May-2015
Boy Hunters (Part I)
Anxious, with fast movements and speaking quickly, the boys insist on taking us to the mangrove to hunt for gaiamum (a type of crab). It’s Wednesday morning, lunch and school will happen soon, but there is no argument to convince them that this isn’t the best moment.
The agreement is that we’ll be quick, find a spot, set up the trap and come back. We should have known that was impossible. Hunting is not something you do with set hours, with rules that exist outside the hunt. One must leave time behind to go hunting and live the time of the animal, the time of the present moment, of being there intensely.
The traps were borrowed, which added extra tension to the hunt since you have to leave it set with bait and come back the next day to see if the gaiamum fell for it or not. If another group of boys were to pass by and see the trap, they certainly wouldn’t leave it alone. Losing this trap would mean having to explain yourself to the owner, besides having to make a new one.
Building a trap has become much more difficult since the kitchen oil manufacturers decided to use packaging made of plastic instead of tin. Not just the traps but also many other toys had to be adapted after the oil manufacturers made that decision.
Finding the hole in which a gaiamum lives requires some expertise about this crustacean’s feces. Its consistency and the place where it was left give clues as to whether or not someone lives there.
The boys can barely explain to us what they’re doing, they’re completely immersed in the ground and in absorbing clues from the environment. Well then, we’ll just have to follow their movements and understand what needs to be understood based exclusively on these gestures.
Once they’re sure a gaiamum lives in a hole, they take a lime out their pocket and squeeze a few drops inside it. A spice that entices them to leave the hole in search of food.
Now comes the moment of setting up the trap. Subtle gestures, not much talking, precision in the hands… Quite different from the anxiety earlier in the morning. This is the time to silence the body and get into the gestures of a hunter that doesn’t waste any moves. A piece of lime is carefully placed inside the trap, such that its tiny “door” shuts at the slightest movement. It’s an incredibly functional gadget.
With everything set up, now comes the time to go back home and get ready for school, then come back at the end of the day to see if a gaiamum ate the bait, right? Wrong. Leave now? That’s an almost impossible mission. What about the other crabs asking to be hunted? How can these kids’ eyes see these creatures and not be enticed to capture them? How can they go into a classroom after setting up traps? With what body will these boys, still covered in mud, manage to sit in front of a blackboard and listen to a teacher? We should have known. It’s impossible to pull them out of this universe. Although they were disagreeable, they went off to take a bath, put on their school clothes and walk into a different universe.
Text and photos: Renata Meirelles
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