shy but lovely people. They protect their customs and practices y living in the hights anf depths of the canyons, yet, they accept in the group whoeverwished to become part of it. Their diet is very healthy, most of it based on vegetables, and corn is the most important grain they consume, beans are in the second place. They dress in a specific way....