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ordinates and oversees all subsequent activities. He is responsible for of the tonnara, the rais enjoys complete autonomy in his decisions
the outcome, and his position requires skill and expertise. The posi-
tion of the rais isso coveted and prestigious that i t used to be passed
down from father t o so n through an extended apprenticeshi p based
on obedience and experience. At one rime he was aiso the head of the
8
village. On the tombstones of deceased raises, their honourabie title
hoids p ride of piace and many isianders stili remember the names of
raises who di ed decades ago. A t iocaiievei, they were veritabie cul-
ture heroes, charismatic characters who acted as the 'brains' of the
ciurma, something of'an interface between God and the elements'.
He was 'nota tyrant'; 'he was not giving directions, but just looked
or gestured slightly to get what he wanted from his men, and all paid
passionate attention in order to be successful in reading his mi n d. ' 9
The rais was a symboi, a man who refrained from using improper
language and from participating in the actual kill. Today only those
who have demonstrated expertise, courage and leadership can be-
come rais. H e keeps his knowledge about the tuna tra p setting and
operation to himself, lending him a powerful yet responsible posi-
tion. As rais Gioacchino Cataldo claims:
The work of the tuna fishery needs so much passion, so much com-
mitment, that for six months I only get 4-5 hours of sleep a night.
During the night I worry about what l'm going to do and the rea-
sons why this or that may happen ... The Rais has final responsibility
for the tonnara; he has collaborators, but the fìnal responsibility is his
alone. It's more like being a farmer than a fìsherman because you
have to make so much effort, mental work to plan the numbers, to
think of everything, and once everything is ready you must wait for
rhe fruir of your work- the tuna (in Hope 2002).
The rais is a reputed and respected man, whose authority is usu-
10
ally unquestioned by his ciurma. Although employed by the lessee
8 The rais's decisions also affected community life, as- up to 1968- ali
activities were adjusted to his orders.
9 http://www.altratrapani.it/modules.php?name=News&fìle=article&-
sid=238. Last accessed August 24,2004.
10 When in the late 1960s unions gained a foothold in the ciurma, the act- 2004). Stintino and Carloforte also had ritual celebrations for the arrival of
ing rais, Salvatore Mercurio, quit (Maggio 2000:106).
concerning the tonnara operations.
In Aprii, the rais directs the ciurma to depioy the tonnara in the
waters approximateiy three kiiometres from the western end of the
island. Preparations on the fishing nets have been made for months
ahead. Before depioying the tonnara, a local priest blesses the boats
that the fishermen have adorned with bouquets of flowers, and all the
other equipment, the sea, the fish in i t and the rais as well (Maggio
2000:97). After construction of the tonnara is complete, the rais sets
into the waters near the entrance of the trap, the bocca di nassa, a ten-
foot floating wooden cross bearing pictures of the patron saints of
Favignana, a bronze statue of Saint Peter, a piume of fresh palm
fronds, blessed on Palm Thursday, and a bouquet of gladioli and
white lilies (Maggio 2000:14 5 ). The rais prays fora good catch and
the men respond: 'May God make i t so'. A t each stage of work, the
tonnaroti sing a series of eia/ome, propitiatory and superstitious songs
of Arab origin, passed down over so many generations that the mean-
ing of many of the words they are singing has escaped them. 11
The arrivai of the tuna is an event that is held in great anticipa-
tion not only by the fishermen and their families who depend on
fishing as their main source of income and livelihood, but by the en-
tire island community. 12 Once the trap has been set, the tonnaroti
spend their days maintaining the nets, counting the tuna that have
entered the net, and corralling them from one chamber to the next.
They start work at seven in the morning when they gather outside
the Camparia, the storehouse for the equipment. But after placement
of the tonnara, most time is spent waiting for the tuna. If the tuna do
not appear, the tonnaroti plead to various Saints in prayer. Given the
11
In 1997, former rais Gioacchino Ernandes claimed to be the last o ne to
really know all the songs. Chronicle ofHigher Education, November 21, 1997.
12
This also went for the mattanza in Sardinia's Portoscuso, where i t was 'a
true and proper ceremonial ritual made up of precise commands and gestures
fixed intime and a popular festival in which the entire community partici-
pates' (http://www.sardynianews.it/mesel/a3e.htm. Last accessed 23 July,
tuna.