Traditional Rarámuri/Tarahumara Racing

by Brooke Kantor

Both races are run around a loop or out-and-back circuit of varying length, with a pre-determined number of laps set as a goal for the first team to complete.  Given the variety of distances, loops, and terrain, it is hard to generalize on what should be an ideal length and course for a race. What is paramount is the race opponents are in agreement over these terms.  The norm is to choose roads that are passable or well’defined paths good for running, and are well-marked.  In medium or large distance race, a loop or lap can be 5 to 30 km in length.  Major races for women can be as long as 100km, and for men 200 km. The terrain can be rugged with sheer drop-offs (e.g. rocky plateaus) to provide a a large expanse, or in other cases simply be a  dirt road over hilly terrain.   The ideal race should start and finish in a pueblo to maximize spectator viewing.   Oftentimes, the ariweta course has a circular or rectangular pattern, while the rarajípari is along an out-and-back  linear route.  A race is not regarded in total distance, but rather in the number of vueltas or laps in place.  In Cuiteco, both the men and women shared an out-and-back course of  approximately 3 miles, that started at the far end of town towards Bahuichivo, and the road looped around the church yard and continued out-of-town towards San Rafael.  This provided spectators an opportunity to view the runners leaving and coming back from several vantage points.   The male runners in La Carerra de Bola completed 8 laps or appoximately 24 miles, while the women ran 6 laps or approximately 18 miles.

In both  La Carrera de Bola and the ariweta,  the ideal is to have runners maintain a steady gait and take advantage of inertia to fling a ball or hoop forward – ideally a runner does not have to slow down or speed up approaching the ball or ring.    In a graceful motion a male runner gets his huarche and possibly the toes underneath the ball while his body is moving forward.   When landing on the other foot flings the leg upward towards the neck or head.  This in turns sends the ball into a (hopefully) controlled arc that covers a distance of 40 or 50 meters.   Like driving of the tee in golf, the goal is to achieve maximum distance while keeping the ball in ”the fairway”.  However, on some of the downhill slopes, it is often better for runners to roll a ground ball down the middle of the road and keep a steady rhythm going.

In reality, the ball often strays off-course.   Stopping to retrieve a ball lodged under a rock, or chasing it down the side of a ravine breaks up the team’s rhythm,  and wastes both time and energy.  In races along steeper courses, male runners are often permitted to carry 2-pronged or cupped sticks of some 60 cm to dislodge balls out of difficult spots or align them with the foot on steeper inclines.  In Cuiteco the runners had sticks to help position the ball for striking and in fact often did stop to keep the ball steady before striking.  Here is an example of the 2nd team losing  time and momentum attempting to retrieve ball that kept landing in the gulley alongside the road.

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In the ariweta, women likewise do not want to stop to advance the ring. When using rings made of twigs simply tied together with twine (without leather wrapping), they basically skewer it on the ground with the outer curve of their rod. Once engaged (and still running), they raise the ring over their head and fling it forward in a circular motion, or swaying or shaking motion from behind fling it forward distances of up to 40 meters.  The risks involved with this movement is accuracy – the ring is more prone to  landing off -course.  An alternative way of advancing the ring is to propel it upward by a movement from below like a chip shot.   Even using this alternative approach, things can still go wrong.   In Cuiteco, having a ball or ring go off-course was sometimes complicated even more by the proximity of barbed-wire fences alongside the road.

At this point in the race (the end of the first lap) this team was only 10 seconds behind the lead team.   Losing two minutes retrieving the ariweta in the ravine on the other side of the barbed-wire fence completely demoralized and essentially took them out of the race.

Tactics

Similar to professional bicycle road racing, both La Carerra de Bola and the ariweta are team sports where each runner has an important role to play.  Some are protagonists advancing the ball or ring, while others play more of a support role, eliminating obstacles, carrying torches and illuminating the road a night with torches, carrying provisions, or simply shouting encouragement.  In La Carerra de Bola, some team members actually run alongside the  opposing her team to monitor possible cheating.  In the ariweta, young males run alongside the younger women, for both encouragement and to leverage social opportunities.

In both races, the best runner on each team often stays in front in the early phase of a race, while his or her teammates do the heavy lifting of advancing the ball or ring.  The objective is to conserve energy for the latter part of the race.    In La Carerra de Bola, usually the runners behind advancing the ball take turns, in order the speed up the overall pace.  However, there is always the risk of the ball hitting someone in the back of the head.    In the ariweta, the runners take turns in the sole role of advancing the ring, as opposed taking  alternate turns.  Usualy the best runner conserves her energy until the time her teammates are exhausted.

The Regulations

The amount of rules and degree to which they are observed depends on the magnitude and importance of  the race itself, along with the magnitude of betting going on.  Like a pick-up game in any sport, the smaller races have a less rigorous enforcement and more flexibility than the big ones.   Fair play and equal opportunity to win are still the overriding ideal, however.   But, with the heavy betting that’s an integral part of the bigger races, rule observance and sanctions against infractions are paramount.  Without a judge or chokeamae to follow the racers along their route, each team needs to watch out for infractions against the other and protest accordingly.  The most common infractions are taking short-cuts off the official route, and the illegal use of hands in setting up or advancing the ball.   If someone is caught cheating, he or she can be immediately expelled from the race, or in the case of widespread team cheating, forfeiture of the race.  Both an opponent or a spectator can raise an accusation of cheating.  If the accused does not acknowledge the violation, then the situation becomes complicated, especially if there is no physical evidence or impartial witnesses, and if there is heavy betting going on.  It then becomes the responsibility of the race organizers or chokeames to sort things out.   Barring that, the ultimate responsibility rests with the siríame or governor of the community where the race is being held.  While flagrant infractions are uncommon, There are common complaints that runners are bribed to commit an infraction or screw up at acritical moment, or physically impede the movements of  opposing runners when no one is looking.  When there is heavy betting going on, there is a lot at stake. On the flip side, there is social and moral pressure to run a clean race.  Any runner peanalized loses credibility going forward.

