A legjobb llkpessg, amerikai indin futk az szak-mexiki Sierra Madre-nl 2000 m fe sgban l tarahumark.

Cortez rta, hogy partraszllstl szmtva 24 rn bell: "... ez Montezumnak, aki 416 km-rel messzebb volt. A tarahumark Guazaparestl Chihuahuig s vi ssza t nap alatt meg tudtk tenni a kzel 960 km-es tvolsgot".

Rendeztek egyszer versenyt modern atltk s tarahumara indinok kztt 42 km-es maratoni t n. Az indin versenyzk elfutottak otthonuktl a rajtig, a megbeszlt idpont eltt pr per l megrkeztek, s kzltk, hogy azonnal indulhatnak. Csak j flrval a modern atltk ut tt alig lihegve gyorsan elbcsztak a rendezktl, majd azonnal hazaindultak. FUTVA...

Az Arizonban s j-Mexikban l zunik tves kortl kezdve edzettk magukat a futsra. Sz hopik, szintn kitn hossztvfutk voltak. Egy csapatuk 15 ra alatt 190 km-nyire tovbb y zenetet. ---------

A tarahumark ezenkvl mg arrl is hresek, hogy hihetetlen tvokat kpesek futni megll zsi jtk az, hogy futs kzben egy fa labdt egyenslyoznak a lbfejkn, illetve passzolg jtk - lltlag - napokon keresztl is eltarthat, gy magyar profi focistk llkpessg , nem sok esly van arra, hogy nlunk elterjed a jtk ------------Que Viva Mexico!

A mexiki volt az a kultra, amely a legmlyebb hatst tette mind Eisensteinre, mind Art aud-ra. Mexik, ahol az eurpainl rgebbi kultrval tallkozhattak, mindkettjk szmra jelentett, hiszen szenvedlyesen rdekldtek az Eurpn kvli kultrk s vallsok irnt. ssz eurpai s egyeslt llamokbeli tjnak vgs s legfontosabb llomsa volt Mexik. 19 mint egy ven keresztl dolgozott Eduard Tissze operatrrel s mexiki sznszekkel a Que V Mexico! cm film forgatsn az orszg klnbz vidkein. A nagyszabs film, melyet Eise k tekintett, Mexik trtnelmt s sokszn kultrjt mutatta be egy prolguson, ngy film pilguson keresztl. A film prolgusa a vgtelenbe vesz mlt, a kvek, a romok, az si dom k bemutatsval, a mexiki mvszet elemzsvel kezddtt. A ngy novella mindegyike egy sz eten keresztl mutatta be az orszg trtnelmnek klnbz korszakait: a spanyol gyarmatos intetlen Mexikt, a konkvisztdorok rkezst, Mexikt, a spanyol gyarmatot: a bikaviadalok orszgt, a forradalmi harcokat. Az epilgus az 1910-es forradalom ltal megvalstott refo mok s a karnevlok boldog Mexikjt mutatta be. A film az orszg trtnelmnek legfontosab mnyeit kronolgiai sorrendben, kultrjt azonban nem az vszzadok sorrendjben, hanem le stdiumainak fldrajzi egyms mellett lsben eleventette fel. Eisensteint lenygzte a t es indin kultra elevensge, amely a spanyol hats s a katolicizmus ellenre is tovbb l mcsak a npmvszetben, hanem az emberek gondolkodsmdjban, mindennapi letben s ltzk is. Filmjben a mexiki indin kultrt szembelltotta a spanyol kultrval. A konkviszt meghdtott Mexik tragdijt maszkokat visel, felfegyverkezett ksrtetek ritulis tnc Eisenstein nem tudta befejezni filmjt, mve torz maradt. Upton Sinclair, aki a film et szponzorlta, anyagi s politikai okokra hivatkozva megvonta tmogatst, a leforgatott anyagot pedig az Egyeslt llamokba vitte, ahol tbb filmet is ksztettek belle, egyikne sem volt azonban kze Eisenstein eredeti elkpzelseihez. Eisensteinnek 1933 janurjban haza kellett trnie, mivel a Szovjetuniban hossz tvollte miatt tmadsok rtk. A Que V ico! tmjhoz kapcsoldik Artaud egy megvalsulatlan eladsnak terve, a Mexik meghdt ak els eladsa lett volna. A tmt Artaud "idszersge" miatt vlasztotta s azrt, hogy rpa s a vilg gondjaira": "Trtnelmi szempontbl a Mexik meghdtsa a gyarmatosts k utlis, krlelhetetlen, vres kpt nyjtja Eurpa ma is szvsan tovbb l nhittsgnek. eeresszk felfuvalkodottsgunk lggmbjt. Ktsgbe vonja, hogy az egyik fldrsznek joga v gasorba dnteni a msikat. A gyarmatostk zsarnoki anarchijval a gyarmatostandk mly e armnijt lltja szembe. [] Az erklcsi zrzavarnak s katolikus anarchinak a pogny re ecsapsbl erk s kpek pldtlan, itt-ott vad prbeszddel tarktott fellngolsa fakad: sal szgesen ellenttes eszmket blyegknt nmagukon hordoz emberek sszecsapsa rvn."3 hasonlsg Eisenstein filmjvel, fknt ami a tmavlaszts indoklst s az elads erklc z "idszersg" sz A Sznhz s hasonmsa esszinek egyik kulcsszava, Artaud azonban ltal

