Carau

The Carau is a guaranitic expression, (Limpkin for English and Carao for Castilian), it could be understood at least on three meanings in the guaranitic region of Northeastern Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. It might refers to a Myth, commonly known in Northeastern Argentine fables where the Guaranitic cultural influence is greater; a folk Song which treats the legend itself embedding it in a song, and a bird on which existence had inspired the fable through aboriginals ancestors.

The Myth

The Carau is further referred to an old and sorrowful legend from the Northeast of Argentina, fable about a young men whose mother suffering a deadly disease sent him to go for medicament to the village. Her son, an innocent young boy that within the way to the village, hearing an accordion in the distance and following its thread, ran into a concurrence (a northeastern folk-country party) where forgot his medicament mission.

Then got dancing with the prettiest girl of the zone. Later, amidst dancing, a Carau's comrade hindered him about a notice, telling: "I beg your pardon Carau my friend, my condolences your mother just died..."

responding: "don't matter my friend mum already died, then I'll have time to cry..."

Later in the night when the dawn was coming, he asked the lady for going together to her house, and continued with coldness she responds: "My house is far away from here, and I won't be visited for some who don't care his own mother…"

Afterwards, saying goodbye, with the heart utterly broke, moving to home imbibed in tears, the young Carau was transformed into a bird and tupa (god) condemned him to bear mourning black feathers and crying forever, just like the bird lament: caráu.

The Song

This legend, was embedded in a song which was written by Emilio Chamorro, a regional folk writer, and had commonly been sung in chamamé style; it gathered wide spread through greater northeastern folk singers as Zitto Zegovia and Mario Boffil in their versions of "El Caráu".

The carau, singing above a tree, or alike the fable, crying and waiting for recover his soul and get the pardon of tupa.

The Bird

This Latin American bird known as its chanting name: Caráu-Carao-Limpkin (Guaraní-Castilian-English) the name of the legend itself, by its scientific name, the Aramus Guarauna^[1] is mostly a solitary creature and got wide extension thorough all guaranitic area of South America, even achieving North America regions as Florida.^[2]

See also

• Argentine Culture
• Limpkin

References

1. ^ Cowley, M. 2000: "NSiS Florida's Common Waterbirds - Limpkins" (On Line). [1] [2]
2. ^ Peterson Online, 1999: "Peterson IDs.: Limpkin" (On Line)

External links

• Leyendas y creencias de la Argentina (Spanish)
• Lyrics: “El Carau” by Mario Boffil (Spanish)
• Aves de tu Zona, Tigre, Nordelta, Argentina (Spanish)
• Carau: Aramus guarauna (Spanish)
• C.I.L. Centro de Investigaciones Lingüísticas (Spanish)
• Mis Aves: Un paseo ornitológico por la Argentina (Spanish)