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TARAHUMARA TRANSCRIPTS FACE TO FACE WITH MODERNITY: AN INTERTEXTUAL APPROACH A Dissertation by JOAN PARMER BARRETT Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILSOPHY Chair of Committee, Richard Curry Committee Members, Maria Esther Quintana Jose P. Villalobos Jeff Winking Head of Department, Irene Moyna May 2017 Major Subject: Hispanic Studies Copyright 2017 Joan Parmer Barrett ABSTRACT The objective of the present work evaluates an overview of original texts by and about the isolated Tarahumara of Mexico by considering key elements of their passive and active traditions, which reveal the unique values and ideologies of the group, and give understanding to the relevant past and present discourse as a form of social practice, identity, and shared knowledge and beliefs by analyzing transcripts of Tarahumara oral tradition along with modern interpretative writings, some by modern day authors from the Mexican sierra, that retain some aspects of the traditional transcripts while simultaneously suggesting a departure from some time-honored facets of the ancient tribe living in the twenty-first century. By taking a page from Vladamir Propp’s Mythology of the Folk Tale (1928), his structural analysis of one hundred Russian fairy tales, this work analyzes transcriptions of one hundred Tarahumara oral traditions that had never been categorized or morphologically analyzed collectively before to reveal ways that social and political negotiations have been reproduced in discourse and how this interdiscursivity with modern texts by current sierra authors connects to the formation and maintenance of cultural determination while simultaneously serving as resistance against external influence. This study of an intertextual nature signals not only the historical situation of the Tarahumara of Mexico in our modern world, but also secures for modern academia a neoteric plot on the map of pre-Colombian ideology by extending Alan Dunde’s “The Morphology of North America Indian Folktales” (1980) for the first time to the works of ii the Mexican Tarahumara traditional tales, demonstrating that Tarahumara folktales and myths are structured as well, not simply told in random formless tales, and can be successfully submitted to a morphological componential analysis, which will aid in the elucidation of cultural norms, values, and penchants. This study of Tarahumara texts will serve as a vehicle for understanding the perpetuation of group behavior and norms by analysis of the structural patterns, will reveal wish and wish fulfillment of the tribe, and will consequently stand as a reflector of sierra societal reality. iii DEDICATION This work is devoted to those who have gone before me to pave the way to knowledge so that I may continue to carry the torch of enlightenment a step forward. The more one learns, the more glaring becomes his ignorance. With the understanding that learning is a life-long process, I affectionately dedicate this work to my father, William Ray Parmer, Sr., an inspiration to mere mortals, a uniquely energetic and caring man who taught those under his tutelage to dream big dreams. I am grateful that my father placed no limits on the potential for achievement. He introduced me to the piney fragrant milieu of the Sierra Tarahumara and the fascinating noble tribe who for countless generations have honored the traditions of their revered ancestors. Like the Tarahumaras, I will forever cherish my father’s influence and his presence in times of celebration and in moments of despair. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my revered and respected committee chair, Dr. Richard Curry, who has guided and affirmed me with encouragement and commitment far beyond expectation. I would also like to express gratitude to my uniquely talented committee members, Dr. Esther Quintana, Dr. Jeffrey Winking, and Dr. José Villalobos, for their confirmation and investment of time and effort throughout the course of this research. Thanks also go to my friends and colleagues and the department faculty and staff for making my time at Texas A&M University a worthy learning experience. In addition to the contributions of my remarkable committee, the valued support of our Chair, Dr. Irene Moyna, has been noteworthy. I am grateful for Dr. Stephen Miller’s guidance and wisdom, which have proven to be invaluable assets in both an academic and a professional setting. Dr. Hillaire Kallendorf has been a personal and an intellectual inspiration; Dr. Urbina’s acumen in the realm of the Quijote has been awe-inspiring; and the renowned Dr. Eduardo Espina has etched a sublime impression on my psyche. I have been blessed with two incredibly supportive colleagues: Dr. Michael D. Thomas, who helped me return to academia and renew my dream of completing this stage of my education, and Dr. Guillermo García-Corales, the much admired director of my master’s thesis at Baylor University, and a scholarly genius whose giving spirit has been a constant presence and sounding board for literary conversations for over two decades. I am forever grateful for such generous support, which has been a significant building block for the current research. v I am indebted to other loyal colleagues at Baylor University, especially Dr. Allyson Irom and Dr. Scott Spinks, who have lifted me up spiritually and have shared the load during the period of my studies and research and during my frequent trips to take medical teams to Mexico to aid the Tarahumaras. I am pleased to acknowledge the effort of two friends and colleagues from Mexico, who have contributed tremendously to my research efforts to locate native texts and have provided support in my development to learn more about the Tarahumaras of Mexico. First, Professor Gloria García Pérez, a teacher who was born in the sierra, has used her knowledge of the region to locate and make available rare copies of native works, and secondly, Dr. Hugo Eduardo Irigoyen Gutierrez, a medical doctor and professor at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Chihuahua has helped locate important native texts that are relevant to this study, including making contact so that I could meet with Don Erasmo Palma, elected Tarahumara governor of Norogachi in 2011, to discuss his works. Both are natives of Chihuahua, Mexico and have truly welcomed me and my research in a partnership of their own quest for more knowledge. I want to express my appreciation to three writers: Don Burgess, who made himself available to communicate via e-mail and sent copies and advice about his many varied writings and linguistic studies about the Tarahumaras; Humberto Quezada Prado, who shared bits of direct commentary about his Cuentos de Francisco Machiwi via Facebook messaging; and Hermelinda Palma González, who jotted down in a spiral notebook five Tarahumara tales from the Ciénega Prieta and Guérachi region that were passed down from her father, a Rarámuri who has resided in the sierra all of his life. vi I must thank my editor, Ann Westbrook, for her knowledge and expertise in guiding the final product of this work. A huge thank you goes to our son, Joseph M. Barrett, Dr. Jody Yarbo, and Dr. Steve Alley, my long-time Mexico traveling buddies with GAP Ministries. An enormous thank you to my parents, children, siblings, and extended family and friends for their encouragement and tolerance during the many conversations that have drifted to and revolved around the studies of Tarahumara texts. I am grateful for their patience and backing during times of travel for research, especially for our daughter, Katy Barrett Smith, and my sister, Dr. Donna Stauber, who with a smile pulled double duty to care for our family members. I want to specifically express gratitude for my angel sister Mary, who was unable to navigate this world on her own during the last decade of her life, but whose tower-of-strength outlook on life bolstered me every time I visited her with a hearty “Amen, you can do it.” And finally, I must express my enduring gratitude to my loving and faithful husband, Moody, without whose praise and provision this work would not have been possible. His reassurances and enthusiasm have lifted my spirits and inspired me to persevere full-throttle to the subsequent projects that will develop as an offshoot of the current study. vii CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES Contributors This work was supervised by a dissertation committee consisting of Professor Richard K. Curry (Advisor) and Professor(s) Maria Esther Quintana, and Jose Pablo Villalobos of the Department of Hispanic Studies and Professor Jeffrey Winking of the Department of Anthropology. All work for the dissertation was completed independently by the student. Funding Sources This work was made possible in part by a 2011 Melbern G. Glasscock Center for the Humanities Research Travel to Archives Grant. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. ii DEDICATION .......................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... v CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES ..................................................... viii TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................