litikai vagy trtnelmi idszersget, hanem egy "mitikus" s "szenvedlyes" idszersget, zsek idszersgt rti alatta: "A mindennapi szerelemnek, a szemlyes nagyravgysnak, a taposmalmnak csakis azzal a htborzongat kltisggel sszefggsben van rtelme, amely ek ltal elfogadott mtoszokban rejtzik."36 A Mexik meghdtsa cm elads kivtel, mer itt egyszerre jelent trtnelmi idszersget a gyarmatosts problmjnak idszersgt , hiszen az elads, Artaud szndkai szerint "szenvedlyesen, hsba vgan mutatja be a va alapjainak, si metafizikai lnyegnek mindmig rvnyes, ragyog kltszett".37 Artaud a problmjrl filmet is akart kszteni, de mexiki tja utn egyre inkbb elhatalmasod b t sem az eladst, sem a filmet nem tudta megvalstani.

Artaud 1936 prilisban, pr vvel Eisenstein ltogatsa utn rkezett Mexikvrosba. A meg pokban a mexiki egyetemen eladsokat tartott a szrrealizmus s a politika kapcsolatrl, kt vilghbor kztti francia sznhzi ksrletekrl, a modern francia festszetrl, vala a mexiki kultra sszehasonltsrl, s cikkeket rt az El Nacional cm lapba, amely gy otta meglhetst.38 tjnak f clja azonban a fvrostl ezerktszz kilomterre fekv Si en l tarahumara indinok tbb vszzados szertartsnak, a sznhz si forminak megismer ztusban rkezett a tarahumark fvrosba, Chihuahuba, innen pedig egy indin ksrvel, l gyalog tette meg az utat a Sierra Madre hegysgbe. Egy hnapot tlttt az indinok kztt, khez sem a spanyol hdtk, sem a misszionriusok nem rtek el, s gy megrizhettk kultik tartsaikat, kztk a pejot-tncot. A pejot egy mexiki kaktusz teje, amelybl az indinok et vagy port ksztettek, ami a meszkalinhoz hasonlan tartsan s erteljesen ingerli a vi ulis kortexet, sznes vzikat s mozgsknyszert idz el. Artaud-nak a tarahumark szert beszmoli szerint a pejot-tnc a hegysg egy lejtjnek tisztsn, fldbl kialaktott "t , napnyugta utn veszi kezdett s napkeltig tart. A krt tz klnbz mret kereszttel s minden keresztre egy tkrt erstenek. Kzpen a Pejot-tnc papjai mglyt gyjtanak, f yagednyekbe teszik a pejot-fzetet, ezekre az ednyekre helyezik hangszereiket, zenlne k s nekelnek, egy ezst- s szarucsengettykkel felszerelt indin pedig krbetncolja a m ztulni, meggygyulni kvn embert: "Rzsetzek nyjtzkodtak mindentt az g fel. Odalent a tnc s a sugrz ltoms, e vgre testet lttt szpsg lttn, mely gy hatott rm, mi ct hirtelen fnyek s hangok rasztanak el, vgre gy reztem, mgsem volt hibaval a fr "Lefektettek egyenesen a fldre, azrt a fldre, hogy n legyek a rtus kzppontja, hogy a az nek, a kiltozs, a tnc, az jszaka, mint valami eleven emberi boltozat forogjon fl m. Adva volt teht ez a forg boltozat, a kiltsok, hangslyok, lpsek, rzkek rzkelhe De mindenek fltt s mindenen tl az a vissza-visszatr rzs, hogy e mgtt s mg azon jtzik valami: a Minden Dolgok Lnyege."40

