Raising Crows

General Information about Item:

• Verbal lore, proverb
• Language: Spanish
• Informant: Odalis Hernandez-Medrano
• Date Collected: 10-15-18

Informant Data:

Odalis is a sophomore at Dartmouth College. She grew up in Florida, but is a Mexican immigrant. Her hometown (in Florida) is a very small, tight-knit, rural community, that is majority Hispanic. As a first-generation student and immigrant, Odalis had to learn to work hard for everything she wanted to achieve. She is very close with her family, and continues to maintain this strong relationship with them even after moving away for college. She  is interested in serving the immigrant community, especially in terms of activist work. She also volunteers to teach English to migrant farmers in the local community.

Contextual Data:

Odalis has heard this phrase being used several times by her mom and other older members of the family to describe someone’s style of parenting. In her community, there is an emphasis on working for and earning what you have, and it is important to teach your children the same thing. This proverb describes how “bad” parenting will produce bad children, which will eventually cause trouble for the parents. Odalis describes that the proverb is used particularly when a child is spoiled, meaning they have everything given to them without having  to work for it. The child will then not know how to work for and take care of themselves, which, in the end, will come back to cause trouble for the parents. The parents may have to continue taking care of their child once they are adults, or the child will not know how to fend for themselves in the real world and cause their parents to worry.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb:

“Cria cuervos y te sacarán los ojos”

 

Translation:

“Raise crows and they will poke your eyes out.”

 

 

Transcription:

This proverb describes, like, if you have a child, and you raise them badly — as in, you give them everything without teaching them to work for the things that they have or that you’re giving them, then it’s going to come back and bite you. That’s the part where it says “te sacarán los ojos,” take your eyes out, because [the kids] will be spoiled. They are not going to know how to do work.

 

Collector’s Comments:

• This proverb falls into the theme of “Proper Behaviors” in Spanish proverbs.
• It shows that within Spanish culture, there is an expected, proper way to raise children.
• Again, the proverb shows the trend of using metaphors of animals in Spanish proverbs. The proverb has a two clause, cause and effect structure,  with a more serious tone.

Collector’s Name: Vi Nguyen

Tags/Keywords:

• Verbal Lore
• Spanish Proverbs
• Family