MIGUEL BARNET
Biografía de
un cimarrón
Biography of a
Runaway Slave
Plants of the Nearctic Realm
Black bean / Frijol negro
Latin name: Phaseolus vulgarisNumber of times mentioned: 1
Region of origin: Mesoamerica
Quotations:
"Daban una ración buena, aunque siempre era lo mismo; arroz con frijoles negros, blancos o de carita y tasajo." (46)
"They gave a good-sized portion though it was always the same — rice and black beans, white beans or black eyed peas and beef jerky." (63)
Botanical Reference:
Elena Bitocchi et al., “Mesoamerican Origin of the Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.) Is Revealed by Sequence Data,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109, no. 14 (April 3, 2012): E788–96, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1108973109.
Cayenne / Ají guaguao
Latin name:
Region of origin:
Quotations:
Botanical reference:
Latin name:
Region of origin:
Quotations:
Botanical reference:
Number of times mentioned: 3
Region of origin: West Indies, Mexico, South America
Quotations:
"Se le daba pimienta de guinea, ajo y ají guaguao, la cabeza de un muerto y una canilla tapada con un paño negro." (98)
"The offerings were Guinea pepper, garlic, and guaguao peppers, a dead man's skull, and a shin bone wrapped in a black cloth." (124)
***
"La comida la ordena el dueño de la prenda, que es quien pone los resguardos. Casi siempre se alimentan de ajo y ají guaguao." (100)
"The food is selected by the owner of the prenda, who is the one who makes the charm. They are almost always fed with garlic and guaguao pepper." (126)
***
"Se le agregaba limón y ají guaguao." (140)
|
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 900, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1."
Cedar / Cedro
Latin name: Cedrela odorata
Number of times mentioned: 6
Region of origin: West Indies, Mexico, South America
Quotations:
"África estaba llena de árboles, de ceibas, de cedros, de jagüeyes." (16)
"Africa was full of trees, ceibas, cedars, banyon trees." (24)
***
"Detrás se tocaba con dos palos en dos troncos de cedro ahuecados." (22)
"Behind the drums someone played two hollowed-out cedar trunks with two sticks." (31)
***
"Escaparates grandes, como caballos de cedro." (75)
"Wardrobes as big as horses made of cedar." (95)
***
"Se llevaron caobas, cedros, jiquís; bueno, todo el monte se vino abajo." (80)
"They took out mahoganies, cedars, indigo trees." (102)
***
"Se reunían allí y al cochino asadito lo colocaban arriba de la mesa en una bandeja de cedro con la boca llena de flores silvestres." (116)
"They all got together, and the roasted pig was put on a cedar serving board on a table with his mouth full of wild flowers." (144)
***
"En el lugar donde lo enterraban quedaba una lomita y sobre esa lomita colocaban una cruz de madera de cedro para que el negro tuviera protección." (95)
"There was a little mound in the place where they buried him, and on that mound they put a cedar wood cross so the man would have protection." (119)
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 562, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1.
Cinnamon / Canela
Latin name: Cinnamomum cassiaNumber of times mentioned: 1
Region of origin: South China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam
Quotations:
"Se hacia de agua, azúcar, miel y cánula." (113)
"It was made from water, sugar, honey and cinnamon." (141)
Botanical Reference:
Guang-Ping Lv et al., “Pressurized Liquid Extraction and GC-MS Analysis for Simultaneous Determination of Seven Components in Cinnamomum Cassia and the Effect of Sample Preparation,” Journal of Separation Science 33, no. 15 (August 1, 2010): 2341–48, https://doi.org/10.1002/jssc.201000208
Ceiba
Latin name: Ceiba pentandra
Number of times mentioned: 2
Region of origin: West Indies, Mexico, South America
Quotations:
"África estaba llena de árboles, de ceibas, de cedros, de jagüeyes." (16)
"Africa was full of trees, ceibas, cedars, banyon trees." (24)
***
"El campamento estaba al lado de una ceiba." (132)
"The camp was next to a ceiba tree." (166)
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 502, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1."
Curujey
Latin name: Guzmania lingulataNumber of times mentioned: 2
Region of origin: West Indies, Mexico, South America
Quotations:
"¡Ah! mucha agua de curujey." (140)
"And lots of curujey juice." (176)
***
"Los caballos se ponían flacos. Envejecían más rápido. A ellos no se les podía dar agua de curujey." (140)
"The horses got skinny. They got old quick. You couldn't give them curujey water." (176)
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 180, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1.
