Thursday, 26 January 2012

The Corn Grows Ripe (Ch. 9-15)

Vocabulary:
Koben-hearth
Padrinos-godparents
Novenario-consecutive evenings of the prayer to Holy Cross at church
Balche-ceremonial drink
Lelem-machete carried to make lightning
Pibil nal-roasted ears
Hetz Mek-celebration of when a boy is 4 months old, girls are 3 months old
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Summary
Chan Tata's Hetz Mek was coming up. Tigre's family was very excited even though it was during the droughts. During Chan Tata's Hetz Mek, Chan Tata wore a white, silk cloth and celebrated lots of Hetz Mek celebrations. Like when the baby chooses one of the items and that item carries on the baby's fortune, or enjoying lots of food, etc. . . . . Later after they celebrated Hetz Mek, the harsh drought ended and the Chacs (rain gods of the Mayan's people's belief) came to help the mayan villagers with rain. Happy Ending <3


The Corn Grows Ripe (Ch. 7-9)

Vocabulary:
Xoc Kinob-"Count of the Days" system used by the Mayans
manhache-strong March rain
catzim-rain gods
corrida-bull fight
vaqueros-people that leads bulls to the bulls ring
yuc-a very small dear
zip-minor gods
huipil-hair ribbon
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Summary
Tigre's father was still a patient with his broken leg. While some people through out the village was burning their milpa (they can only burn the milpa when the cornfield is dry), Tigre's family did not participate to burn their milpa. That was because they were waiting for Tigre's uncle to come who was coming on the day of the Fiesta. Being impatient, Tigre asked his father for permission to burn the milpa, so then Tigre burned his milpa that dry day. The next day there was heavy rain and other villagers stared at Tigre's family in envy. . . . . During May, there was the big Fiesta. Tigre's uncle came and there was bull fighting, celebrations, dancing and music.


Wednesday, 25 January 2012

The Corn Grows Ripe (Ch. 4-6)

Vocabulary:
Masa-dough made of corn and water
Calabash-
Santo-(patron of village)
Ceiba-large tropical tree
Milpa-a cornfield
Machete-ax
Chan Tata-little fater (Tigre's little brother)
Tzoki-"it is finished"
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Summary
Tigre went on his journey that his grandma told him to go. He was exhausting and also as now because Tigre is the only man in the family that grandma depends on. Even after he came back from his journey, he kept working with his ax, not forgetting how scared he was on his last journey. Working day and night, his fingers bled, his nails broke, but he thought how his father worked hard before. Then his mom gave birth to his little brother, Chan Tata. He missed out his lessons at school during the day working, and after he worked, he would study in the evening. One day there was a dead hen in the chicken house. One after another hens kept on dying. Tigre and his mom thought that because of a hole a vampire bat is killing the hens. Later when almost all the chickens and hens were gone, Tigre realized that the vampire bat was in the chicken house the whole time.


The Corn Grows Ripe (Ch. 1-4)

Vocabulary:
Chacalacas-a very noisy bird
Guano-kind of palm tree
Mamich-little old grandmother
Curva-a short knife with curved blade
On-avocado tree
pozole-a drink made of corn
Roble-oak tree
Balams-corn god
Anona-leaves thorney
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Summary

Grandma thinks Tigre is how a men because he is 12 years old. Tigre has a hard time getting used to working like a man but meanwhile he gets used to it. Then later in the morning when Tigre was waking up, his mom said that his dad was chopping trees and the tree fell on his legs! What do you think will happen to him later?