What is
Cut, notch or hole made in the ear of a head of cattle to recognize it and so that it does not mix with that of another herd (DCVB). It is the mark of ownership of the shepherd.
How is
- Combinations of cuts on one or the other ear (forms and Mallorcan names of each cut, please verify).
- Each house or pastor has its combination.
How is fa
- With a knife or scissors, to the young animal (local details, to be verified).
Com s'usa
- In common pastures or after getting lost, the senyal decides whose sheep belongs to.
- The same with bread: the pa senyal is the cut or shape that each house made in the dough before taking it to the common oven (DCVB).
Vocabulary
- senyal: ear mark.
- senyal del pa: mark of each house on the bread.
- «Ni un per senyal»: not one (bal.).
History
- 1587: «El les coneixerà [les ovelles] encara que'ls ajen leuat lo seall» (doc., DCVB; not Mallorcan).
- Today: the ear tag and the chip replace the senyal (to verify regulations in the Balearic Islands).
On veure'n
- Old trademark records in municipal archives (to verify existence in Mallorca).
Why is it design
- Identity system without ink or metal: a binary code in the ear.
- Same principle in bread: the house brand in a good that goes out to the common.
For the project
- Collect senyals from living shepherds and draw them as a graphic system (marks = peasant logos).
Frequently asked questions
What is Livestock ear marks (senyal de bestiar)?
Cut, notch or hole made in the ear of a head of cattle to recognize it and so that it does not mix with that of another herd (DCVB). It is the mark of…
What are the traditional words for Livestock ear marks (senyal de bestiar)?
Some words: senyal, senyal del pa, «Ni un per senyal».
Sources
Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.