Races: "rowera" or "carreras de ariweta"

One of the most important cultural and economic activities in Oasis are the races, which are known in raramuri as rowera. It's well known that the raramuri in the Sierra are avid runners, sometimes holding races that can last days and cover hundreds of miles of mountain terrain. They are so famous, in fact, that they are invited to compete yearly in international races, such as the Leadville 100 Ultramarathon held in Colorado (here is a link with an interesting description of the race, and the names of the three raramuri men who participated and placed first, second, and fifth! http://www.nativevillage.org/Archives/2009%20Archives/Jan%201%202009%20News/1-1-2009%20/Tarahumara%20Feat%20Inspires%20Awe.htm)


Luckily, the raramuri migrants to the cities continue to practice this tradition. Racing, and betting on the races, is alive and well in Oasis. Here is a brief description of how the races are conducted: races are always comprised of two runners. A team of "co-runners" can accompany each competing runner to make sure there is no cheating during the race (I have heard stories of runners trying to push each other off the track, or more typically, of casting spells so that the other runner will get hurt. The "co-runners" are there to defend their runner, and to serve as witnesses if anything underhanded does occur). In Oasis, just like in the Sierra, these races serve as a social gathering, during which women get together to talk, share news, and eat and drink together. The "economic activity" comes in with the betting. Part of the importance (and definitely the fun) of racing is placing bets in favor of one runner. But the women rarely bet money; they usually bet their dresses, which are colorful and unique. The race is a great opportunity to gain (and lose) clothes, important capital in their society. Additionally, I think the raramuri women have fun winning new clothes; what woman doesn't like to wear something new, after all?

Another aspect that makes raramuri races unique: the women must run with an ariweta, the raramuri word that refers to a special ring used during races. Competitors run with a long stick, which they use to pick up and throw the ring forward. This action is repeated throughout the race. I think it serves as a kind of "technique" to propel the runners forward, especially when they start to get tired. The men run kicking a wooden ball, but I've never seen this in person.

Now, onto a fun story. The women race often--about four times a week, at least--and at the urging of an anthropologist friend, I have become an enthusiastic better in these races. I always bet money, since I don't have any dresses. One day, a group of women from another settlement came to challenge a woman from Oasis. There was a frenzy all day, as women gathered dresses, tied them to each other (so that each woman could keep track of what she bet), and chattered excitedly about the prospect of big winnings. I placed a decent bet, too.

Well, the race got started, and the atmosphere was very festive, with women drinking sodas and buying corn on the cob to enjoy the race. The women were set to run 10 laps around the neighborhood, which amounts to about 10 miles. At the end of the 4th lap, the Oasis runner refused to continue because she said she had hurt her foot. I feel it's important to note that she was about half a block behind the other runner. In case of a forfeit, the other team automatically wins. But when the women from the other settlement came to collect their winnings, the Oasis women began snatching up their dresses and running back to their houses to hide them. There was a lot of arguing, a lot of yelling, and at one point I even thought there was going to be physical fighting. The Oasis women argued that the race wasn't valid, since their runner got injured; the other team countered that it didn't matter if there was an injury, whoever forfeits automatically loses.

The women from the other settlement ended up calling the police to report the Oasis women. The police!!! Talk about extreme measures! When a patrol truck pulled up in front of the settlement and three moustached officers got out, a crowd of about fifty raramuri women and all their children gathered in front of them. I ended up front and center in the crowd. "So what's the problem?" one of the officers asked them. Everyone started talking at once, so of course the policemen became even more confused and annoyed. After a few minutes, a couple women slowly explained the conflict that was occurring, but the police were still confused. Races? Betting? Dresses? They didn't know what was going on.

Once they got the story straight, an officer addressed the crowd of women with the following words: "the problem with your people is that you don't know how to pull yourselves out of poverty. You know you are poor, and yet you continue to engage in vices like drinking and gambling. This is why you stay poor--all you ever do is drink and gamble."

To my surprise, the women stayed silent. The officers went on to "resolve" the conflict by telling the women the race should be a draw, that every woman needed to retrieve what she had bet. At this point, an officer asked if anyone had wagered any money.

"Victoria did," one woman said.

"Who's Victoria?" Several women pointed at me, and the officer looked and me and said, "you?" I nodded and said, "yes, I'm part of the problem." He rolled his eyes and said, "well, make sure Victoria gets her money back."

In the end, a lot of women never got their dresses back. In all the bustle of trying to redistribute hundreds of dresses, some of them got misplaced. I never got my money back--a lot of money had been wagered, and almost all of it mysteriously disappeared. But I didn't care; witnessing this event was worth many wagers! It was upsetting to see the way the police treated the raramuri women, but it also gave me excellent insight into the blatant discrimination that takes place in Chihuahua. I have witnessed more races since, but no more conflicts like this one. I'll be sure to share more race stories in later posts!

Soon I'll post some pictures of women participating in rowera.