A tarahumark szertartsa s lete meghatroz szellemi lmnyt jelentett Artaud szmra s is jelents hatssal volt. Hazatrse utn, 1937-ben rta meg A Sznhz s hasonmsa elsza a cmmel, amelyben lesen szembelltotta az eurpai s a mexiki kultrt. Az eurpai mv ttelen, elregedett s szenvtelen" rja Artaud, mert "az ert elvlasztja a szellemtl, s szellemet arra kszteti, hogy nnn hevnek szemllje legyen."41 A mexiki kultra ezzel s n "mgikus" s "szenvedlyes", a hevvel s az erejvel hat. A tarahumark szmra a civili ltra nem vlik kett, az let s a hall felfogsa egysges, az ember a transzcendens erk t kapcsolatot s a rtus segtsgvel jrateremtheti nmagt. A pejot-rtus, akrcsak a Bal sznhz, az rzkek kltszett jelenti meg, s ott is a gesztusok s a jelek a dntek: " a blcselet megszllottai: megszllottsguk odig fokozdhat, hogy megbabonzza testket, incsen kzvetlen filozfiai jelentst nlklz gesztus. A tarahumark tkletesen gy vln ahogy a gyermek feln s megemberesedik, filozfusnak szletnek."42 A kultrnak Eurpban z "let megrtsnek s gyakorlsnak kifinomult eszkzv" kellene vlnia. Az let megrt tere pedig nem lehet ms, mint a sznhz, az egyetlen mvszet, amely eleven eszkzkkel: a , a kilts, a hang s a gesztus nyelvvel l. Mexikban "a bika vrt s Krisztus vrt a ldozatknt egyszerre itatja fel a vasrnapi corridk homokja" rja Eisenstein, aki a me iki kultrt a spanyol s az aztk kultra tvzetnek tartotta s az "rzki", "lrai" s ellemezte.43 Artaud-hoz hasonlan foglalkoztatta a vallsos eksztzis krdse. Knyveket ol asott a primitv gondolkodsrl, a szentek lett tanulmnyozta, fknt a csodattelek s a gygyulsok rdekeltk. 1930-as franciaorszgi tja sorn nagyon szeretett volna eljutni L des-ba, hogy a csodlatos gygyulsokon keresztl a csoportos eksztzis jelensgt vizsglh Lourdes-ba nem jutott el, de ksbb, mint azt nletrajzi feljegyzseiben mexiki tjra v emlkezve rta, bsgesen krptolta "az arna kznsgnek viselkedse s a mexiki danzan k vallsos rjngse."44 Eisenstein nem tudta befejezni filmjt, a Mexik meghdtsa cm

sak terv maradt, mindketten hrt adtak azonban Eurpban az akkor mg alig ismert mexiki kultrrl. Eisenstein filmjnek forgatsa sorn rajzokat ksztett az orszg klnbz vid corridk mersz rsztvevirl, a bikaviadalokrl.45 Artaud a hazatrse utni vekben npr ssg rsaiban szmolt be a tarahumark letrl s szertartsairl.46 Eisensteint tvoll t sajtban tmadsok rtk s hazatrtekor hvs fogadtatsban rszeslt. Csaldott s kib eig, a Bezsin-rt (1936) forgatsnak megkezdsig nem filmezett.

