marking sheep ownership

Baskalci 2

1 (GK) ami kàg gi belèžexte ufcète belèžexte li gi da gi poznàvate

So how did you mark sheep? Did you mark them in a way to recognize them?

2 (a) ami sèki ìmaše belèk

Well, each one had a mark.

3 (GK) kakɤ̀f

What kind?

4 (a) belèk na tovà na ušìte se prài belèk

A mark – they make a mark on the ears.

5 (GK) i kàk se prài tòj

And how do they do that?

12 (a) ušèto e naprìmer tovà

[On] the ear, for instance

14 (a) na ofcàta tovà pretstavl’àva ušèto sà nèkoj ìma nàči

That means on the sheep’s ear. There are some [people], you know –

15 (a) jà ot tùka takà ke otsèčem dìp màlko i se vìka tovà izbrɤ̀ska

I make a little slanted cut here, and we call that “izbrŭska” (slant-cut).

17 (a) na dèsnotu kakòf ti e be belègo na dèsnotu ušè e izbrɤ̀ska

What’s your mark on the right ear? On the right ear it’s a slant-cut.

19 (a) drùgo drùgiju pәk po otprèt ìma

But another will [make it] in front.

21 (a) otprèt ràbuška a takà kato prevìeš ušènceto nalì

[He’ll make] a notch in front. So when you fold the ear over,

22 (a) i sɤs ednì pà sɤs nòžnici stàva tovà ili sɤs krɤklìzi

and then – it’s done with scissors, or with shears –

24 (a) otsèčneš dìp tovà se otcèpva dìp po màlkinko

you slice of a little bet and you get a “swallowtail” cut here.

26 (a) po màlko ama sèkoj č’e znàe belègo kakòf mu e znači

Very little, but [enough] so each one knows which mark is his.

27 (a) na dèsnoto ušè ti e belègo ràbuška otprèt ràbuška

So you’ve got a mark, a “rabushka” (notch) on the right ear. A notch in front.

28 (a) na lèvoto ušè ti e belègo odzàt ràbuška nalì odzàt se vìka

And on the left ear you’ve got a mark, a notch in the back. It’s called “the back”

29 (a) kato ušèto kato e takà ot tàzi stranà

when the ear is like this, on this side.

31 (a) a pa otprèt se vìka pa prèdnata stranà

and [the notch] in the front part is called “the front”.

34 (GK) izbrɤ̀ska kugà e udzàt

[So it’s called] a slant-cut when it’s in back –

35 (a) o odzàt izbrɤ̀ska i otprèt mòže izbrɤ̀ska pa i otprèt ìma i izbrɤ̀ska

A slant-cut in the back, but you can also have a slant-cut in the front.

36 (a) ponèže tìja vɤf selòto sa znàči nògu nògu rètko trèbva da se slùči

Because it should happen very, very rarely that in one village

37 (a) na edìn belèg da sà mòjo belèk i tvòjo da se sravnàva

people should [all] use the same mark, that mine should be just like yours,

38 (a) osòbeno ako sa komšìi òti nèma da si i poznàete

especially if we are neighbors. Because otherwise you wouldn’t recognize them.

39 (a) nèkoj i poznàvat nògu ama nèkoj pa ne mòe gi poznàvat

Some would recognize them but others wouldn’t be able to.

40 (a) ako nè e belègo ne mòe gi poznàvat ke se zakàrat

If not for the mark they wouldn’t recognize them, and then they’d quarrel

41 (b) tì ke go vìkaš tvòje jàs ke go vìkam mòje [laughter]

You’ll say it’s yours, I’ll say it’s mine,

42 (a) i ìska da se bìeme

and we might get into a fight!

45 (GK) i drùgi drùg drùgi ìmaše li drùgi bèlezi

And other – were there other kinds of marks?

46 (a) nè na drùg belèk ìma kogà se sɤbìrat na tovà

No. Well [yes], there’s another mark when you gather at –

47 (GK) nә kuè

At what?

48 (a) na bačìjata na màndrata tùk è gòo kogà se mɤzàt

At the dairy farm, up there where they do the milking,

49 (a) kugà i sәbìrәt prez letòto sә dә tәkòva ìma katràn’

when they gather them there in the summer. They use pitch.

52 (a) i sɤs katràn’u i belèguvàme katràn’u i gu tùriš

And we mark them with pitch. You put it –

53 (a) na edìn ke e pres krɤ̀stu pràva čertà na drùgiju

One would make a straight line on [the sheep’s] back, another

54 (a) ke e ot srәnàtә nә drùgiju i tòo sèki znàe nàči

would [make it] on the side, and another – and each one will know

55 (a) kakòf katràn’ ke e složìl nә ufcète

what kind of pitch [marking] he’ll have put on his sheep.

57 (a) i tàm i ofčàreto znàәd znàči pu kәtràn’u punèže

And the shepherds up there know, you see, by the pitch [marks]

58 (a) nә grɤbò se slàgә seà dèka se glèda nәlì

that were put on the backs [of the sheep]. Because it’s visible, right?

60 (a) i tìja è kato a vìdi à tàa e

and when they see one, they’ll say “Ah, that sheep [belongs]

61 (a) na èdi kòj si tòa kәtràn’ e nә tòa fil’ànkišìjәtә

to so and so, that kind of pitch mark designates that person.”

63 (a) drùgiju kәtràn’ e [laughter]

And another pitch mark [to another].

64 (GK) ami a drùgi nèmaše li drùgi belèzi pu pu uxòtu

So – weren’t there any other marks on, on the ear?

65 (a) nè drùgi drùgi kakvò

No. What other – ?

67 (a) nè dùpčәt i saà vek’e kәt stәnà stupànstvutu tùrәt im

No, they don’t make punches. When the collective farm came, they used

68 (a) nèkәkvi dzәmbì tàm kәtu i jàs ne sàm vidèl

some sort of punches. But I never saw [any of that].

71 (GK) nàči sàmo ìzbrɤska i ràbuška

So only the slant-cut and the notch.

72 (a) dà izbrɤ̀ski ràbuški znàči otprèt odzàd znàči àku tì e

Yes, slant-cuts and notches, in front or in back, so if you’ve got …

74 (a) dìp cèpnenko nèkoj pa mòže belègu dә mù e

… a cut at a slant – but then someone could [also] make his mark

75 (a) nә vrɤ̀u nә ušèncetu saà sàmu tәkà e cèpnenku rәscàpeno

on top of the ear, with only a little bit cut out.

76 (a) vìkә se ušàtka

That’s called “ushatka” (straight cut).

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marking sheep ownership

Baskalci 2