Feverfew / Escoba amarga
Latin name: Parthenium hysterophorus Number of times mentioned: 3 Region of origin: West Indies, North America, South America Quotations: "Y para secarse el fotingo, después de la descarga, había que coger yerbas como la escoba amarga y las tusas de maíz." (16)
"Si había algo flojo, asobaban la cazuela con escoba amarga y a caminar se ha dicho." (100)
Botanical Reference: Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 127, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1. |
Ítamo real / Itamo
Latin
name: Euphorbia tithymaloides Number of times mentioned: 3 Region of origin: West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America Quotations: "Lo mismo me pasaba con el sol; entonces ponía unas cuantas hojas de itamorreal al sereno y al otro día me limpiaba los ojos." (39) *** "Hoy lo que venden en las boticas es itamorreal." (39)
Botanical Reference: Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 336, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1. |
Jicara cimarrona / Wild gourd
Latin name: Crescentia cujete
Number of times mentioned: 1
Region of origin: West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America
Quotations:
"En jicaras cimarronas que se criaban nada más que para eso."" (74)
"In cups of wild gourd that were grown only for that purpose."" (94)
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 148, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1.
Macagua / Macaw
Latin name: Exostema caribaeum
Number of times mentioned: 1
Region of origin: West Indies, Mexico, Central America
Quotations:
"La hoja de palo de macagua me servía para fumar." (39)
"I smoked the leaf of the macaw tree." (50)
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 809, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1.
Piñón de botija / Pine nut
Latin name: Jatropha curcas Number of times mentioned: 1 Region of origin: West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America Quotations: "Se mezclan todas, la albahaca, el apasote, el piñón de botija, se meten en la lata con un poco de azúcar y sal." (101) Botanical Reference: Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 339, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1. |
Purslane / Verdolaga
Latin name: Portulaca oleracea
Number of times mentioned: 2
Region of origin: West Indies, North America, Central America, South America, Old World
Quotations:
"China no, allá lo que había más era yerba de la que se arrastra, dormidera, verdolaga, diez de la mañana." (16)
"Over there they had plants that grew along the ground, creepers, purslane, morning glories." (24)
***
"Lo más que podía hacer un libertador en Las Villas era robar ganado, recoger malanga, retoños de boniato, bledos, verdolagas, en fin..." (140)
"The most a revolutionary could do in Las Villas was to steal livestock, collect taro weeds, sweet potato shoots, amaranth, purslane, and such." (75)
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 778, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1.
Squash / Calabaza
Latin name: Cucurbita pepoNumber of times mentioned: 4
Region of origin: North America
Quotations:
"Ahí se cosechaba de todo: boniato, calabaza, quimbamtoó, maíz, gandul, frijol caballero, que es como las habas limas, yuca y maní." (18)
"They grew everything there: sweet potato, squash, okra, corn, peas, horse beans, beans like limas, limes, yuca and peanuts." (26)
***
"La calabaza, por ejemplo, no se podía comer, porque había santos que no se llevaban con ella." (60)
"Squash, for example, couldn't be eaten because there were saints that didn't get along with it." (77)
***
"Todavía hoy la calabaza no se come." (60)
"Even today a person doesn't eat squash." (70)
***
"Yo mismo ni me metía en el monte a buscarla, porque el que se enredaba en un yerbazal de calabazas se reventaba todito." (60)
"I myself wouldn't go into the woods to look for it because if you get tangled up in a patch of squash you break out all over." (77) |
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 252-253, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1.