Artaud szmra mexiki tjnak vge egyben lete legszrnybb korszaknak kezdett jelentet ermekkorban agyhrtyagyulladst kapott, amely nem mlt el nyomtalanul. Egsz lett fejfj drl idre elfordul, a harmincas vek kzeptl pedig egyre gyakoribb vl idegrohamok ekhez a skizofrnia tnetei kapcsoldtak. Mexiki tja utn a pszichitriai intzetekben te dig is gyakori ltogatsai megszaporodtak. Kbtszereket hasznlt, de ezek csak idlegesen yhtettk fjdalmt. 1920-tl, Prizsba val letelepedstl kezdve szksen lt, laksa, v olt, klcsnkbl tartotta fenn magt. Hazatrse utn azonban teljesen pnz nlkl maradt, nok mdjra lt, ha tehette, klnbz mvsz bartainl hzta meg magt. 1937 augusztusba hogy a kelta civilizci emlkeit tanulmnyozza, Dublinban azonban a jezsuita kollgiumba n tett botrnyba fullad ltogatsa miatt letartztattk s kitoloncoltk az orszgbl. Ami egrkezett Le Havre kiktjbe, knyszerzubbonnyal vrtk s a helyi pszichitriai intzetb Ezzel a mig tisztzatlan krlmnyek kztt lejtszdott partraszllssal kezddtt el t klvrija Franciaorszg klnbz elmegygyintzeteiben. Az a bnsmd, amelyben a prizsi , majd a ville-evrard-i szanatriumban rszeslt, a legkevsb sem nevezhet embersgesnek: t naprl napra megsemmistettk, ltogatkat alig fogadhatott, s a kzveszlyes, dhng terembe zrtk. Valamivel jobb krlmnyek kztt lt a rodezi szanatriumban 1943-tl 1946 obt kapott, fogadhatta a bartait, rhatott s rajzolhatott. Kezelorvosa, dr. Ferdiere a zonban sajnos nemcsak a mvszetterpia, hanem az elektrosokkos kezels hve is volt, amel yhez Artaud soha nem adta beleegyezst. A kezelsek kvetkeztben szinte valamennyi foga kihullott s tvenvesen egy aggastyn benyomst keltette. 1946 tavaszn engedtk ki, hal egyik klvrosban, Ivry-ben lakott egy szanatriumban, orvosi felgyelet alatt, de itt m sem mozgsban, sem munkjban nem korltoztk. 1948-ban halt meg vgblrkban, ugyanabban , amikor Eisenstein Moszkvban szvroham kvetkeztben elhunyt. Artaud sznhzelmlete nehe rtelmezhet az egsz lete alakulst befolysol testi s lelki szenveds s meghasonlot nlkl, amely termszetszerleg mvei j rsznek kzponti problmja. Artaud betegsge ig urpai kultra skizofrnijt, test s llek, anyag s szellem, lmny s kifejezs, civili tartotta: "a hbor, amit meg akarok vvni, az ellenem vvott hborbl fakad" rja a Sr a cm rsban.47 Artaud sznhza ksrlet az elidegeneds s a meghasonlottsg felszmol mberisg szenvedsnek enyhtsre, amelyet keresztknt magra ----------Tarahumara public racing began at the 1928 Olympic marathon. The two indians tha t were running were not aware of the distance and when they finished, they were not tired and said, "Too short! Too short!" The Tarahumara first appeared on the Ultramarathon circuit in 1992 at the Leadville 100-mile run in Colorado. They w ere brought from Mexico and funded while they were here by Rick Fisher, operator of Wilderness Research Expeditions. Fisher is disliked in the Ultra community b ecause he is thought to be loud, outspoken, and rude. It is also believed that h e uses the plight of the Tarahumara simply to gain attention for himself and for his organization. In their first race, none of the Tarahumara finished. In 1993 , Fisher tried again but this time he familiarized the indians with the course, the equipment and the American racing customs . In 1992 the Tarahumara had many problems. First, they were unfamiliar with the course. Second, they did not know how to use the equipment. At night, they ran with their flashlights pointing up likes the torches that they are used to. Third, at aid stations they simply sto od there and therefore received little nutrition and became weak and dehydrated. In their culture is not polite just to take food. They wait until it is offered . In the 1993 Leadville they fared much better. Tarahumaras took first, second a nd fifth place. The most amazing thing about the indians was their pace. The win ner was fifty-five years old and only ran the second half of the race twenty min utes slower than he ran the first! Another thing that shocks the ultra spectator s is Tarahumara footwear. They wear sandals called huaraches made out of old tir

