The rains are here, things have cooled off into the 90s, and I’m ready to start blogging again. Talk of immigration and deportation is once more in the air, so I'll lead off with a couple of stories on this topic that I remember. Both are out of oral tradition and neither need be factual. However, each story displays attitudes that are typical of our region.
The first I heard back in the 1950s, and relates to the time during the 1930s when thousands of Mexicans were deported ("repatriated" was the word in use) back to Mexico. There was an old rancher on the border who had a couple of Mexican hands working for him. He received (and ignored) several government orders that he repatriate them. Finally, a very young government employee arrived at his ranch to see if the orders had indeed been followed.
“Yes. I repaterated them,” said the rancher. “I didn’t want to do it, but I try to obey my government, so I led them down to the arroyo and took my .45 and repaterated both of them. It wasn’t so bad when I repaterated Juan. But I’ll never forget the look in María's eyes when she seen me repaterate her husband and knew she’d be next. But, Mister, don’t you ever ask me to repaterate anyone again.” The horrified young man left the ranch without saying a word and the subject was never brought up again.
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After he left, the rancher called Juan and María from the barn where they had been hiding, and everyone lived happily ever after.
My second item I heard a few years back from the late Joe Stella. It may or may not have been original with him, but it’s been told and retold ever since. It concerns the Shocking Case of the White Wing Doves.
These birds fly to Arizona from Mexico every year without visas and without asking permission from anyone. While here, they eat our food and drink our water. They even lay their eggs (anchor eggs?) and hatch their chicks in Arizona. Then, to add insult to injury, they all fly back to Mexico before hunting season opens! A shocking situation.
A couple of traditional Borderlands responses to difficult situations.
