Title: Black Dog White Dog
General Information about Item:
- Superstitions
- Langauge: Spanish
- Country of Origin: Honduras
- Informant: AF
- Date Collected: October 22, 2021
Informant Data:
- AF was born into a family of Hondorian immigrants. She is from Miami, Florida and eventually relocated to Hanover, NH to attend college. She is a senior at Dartmouth College, studying Anthropology.
Contextual Data:
Cultural Context:
In countries like the United States, it’s normal for people to treat dogs as family and as a source of love. However, in my other countries, dogs are just seen as regular companions, they sleep outside, they eat outside and rarely are allowed in.
Social Context:
In Honduras there is a large population of stray dogs. These stray dogs go around in large packs sometimes terrorizing the locals. These dogs are not vaccinated or properly trained. The real danger is getting attacked by one of these packs and needing to go get medical attention in a country which already struggles with proper medical care.
Text:
As you walk through the streets, beware of the dogs who roam them. They will be in packs. They will be solo. They could be docile or aggressive. If you are walking through the streets and take notice of the pack of dogs, watch out for the white and black pair. If the black dog is leading, something bad is headed your way. However, if the white dog is leading the pack, you will be blessed with good luck. Overall, it is better to not find out who is leading the pack if they’re approaching you.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
- “This is something that is always said and passed around in our culture with a greater empahsis on telling kids.”
Informant’s Comments:
- “As a kid, I believed it and was super cautious whenever I was outside. I guess it did the job it was supposed to, keep me away from stray dogs.”
Collector’s Comments:
- I researched around and could not find a lot of information on this supersition. It does make sense to me that they would create a superstition that would protect members of society
Collector’s Name: George Priest
Tags/Keywords:
- Customary Lore
- Hondorian
- Black Dog White Dog