e tread and leather straps. A Tarahumara won Leadville again in 1994. Later that same year in Utah at the Wasatch 100-Mile run, the Tarahumara were part of a co ntroversy. Someone did not pay their entry fees so they weren't allowed be offic ial runners. They ran unofficially and a Tarahumara was the first to cross the f inish line. This greatly upset race officials and the second person to cross the finish line had to be declared the official winner. ----Running Feet Art Beauregard Ultra Marathon Running - Term Paper 12/96 For the people to whom running is a lifestyle, ultra marathon running seems an o ld phenomenon, one that has been a part of daily life since its beginnings. Runn ing more than twenty-six miles a day seems a menial task to a Tarahumara, a dail y chore, while to the Americans running next to them it is an all consu ming fea t. These people, known world wide as "the running indians" have recently made th eir appearance in the ultra world and are showing everyone how easy run ning rea lly is for them. As they breeze by the likes of Ann Trason and many respectable others, the questions mount. Who are they and how do they run so fast? There are currently about 50,000 Tarahumara living in the Sierra Madre Occidenta l in northwestern Mexico. They live in small isolated clusters with most the pop ulation concentrated in the Barranca del Cobre, or the Copper Canyon. The Tarahu mara indians are part of the Uto-Aztecan indian lineage and are closely related to the Apaches of the Southwestern United States. The area of Northwest Mexico t hat the Tarahumara lives in is very rugged and unforgiving. The Barranca del Cob re is a chain of five very deep canyons surrounded by very tall mountains that r each almost a mile and a half above sea level. Three of the five canyons are dee per than the Grand Canyon of the United States. The area is different though bec ause it receives much more rainfall and is covered with more vegetation. The ter rain is very rugged, so much as to lead to the fact that the area has never been thoroughly mapped or explored (Lutz 66). The area is one of th e coldest in Mex ico and soil conditions are very poor. It is because of this that the Tarahumara are semi-nomadic and are cave dwellers for part of the year. The statement that, "The Tarahumara may be the finest natural distance runners i n the world", made by University of Arizona archeologist Michael Jenk inson, off ers some insight into just how good the indians are at running (Lutz 21). The Ta rahumara routinely run distances only covered by only the most advanced ultramar athon runners today. To these indians, running is more than sport, running is li terally life. The Tarahumara live in very rugged land and travel by wagon or hor ses is usually impractical. Because of this, foot travel is more often than not the best option for getting from one place to another and it is usually the quic kest. While on foot, the Tarahumara do not stroll from one place to their destin ation, running is used to perform everyday tasks. It is not uncommon for a Tarah umara to travel between fifty and eighty miles everyday at a "race" like pace. Tarahumara running is based on endurance not speed. This fact is exemplified by their hunting practices. In order to catch such wild animals as deer, wild turke ys, and rabbits, the Tarahumara simply chase after the animal until the animal d rops from exhaustion. Their hunting practices are widely known in Mexico and ran chers have been known to hire the indians to chase down wild horses . It is also said that a Tarahumara once ran six hundred miles in five days to deliver a ver y important message. Their endurance and conditioning has become k nown worldwid e. Says Dale Groom, M.D., "Probably not since the days of the ancient Spartans h as a people achieved such a high state of physical conditioning." (Lutz 21) This

