Tarahumara: Where Night is the Day of the Moon

by Bernard L. Fontana, John P. Schaefer

Inhabiting the Sierra Madre Occidental of southwestern Chihuahua in Mexico, the Tarahumara (or Rarámuri) are known in their language as the "foot runners" due to the way in which they must navigate their rugged terrain. This book offers an accessible ethnography of their history, customs, and current life, accompanied by photographs that offer striking images of these gentle people.

The subtitle of the book derives from the Tarahumara's belief that the soul works at night while the body sleeps and that during this "day of the moon" both the spirits of the dead and the souls of the living move about in their mysterious ways.

As the authors observe, the fact that "so many men, women, and children persist in distinctive, centuries-old cultural traditions in spite of their nearness to all the complexities and attractions of modern industrial society is an importatn part of the story." Their book tells that story and brings readers closer to understanding the Tarahumara world and way of life.

Genres: Nonfiction

141 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is somewhat dated in that the first edition was written in 1979, it provides an interesting and sympathetic view of the Tarahumara lifestyle and history. Because of the popularity of "Born to Run" and other books/articles on this gentle people, they are much better known than at the time of Fontana's book. Also, the influence of Mexican drug cartels and deforestation had not reached current levels. So, it is a more idealistic vision of an intact native culture within a modern country.

I found especially interesting that corn, beans and squash were the mainstay of their diet. Also, they use 77 plant families for medicinal purposes. At the time of the writing, Fontana estimated that they have 100 corn beer (tesguino) parties a year. Any activity requiring common labor has the making of this drink a prerequisite. Since the beer only is good for 12 to 24 hours, the rest of the time is sober time. What a concept!

Fontana is quick to note that the Raramuri (footrunners) have incorporated many tools of the dominant culture and some of the religious aspects while still preferring a separate way of life since initial contact by the Spanish. Hopefully, this will continue. The pictures of the cabins, caves, utensils, clothing, ceremonies and people are unique and worth seeing.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book for an anthropology course I took this spring (Indians of the Southwest). Overall this is an interesting book, with nice photographs, and it is a pretty quick read. I thought it was neat.