The trementinaires of the Pyrenees

The trementinaires of the Pyrenees

The trementinaires of the Pyrenees (turpentinaires) were women originally from this mountainous areas who were engaged in the collection of medicinal herbs and oil resin (from turpentine tree). With these products they prepared remedies and sold them in farmhouses and villages throughout Catalonia along routes they walked during long treks.

Turpentine

Turpentine was the main product produced, from which the word trementinaire is derived. It is a substance obtained from the resin of the red pine (Pinus sylvestris). From the distillation of this turpentine, two products were obtained: the essence of turpentine, or eucalyptus, and the Greek paste or rosin. The turpentine was also made from the combination of these two products, which people could buy at drugstores.

The trade

This activity carried out during the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth century, provided income for families living off agriculture and livestock in a context of self-consumption. Each year, trementinaires used to make two trips, each lasting months, to the Pyrenees mountains; one in the autumn, returning for Christmas, and the other, in spring, returning for Easter.

The job

Each trementinaire went traveling with a learner, usually a member of the same family, a daughter, granddaughter, niece or younger sister. In some cases, the companion was the son, if there was no daughter in the family. The elder transmitted to the learner, not only knowledge about plants and turpentine formula, but also the medical arts, sales circuits and potential customers. Today we call it marketing skills. Along the way, they stayed in private homes where they were welcomed in exchange for herbs and remedies. This way, additionally, while trementinaires where contributing to gain some money for the family, they did not spend money as they stayed in these private homes.

The trementinaires traveled loaded with bundles full of herbs and tin containers with the turpentine and oils of fir and juniper. They carried, as well, a sickle to cut herbs and a roman scale to weigh the products. They took advantage during their trips to buy materials and items they needed, that they couldn’t find in the Pyrenees mountains.

The trementinaire activity was performed until beginning of the 20th century. The last active trementinaire was Sofia Montaner (1908-1996), who made her last business trip in 1984.

Today you can find out all the history of trementinaires in a Museum in the village of Tuixent in the core of the Pyrenees.

More information:

Estudi de les trementinaires en pdf