phenomenon has led to the inevitable question of, "Are the Tarahumara genetical ly special when it comes to running?" After many scientific tests, doctors have come to the conclusion that the Tarahumara's endurance is based more on conditio ning than on heredity. Experts believe that there are two main causes for the Ta rahumara's amazing endurance; physical conditioning and cultural importance. Die t also seems to play an important role in their running. The Tarahumara diet is practically meatless and consists mostly of complex carbohydrates. They eat appr oximately 10 percent proteins, 10 percent fat, and 80 percent complex carbohydra te.(Lutz 30) Balanced diet is believed to be one factor behind the Tarahumara's resiliency. The Tarahumara take cooperative farming to the extreme and agricultu re is a project for the entire village.(Welker 2) They consume livestock for mea t but mostly use it as a source of fertilizer. The mainstay of the Tarahumara is corn but they also eat squash, beans and chili. They also utilize all plants of the Barranca del Cobre and have even been known to domesticate some wild plants as to make them more accessible for consumption. Pinole, a fine powder of toast ed corn is the most common food. Meat is rarely eaten but on special occasions t hey eat goat, mice and fish. The Tarahumara method of fishing is very unusual. T hey throw sticks of dynamite into the water to stun the fish and then dive down to collect them. If they are hunting small game, they chase after it and then th row rocks a t it. The Tarahumara is very accurate throwers and practice from chi ldhood. These extreme eating habits seem to contribute to lower pulse rates and blood pressure. These factors may allow them to cope with oxygen debt at high al titudes, such as a mile and a half above sea level. Running is very important to the Tarahumara culture, although there is no formal training. Quite the opposite, the Tarahumara smoke and drink before each race. While even the children participate, it is not something taught to them. The Tar ahumara call themselves "raramuri" which means fleet foot or foot runner.(Lutz 3 3) They take great pride in their running abilities and the best runners receive great status in society. They center the entire society around their running. S ays anthropologist John Kennedy, "Running is more than a game to the Tarahumara. Though obviously a pleasant diversion, it is also an economic activity, a force for social cohesion, and a channel of aggression....If this institution were re moved from Tarahumara life, the total cultural imbalance resulting would be grea ter than if some sporting activity were dropped from our own complex culture".(S everance 74) The Tarahumara culture involves two very significant features that deal with run ning, the rarajipari and the dowerami, which are races in which people of the sa me sex compete. The rarajipari is for men and is the more competitive of the two . It is a race run between two teams each of three to ten men. The intriguing th ing about the race is that men on the teams kick along a wooden, baseball-shaped ball as they run. Each man takes his turn dribbling the ball in a style similar to soccer and the total distance run may be up to one hundred and fifty miles. The races take place over very rugged terrain. The courses are either not marked or marked with rocks and sticks. The races are very competitive because they ar e run between neighboring villages and much pride is involved. Much betting goes on and cheating often takes place. There is also a lot of ritual and superstiti on involved during the race and in pre-race competition. Each team has there own medicine man who is responsible for conjuring up special potions to help the ru nners and to cast bad luck on the opposing team. Runners smoke and drink right u ntil the day of the race. They ritualistically drink tesguino, an alcohol made o f corn the night before the race. Runners often smoke a combination of tobacco a nd dried bats' blood to help them run faster and keep away the other team's spir its. The medicine man also digs up a dead person's shin bone, crushes it into a powder and spreads it over the race course. The man's spirit supposedly casts ba d luck on the runners from the other team. Runners are very superstitious and dr op out of races from fear, but never from exhaustion. Team members also avoid co ntact with women for several days before the race.(Lutz 21)