Tobacco / Tabaco
Latin name: Nicotiana tabacum
Number of times mentioned: 8
Region of origin: North America, South America
Quotations:"Si un hombre iba a pedirle a un brujo cualquiera una mujer, el brujo le mandaba que cogiera un mocho de tabaco de la mujer, si ella fumaba." (29)
"If a man went to a witch to ask for help getting a woman, the witch sent him to get some of the woman's tobacco if she smoked." (39)
***
"Ese se lo tiraba a la mujer en el tabaco." (29)
"You put it in the woman's tobacco." (39)
***
"Después les pasaban por las llagas compresas de hojas de tabaco con orina y sal." (30)
"Afterward they would cover the wounds with compresses of tobacco leaves, urine and salt." (40)
***
"La hoja de tabaco o la yerba mora sirven para las picadas." (39)
"Tobacco or mulberry leaves work for bites." (50)
***
"La rellenaba con andullo y me ponía a fumar para pasar el rato." (73)
"I filled it with a plug of tobacco, and I set to smoking it to pass the time." (92)
***
"Nunca les faltaba tabaco, ni chocolate caliente, ni viandas, ni carne de puerco." (88)
"They were never without tobacco or hot chocolate or greens or pork." (111)
***
"Cuando veía que una picada de algún bicho se me iba a enconar, cogía la hoja de tabaco y la mascaba bien." (39)
"Whenever I saw that the bite of some bug was going to get swollen up on me, I took hold of the tobacco leaf, and I chewed it well." (50)
***
"Aun así cuando se disolvió el ejército, los libertadores negros fío pudieron quedarse en la ciudad. Regresaron al campo, a la caña, al tabaco, a cualquier cosa, menos a las oficinas." (157)
"Even so, when the army was disbanded, the black revolutionaries were unable to remain in the city. They returned to the country, to the cane fields, tobacco fields, to whatever, except to the offices." (195)
Botanical Reference:
Shanu Mishra and M B Mishra, “Tobacco: Its Historical, Cultural, Oral, and Periodontal Health Association,” Journal of International Society of Preventive & Community Dentistry 3, no. 1 (January 2013): 12–18, https://doi.org/10.4103/2231-0762.115708.
Watercress / Berro
Latin name: Nasturtium officinale
Number of times mentioned: 1
Region of origin: Europe, Africa, Asia
Quotations:
"De esas comidas, la más rica era el ochinchín, que se hacía con berro, acelga, almendras y camarones sancochados." (60)
"But the most delicious of all those foods was ochinchin that was made with water cress, chard, almonds, and boiled shrimp." (77)
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 176, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1.
Yuquilla / Arrowroot
Latin name: Maranta arundinacea
Number of times mentioned: 1
Region of origin: Mexico, Central America, South America
Quotations:
"Se parecía al atol que se hacía de sagú: yuquilla que se rayaba y salta igual que el almidón." (60)
"It was like atol that was made with sagu, arrowroot that was rolled and came out like corn starch." (77)
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 529, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1."
Epazote
Latin name: Chenopodium ambrosioides
Number of times mentioned: 1
Region of origin: Mexico, Central America, South America
Quotations:
"Se mezclan todas, la albahaca, el apasote, el piñón de botija, se meten en la lata con un poco de azúcar y sal." (101)
"You mix them all up, basil, apasote, pine nuts, put them in the can with a little sugar and salt." (126)
Botanical Reference:
Pedro Acevedo and Mark Strong, “Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies,” Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98 (January 1, 2012): 22, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1.
Image credits:
Tomás Sánchez, Autorretrato En Tarde Rosa, 1994, Acrylic on
linen, 1994,
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/03/tomas-sanchez-landscape-paintings/.
Tomás Sánchez, Orilla y Cielo Gris, 1995, Acrylic on canvas,
1995,
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/03/tomas-sanchez-landscape-paintings/.
Text editions:
Esteban Montejo and Miguel Barnet, Biografía de Un Cimarrón, 223
p. (La Habana: Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1980),
catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005222640.
Esteban
Montejo, Biography of a Runaway Slave, ed. Miguel Barnet, trans. W. Nick
Hill (Connecticut: Curbstone Press, 1994).
Tomás Sánchez, Autorretrato En Tarde Rosa, 1994, Acrylic on linen, 1994,
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/03/tomas-sanchez-landscape-paintings/.
Tomás Sánchez, Orilla y Cielo Gris, 1995, Acrylic on canvas, 1995,
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/03/tomas-sanchez-landscape-paintings/.
Text editions:
Esteban Montejo and Miguel Barnet, Biografía de Un Cimarrón, 223 p. (La Habana: Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1980), catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005222640.
Esteban Montejo, Biography of a Runaway Slave, ed. Miguel Barnet, trans. W. Nick Hill (Connecticut: Curbstone Press, 1994).