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Romin and his father at the courthouse talking to the
magistrate. He put a finger to his lips then muttered
under his breath, "She's gone again, Matal has left
me." In the most confidential tone of voice and with
the glummest face, eyelids drooping, corners of the
mouth turned down he told me that now there was a
new woman in the house, Loxa. He asked if I wanted
to meet her. Again and again I laughed at his tall
tale, but each time with a wounded expression he
assured me it was true. His father joined in and
added resignedly, "Too much cane liquor!" Not till I
reached his home and saw Matal was his hoax
revealed. One night Romin looked at his hand, "Isn't
it strange we must all be food for worms someday!"
When he moved from his father's compound he
consoled his weeping father with the sensible words,
"Sons always move, we don't accompany our parents
to the grave." Romin told me of the belief that if
we eat chicken feet we will get caught in our mule's
lead ropes. I replied, "You have no worries, you
have no mule!" He responded, munching on his
chicken foot, "Oh yes I do, over there!" nodding at
his wife, Matal. He loves his wife, shares the latest
gossip, his dreams and many jokes with her, often at
his own expense. He is not violent, he says. Because
he was an only child he never had brothers teach
him how to fight. His wife complained to him that
she was richer when she was single. She could buy a
sandal with the money from her flowers. That's
why, he says, he hit her with a sandal.
He never can make up his mind. He ponders every
possible course of action, frets over everyone's reaction
to his pettiest affairs. Yet, in only one minute
he decided to travel with me to far off New Mexico;
and pioneered the first artesian well in Zinacantan.
He is so diplomatic, so eloquent, so reasonable, so
aware of cultural relativity, he would be a worthy
representative to the United Nations—when sober.
He is sullen, remorseful, melancholy, body and soul
racked with aches and pains. He frowns with concentration
seeking to penetrate and explain the religious
concepts of Zinacantan. With a wink and a
secret smile flitting across his face he gulls his
friends. He tells the most obscene jokes and laughs
ROMIN TERATOL 17
contagiously. Cheerfully, with the greatest dedication,
sensitivity, and care he transcribes, translates,
and interprets. No one is his equal—when sober. He
is no longer an informant, he is an anthropologist,
drunk or sober. But who is he, really? "I am the son
of god and the son of a devil!" 4
Romin's tales have a wide variety of subjects, with
particular emphasis upon problems of sex and marriage.
His favorite stories relate the adventures of a
young Indian man who journeys through the Ladino
world, tricking his enemies or winning contests by
displays of superhuman strength or superior courage
(T6, T107, T109).
Romin recalls that his mother told him two of the
tales in this collection (T10, T13), his father, five
(T15, T110, Till, T126, T127) and his father-in-law,
one (T9). When he was thirteen years old he worked
in the cornfields of the Tulum family where he
learned eight tales (T2, T8, Til, T17, T104—T106,
T149). In his late teens in the cornfields of Petul
Buro, the hero of Tale 139, he learned another four
(T4, T12, T132, T139). When he was a young man
he used to meet a friend on Sunday mornings at a
stream where they went to wash their hair. From
him he learned Tale 44 and Tale 45. But at the age of
eighteen or nineteen during roadwork he heard the
great majority of stories from Rey Komis (Tl, T3,
T5, T7, T16, T18, T20, T21, T43, T107, T125, T138),
from Rey's brother (T6, T109), or from Rey's uncle
or grandfather (T14). The sources of five tales (T19,
T133-T136) are unknown to me. A number of the
more scatological stories (T132-T137) were told in
response to my question, "Are there any tales that
would not be repeated in women's company?"
Romin's clarity and economy of expression as well
as his straightline temporal progression of the plot
contrasts sharply with the obscurity and repetitiveness
of other storytellers. Romin's first narrative
introduces Zinacantec literature with a phenomenal
bang.
"This sketch of Romin was presented first in Of Wonders Wild and
New: Dreams from Zinacantan (Laughlin, 1976:15—16).
When the Guatemalans Were Blown Sky-high
Tl
Once the elders were stronger. They made trips to
Guatemala with their mules.
Then the Guatemalans took [them] into captivity.
7A ti vo7nee, ti moletike, mas tzotzik, ta xk'otik ta
xanbal ta Vatimala xchi7uk ska7ik.
7Entonse ti Vatimalae, ta xchukvan, ta xtal j-p'ej