The women also run a similar race called the dowerami. The difference between th e two races is that women throw and catch interconnected loops while they run. M ost rules still apply but the women's race is less important to their society. B oth types of races are major social events and are very fun to the Tarahumara. E veryone comes out to watch and offers food to runners.(Lutz 21) The Tarahumara are very distinct socially as well. It has been said that the Tar ahumara are a "stone age" culture. This is because their culture and society has changed very little over approximately six centuries. The Tarahumara still want nothing to do with money and material things that are not important to them. Sh aring is considered very noble and land sharing is common because lands rights a re hereditary. The Tarahumara are a very shy, sensitive, bashful and isolated pe ople, even within their own household. Family members only speak to each other w hen absolutely necessary and women are not allowed to be seen unclothed unless t hey are engaged in the act of lovemaking. These traits can be seen in the way th at they handle major conflicts as well. When trouble arises, the Tarahumara prac tices passive resistance, withdrawal, and avoidance. These practices are believe d to be one of the reasons that they have survived so long. " One reason for the ir survival is their traditional cold-shouldering of other races".(Lutz 22) One example of this is illustrated in recent years. The government has been illegall y taking away the Tarahumara's land to expand logging practices. In response to this, the indians simply stand idly by and let it happen and retreat further int o the Barranca del Cobre into even more harsh environmental conditions. Experts believe that this attitude results largely from past conflicts with the Spanish in the 1500's and 1600's in which Tarahumara resistance to attempted conquests w ere suppressed with the massacre and enslavery of thousands of indians (Lutz 39) . Probably the most important social event in the life of the Tarahumara, aside fr om running, is the tesguinado. The tesguinado is a social event that takes place following the occurrence of one indian voluntarily helping another indian in so me type of project such as a fence building. The gathering is a symbol of gratit ude and thanks. The social event is a party that without exception in volves con suming large amounts of an alcoholic beverage. This alcoholic beverage, which is made from corn is called tesguino. The consuming of tesguino inevitably leads t o a state of intoxication which. The Tarahumara consider being into xicated a ma tter of pride and are not at all ashamed to be drunk. The tesguinado and tesguin o are a significant part of the Tarahumara culture. Says Dick Lutz , expert on t he Tarahumara, "The meaning and importance of tesguino interpenetrate all major sectors of the culture and social organization" (42). The tesguina do is also im portant because it allows the Tarahumara to vent violent emotions and aggression s, something that would not be ordinarily accomplished in everyday life. It is s aid that "90 percent of all social infractions occur at the tesguinado" (Lutz 42 ). Things that commonly occur are fighting, adultery and occasionally murder. Ev en if someone commits one of these crimes, they are unlikely to suffer any reper cussions. The Tarahumara simply blame anything that happens during the tesguinad o on the alcohol in the tesguino. Tesguinados are very often. This is so to the point that the indians are recovering from them for approximately one hundred da ys out of the year. The roots of the Tarahumara beliefs and religion are very puzzling. In the middl e 1600's Franciscan missionaries arrived in the Copper Canyon and tried to insti ll Christianity as the indian's religion. The Tarahumara never fully accepted Ch ristianity. They believed that their own views on religion were too important to just forget. Over time, the Tarahumara have assimilated bits and pieces of both religions. It is now impossible for people to find the roots of current Tarahum ara beliefs. Their most important belief that has remained unchanged over the ye ars is that God is the sun, his wife is the moon, and the Devil is the father of all non-indians. This belief is an example of the Tarahumara extreme ethnocentr ism, they believe that they are a superior race and that they are more important

