| Jíbaro | |
|---|---|
Monument dedicated to the Jíbaro, in Salinas, Puerto Rico. |
|
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Ethnicity | European Taíno and Afro-Caribbean |
| Occupation | Agricultural land tenants, sharecroppers, fieldworkers |
| Religion | Catholic, Protestant |
Jíbaro is a term commonly used in Puerto Rico to refer to mountain-dwelling peasants, but in modern times it has gained a broader cultural meaning.[1]
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In Puerto Rico, some elements of the jibaro culture are still visible today. For example, when Luis Muñoz Marín founded the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) in 1938, the party adopted the jíbaro hat, the pava, as its symbol. The PDP seal shows the pava with the words "Pan, Tierra, y Libertad", which translates to "Bread, Land, and Freedom" in English. Also, every Christmas, Puerto Ricans use the Jíbaros instruments, music, and cuisine to celebrate these festivities.
Jibaros in modern Puerto Rican culture have a more positive connotation, proudly associated with a cultural ideology as pioneers of Puerto Rico.[2] The term also has a negative connotation; a jibaro can mean someone who is considered ignorant or impressionable due to a lack of formal education.
Despite this negative connotation, the image of the jíbaro represents an ideology of a traditional Puerto Rican: hard-working, simple, independent, and prudently wise.[3] Colloquially, the jíbaro imagery serves as a representation of the roots of modern Puerto Rican people, and symbolizes the strength of traditional values of living simply and properly caring for homeland and family.[4]