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"A Diary of Governess in Brazil" is a diary of a governess employed by a German family who run a plantation in the colony of South America. It was published in Japan by Numa Shozo in his essay book "From Notebook of a Dreamer". Original diary was written in German. A large number of black slaves had been imported into Brazil from Africa.A German woman, who had been married to a landowner of Brazil, invited a Roman Catholic governess from her mother country to give her children German lesson. The governess had graduated from teacher's college several years before. Below is a part of a letter of the
governess to her girl friend in Bayern, her mother country, to report how to
ride a human horse. |
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| It may sound absurd that I am educating here not only their daughter and son but also someone else. But it's true. I educate two legged horses how to be mounted. As I told you in my previous letter, shoulders of black slaves are equivalent to backs of horses as a means of transportation in this plantation. At first I was biased against such custom. But now I see the justice of it. By serving us as our mounts, slaves can improve their physical health, in the same way as it is good for their mental health to lick our shoes. We have to demand them, one after another, of the duty of being mounted, not only in order to select best flesh as a means of transportation but also to keep all the slaves best conditioned both in mind and in body. I heard that just for going around the plantation to oversee workers cultivating coffee, you may do it well on four legged horses. To ride a black slave, you should make it to take off its loincloth to strip it totally naked. Then put a specially made saddle on its shoulders, make it kneel down, and sit astride. Riding on slaves is easier than riding on the horse because you don't have to open your legs so wide. Unlike tamed ones, some newcomer lads are disobedient to their riders. To break such fellows we use a kind of bit. With it you can tame wild ones effortlessly. The device is a pair of stirrups fixed with fine chains, which are connected to a nose ring piercing through nasal septum. By this device a riding mistress gains firm control over her mount, because even a subtle movement of her feet on stirrups can pull its head down, causing it acute pain. But I don't use the device easily. It is more proper way of discipline to reform untamed ones little by little, accustom them to be mounted and make them our faithful mounts. I am a governess and prefer to the right way of discipline, as you know. I really enjoy all of these things every day. |
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