than other people. Another non-Christian practice is the use of peyote during r eligious ceremonies. Peyote is a narcotic plant found in the Copper Canyon that induces hallucinogenic effects. The Tarahumara are not very hygienic to even modern day indigenous standards. Th ey are not very cleanly and the washing of their clothes is usually either an an nual or semiannual tradition. The Tarahumara have no regular sleeping habits and simply go to sleep whenever and wherever they are tired and feel that they need rest. The practice of childbirth is also distinct to the Tarahumara. When a wom an feels that it is about time for her to deliver the baby she will go off by he rself into the wilderness, brace herself between two small trees and attempts to have the baby safely. There is a very high infant mortality rate among the Tara humara. This fact is counterbalanced by the fact that there is also a very high birth rate. The average Tarahumara woman gives birth to about ten babies hoping that three or four will survive into adulthood. Adulthood is usually short for t he Tarahumara with the average life expectancy being forty-five (Lutz 50). These factors are believed to help the Tarahumara survive as a race. Tarahumara dress is very similar to many other indigenous tribes in comparable c limates. During warm times the men wear a breechcloth called a zapeta used only to cover the genitalia. The women do not expose themselves and wear long dresses decorated with very detailed patterns. Women of the same village wear dresses w ith similar patterns and can be identified by the patterns that they wear. Tarahumara public racing began at the 1928 Olympic marathon. The two indians tha t were running were not aware of the distance and when they finished, they were not tired and said, "Too short! Too short!" (Lutz 22) The Tarahumara first appea red on the Ultramarathon circuit in 1992 at the Leadville 100-mile run in Colora do. They were brought from Mexico and funded while they were here by Rick Fisher , operator of Wilderness Research Expeditions (Ramos A1). Fisher is disliked in the Ultra community because he is thought to be loud, outspoken, and rude. It is also believed that he uses the plight of the Tarahumara simply to gain attentio n for himself and for his organization. In their first race, none of the Tarahum ara finished. In 1993, Fisher tried again but this time he familiarized the indi ans with the course, the equipment and the American racing customs . In 1992 the Tarahumara had many problems. First, they were unfamiliar with the course. Seco nd, they did not know how to use the equipment. At night, they ran with their fl ashlights pointing up likes the torches that they are used to. Third, at aid sta tions they simply stood there and therefore received little nutrition and became weak and dehydrated. In their culture is not polite just to take food. They wai t until it is offered. In the 1993 Leadville they fared much better. Tarahumaras took first, second and fifth place (Williams 8). The most amazing thing about t he indians was their pace. The winner was fifty-five years old and only ran the second half of the race twenty minutes slower than he ran the first! Another thi ng that shocks the ultra spectators is Tarahumara footwear. They wear sandals ca lled huaraches made out of old tire tread and leather straps. A Tarahumara won L eadville again in 1994. Later that same year in Utah at the Wasatch 100-Mile run , the Tarahumara were part of a controversy. Someone did not pay their entry fee s so they weren't allowed be official runners. They ran unofficially and a Tarah umara was the first to cross the finish line. This greatly upset race officials and the second person to cross the finish line had to be declared the official w inner. The latest undertaking of the Tarahumara runners was at the Angeles Crest 100-mile Endurance Run this September. They did not fare well and only one of f our entrants finished, in fourth place. It is believed that they went out too fa st and became dehydrated .(Nazario M3) Within the last few years the Tarahumara have come into the public spotlight. Th ey have recently been entering ultramarathons to call attention to the problems that their people are having in Mexico. Deforestation in the Barranca del Cobre has become one of the most pressing problems for the Tarahumara. "Construction o

f logging roads, coupled with the thinning of the forests has led to erosion and soil depletion, which have crippled farming and livestock grazing" ( Severance 77). The increased logging is due to two major factors. One is the completion th e Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad in 1962. This, along with other new logging roa ds has made the land that the Tarahumara lives on much more accessible to modern transportation. Another reason is that the Mexican government received a 45.5 m illion-dollar loan in 1989 from the World Bank for a logging and forest manageme nt project. These funds have been misused though and have been put toward just i ncreased logging. Another problem facing the Tarahumara is the presence of drug traffickers. The Barranca del Cobre is a very productive drug growing area. Drug traffickers have been forcing the Tarahumara to grow the crops of drugs, includ ing marijuana, heroin and opium. It is estimated that seven million pounds of ma rijuana and two thousand, five hundred pounds of heroin are exported each year i nto the United States alone. They also clear land in order to have land to grow the crops. The Tarahumara provide a cheap labor supply and if they refuse the de mands of the traffickers they are killed. An average of four indians are killed per week because of their refusals. (MEXDEFOR 2) In an attempt to combat the dru g problem the Mexican government has been spraying a herbicide called paraquat o ver the fields. Paraquat rarely affects the crops but is polluting the drinking water of the Tarahumara. Despite all of these problems, the Tarahumara are still running and will continu e to do so until their extinction. They are a very unique group of people with v ery different ideas about the way to live life. They are a society which many ca n learn from, not only in the running world but in many other areas of life. The Tarahumaras should be respected for the feats they have accomplished and be lef t alone to live in peace. ---------