Timing and Location of Races

Races are always undertaken in the context of family or communal gatherings,  from a few families within a small village to large communal gatherings such as Cuiteco.   Major races are much more often happen in the summer (June – September) months, when the nights are warmer and frequently there is rain or moisture to cool things off during the day.  Smaller races can occur anytime during the year, as other factors come into play.  Major races frequently begin in the early afternon (2 to 3 p.m.) and during the hot months of April through mid-June, much later,  when the sun is shining with less intensity.  The races will continue during the night and sometimes last till the following morning, and always before the peak noonday heat.   Running races during the night also puts a premium on teamwork, in particular the torch bearers that illuminate the course, along with other support personnel.

Physical Preparation

The rigors and struggles of daily life without a vehicle basically prepares the Rarámuri for these races.   Aside from some changes in diet before a major race, extra rest, and possibly a leg massage with herbs, little other preparation is needed to complete a long race.

Betting

Betting is an essential part of Tarahumara racing and often delays the start of a race by an hour or more.   Besides recruiting runners and serving as referree in the race, the Chokéame (race organizer/referee/empesario) collects and manages the wagering on a race.  Not only do the runners bet on their team to win, but also their community backs them as well.  Betting is a prime motivator to run a hard race, and it is inconceivable to the Rarámuri to hold a traditional race without it .   Even during CCUM, there is substantial betting going on among the Tarahumara and local Mestizo spectators.

The Chokéame

The chokéame organizes, is the lead arbitrar, and has ultimate responsibiliy over the race.  The chokéame recruits runners, establishes the race course, announces and publishes notice about the event, sets up the sports line-house betting, distributes winnings, arbitrates and resolves problems that erupt, and penalizes infractions to the rules.   Except for organized scrimmages by children meant for play, the role and functioning of chokéame is ever-present.  While some youngsters are groomed to be competitive runners, others are groomed for this role, based on temperment, behavior, honesty, organization-communication skills, and social status.  Sometimes they are good runners as well, sometimes they are not.  Normally males serve as chokéame in La  Carerra de Bola and women in the ariweta, but it isn’t rare for the reverse to happen.  Usually there are two chokeames per race, one for each team.  The real determinant is the size, complexity of the race and amount of betting going on. But, when there are multiple chokéames per team, there is a hierarchy, with assistants often responsible for collecting and managing the bets.  In terms of the overall social order, chokéames have a much more respected status than a referee in a western-style sports event.

Los Gobernadores or Siríames

For major events like Cuiteco gathering, the Siríame or governador of each Rarámuri comunity may get involved  as well.  There are macro-organizational details and guidelines to attend to, along with potential issues to mediate that arise during the events themselves.  But normally los gobernadores don’t encroach on the role of the chokéames, but rather help schedule and plan major events, establish broad guidelines and rules to follow, and use moral authority and the power of persuasion over imposing strict dictates.

In Summary

These games are so deeply rooted in Tarahumara-Rarámuri culture that many Rarámuri say there is little sense in men running without advancing a ball or women running without advancing a ring or hoop.  Not only do these traditional races involve coordination along with mental and physical endurance, but also teamwork and the element of luck.  The better team does not always win.  A ball or hoop can take an unfortunate bounce under a barbed-wire fence, roll down a ravine, and become firmly lodged under a boulder or rest underneath forbidding mesquite thorns.  A hoop can also become lodged in a tree and require throwing stones to dislodge it.    All this, in turn, makes betting a viable thing.   Fortune or misfortune will often determine the outcome of a race, and much of the runners’ preparations for the race will focus as much (or more) on bringing good luck to themselves and their teams, as opposed to training.   Along with racing, betting is an essential part of the social fabric.  Taken as a whole,  racing plays a central role in establishing alliances among families and among communities.

To further learn how La Carrera de Bola and the ariweta were carried out in Cuiteco, continue with my blog on these races.

For a more detailed description of these races, you can read Angel Acuña Delgado’s article on La Carerra de Bola y Ariweta Rarámuri en La Sierra Tarahumara .    For an English translation, you can   translate directly within the Google Chrome browser, or with another browser, translate via Google Translate.   Another good article in Spanish worth translating this way is Las carreras rarámuri y su contexto :una propuesta de Interpretación by Juan Rodríguez López.  Another article written by Ángel Acuña Delgado, The Rarámuri Race as a Metaphor of Cultural Resistance has already been translated into English via Google Translate or some other translation software.

The  bible of sorts is Angel Acuña Delgado’s 300-page book entitled  Etnología de la Carrera de Bola y Ariweta Rarámuris.     It is only available through  CIESAS in Tlalpan,  Mexico City.  For information on ordering, you can e-mail their bookstore at:  ventas@ciesas.edu.mx

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