tengew

tengew

n.

A minute, bright-red grass mite or chigger whose parasitic larva attaches to tender folds of human skin, especially the groin and scrotum, causing excruciating itching, redness, and pronounced swelling.

Traditionally said by Boie’nen elders to be acquired in grassy fields, particularly by boys who walked, sat, or played in low vegetation.

Zoological identification

Most probably a chigger, harvest mite, or scrub-itch mite—the parasitic larval stage of a mite in the family Trombiculidae.

Chiggers are extremely small and are often orange, yellowish-red, or bright red. They live in grassy or wooded environments, climb onto passing hosts, and commonly settle in warm skin folds or along tight clothing lines. Their bites can produce intense itching and swelling.

Traditional description

A nearly microscopic bright-red “tick” that attaches in the folds of the scrotum and causes severe itching and swelling, supposedly picked up from grassy fields.

The traditional description as a “tick” is understandable because tengew is a tiny arachnid related to ticks. Zoologically, however, it is more likely a larval mite than a true tick.

Semantic note

The conspicuous bright-red color, nearly microscopic size, grassy-field habitat, and preference for protected skin folds distinguish tengew from both paltik and garapata.

• tengew crawls from grass or low vegetation onto the body and settles in warm, protected skin folds.
• paltik jumps from dusty ground and commonly bites the feet or lower legs.
• garapata is a true tick that crawls, attaches firmly, and may enlarge visibly while feeding.

Compare

• paltik — small dark jumping flea associated with dry, dusty ground, dogs, and intensely itchy lower-leg bites.
• garapata — true tick; a crawling blood-feeding arachnid that attaches firmly to humans or animals.
• toma — body or pubic louse living among coarse body hair.
• koto — adult human head louse.