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LIFE IN FUERTEVENTURA
Goat horn fishing, an ancient tradition
Mar
If there is something that captivates the visitor when he arrives in Fuerteventura, it is its capricious coastline. On the west coast, there are cliffs that fall on a sea dotted with small rocks, on the opposite side, immense sandy areas and spectacular dunes are its protagonists.
We do not know if the Mahos, ancient inhabitants of Fuerteventura, were aware of the beauty of the Majorera coast or if they simply saw it as a space where they could earn their livelihood. But, what we do know, from historical data, is that the aborigines spent a large part of their day in angling.
Today it is still possible to observe, on the island, fishermen who fish on its shores using a unique and ancestral style of fishing: Fishing with a fixed rod and goat horn tip. This ancient fishing system has been handed down from generation to generation, since time immemorial. Luckily, there are a few artisans of the sea who resist this ancient technique being forgotten.
The mahos, great fishermen.
The Mahos came from the neighboring African coast and knew both fishing gear and the use of metals. The inexistence in the Islands of places with high concentrations of metals prevented the development of metallurgical work, at least using the technologies of 2000 years ago. So the aborigines adapted to the environment.
To fish they used various gear, one of them was the embarbascado, consisting of stunning the fish with the latex of tabaibas and cardones. The other technique was angling, they did it in a similar way to how it has been developing for 30.000 years.
Goat horn fishing
Rod, line and hook are the three main elements in this way of catching fish.
Hooks:
Lacking metals, the aborigines made hooks with seashells, bones and goats’ horns.
In the seventeenth century, Sedeño wrote in relation to the angling of the Canarian aborigines:
They fish with hooks made of ram’s horns carved with fire and hot water (…) and they were very strong, even better than those made of steel.
Lines:
The Mahos manufactured various types of fishing lines. Some very thin, to tie the hook to the line, and other thicker and resistant that served as a line.
The fishing rod
The success of angling depends, to a large extent, on the rod itself, the strength, flexibility and sensitivity of the tip.
The rod used in these cases is a long rod, about 5 meters long, at the end of which the line is attached.
The absence of common cane or any plant variety as flexible as this one, posed a challenge for the aborigines. They had to find a replacement. For the manufacture of fishing rods they took advantage of branches of junipers bent at the tip
The wood used to make the rods was flexible enough to cushion the pull, and the jerks that the fish gives when trying to free itself. However, the thin tip had to be safeguarded, since that is the point where the greatest pressure falls, and therefore, where the dam is more likely to break and escape. To give more strength to the tip, thus preventing it from breaking at times of greatest tension, a toe cap (or toe) made of goat horn was added.
This accessory is very effective for capturing the vieja, a highly valued fish on the coasts of Fuerteventura.
Fishing vieja fish with goat horn pointer
The “vieja” is a very stealthy fish when it comes to eating, and when it bites the hook, its jerks are so abrupt that they are capable of throwing the fisherman into the water, if he is not aware. For this reason, the tip of the rod must be resistant to withstand the strong pull and sensitive so that the vibrations of the bite are transmitted to the rod. However, it is usual to place a string, of striking color, at the tip of the horn to facilitate the vision of the slight movement of the fish when it is eating.
The shape of the goat horn pointer depends primarily on the skill of the craftsman, and the initial shape of the horn.
As raw material, the ideal is to acquire the horn of the male goat, which is longer and more resistant than that of the females.
When the horn is dry, it is divided manually and longitudinally, into as many parts as possible. A good specimen of caprid horn can make 3 or 4 pointers.
The pointers are then polished with great care. For this, specific files, very sharp razors, and even pieces of glass are usually used. The shape can be modified, to some extent, by using very hot water.
Once finished, it is firmly fixed to the reed, also applying a layer of glue on the stringing.
At the other end of the toe, a thick line is tied, the same length as the rod, at the end of which the hook will go with its bait, a small cooked crab. When you chop the vieja one you have to hoist it freehand, well, remember that this fishing system is without a reel. The pointers should be stored in a dry place, and from time to time apply a thin layer of grease, so that they do not absorb moisture, crack, flake or become too rigid.
If you are fond of fishing, you should know that it is not possible to buy this “gadget” in any store, as it is purely handmade.
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