Macehualli

[Brant Gardner]

[Mark]
Speaking  of Nahua metaphors, I recently wrote up an argument about
macehualli being related to deserving that follows for those who might have
an interest.  Mark Morris


For example, Pilli the word for a noble, also means child, and is a literal
metaphor; nobles are the children of the macehualli seen in a 1619 document
from Tlaxcala where the teixihuihuan (grandchildren) address the pilli
“timotatzintzinhua timocnomacehualtzintzinhua~ /We your fathers, We your
humble-deserving macehuales/ (AGET Fondo Historico, Coleccion Colonial Caja
14 Exp. 20 Fjs 3 Ano 1619).  See also The Art of Nahuatl Speech: The
Bancroft Dialogues (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center Publications,
1987) edited by Frances Karttunen and James Lockhart, 40-41 and the
Florentine Codice
(see below ) for other examples of social metaphors such as, in cuitlapilli
in ahtlapalli (the tail, the wing) to denote common people.

[Brant]
Ages ago, in my only foray into classical nahuatl kin terms, I looked as the
social use of kin terms. The general relationship you site has multiple
examples and is expanded into a general principle. Contrary to modern
expectations, the focal point of the discussion, or the person of highest
rank, is always addressed with a kin term from a descending generation.

In our modern religious vocabulary, we use the "father/child" metaphor to
describe the relationship between priest/communicant. In nahuatl literature
the same type of relational metaphor was used, but in reverse, where
"son/father" would indicate higher rank/lower rank.

It also appeared that the greater distance between the ranks would be
indicated by a greater generational gap (grandchildren/grandfathers).

______________________

Brant Gardner
Albuquerque, NM
nahualli at highfiber.com
www.highfiber.com\~nahualli