“If You Raise Crows…”

Nationality: Spanish
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 24th
Primary Language: English

Contextual Information

Time of Interview: April 24th, 1:13 p.m.

Location of Interview: Interior of VKC Library

Informant’s first encounter w/ Folklore: Childhood, w/ grandparents

When Folklore is performed: In response to poor parenting

 

Transcript:

“If I ever acted out of line as a kid, my grandparents would tell my parents, ‘Crieras cuervos y te sacaran los hojos.’ It translates to, ‘If you raise crows, they will dig out your eyes.’”

 

Whenever my informant misbehaved around his grandparents, they would pass this little phrase along to his parents. The same applied to any children in the neighborhood without manners. The phrase warns parents that if they raise their children poorly, the children will treat them and others the way that they were raised.