A Caipira () is an
ethnic group native to
Paulistânia,
cultural area in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, the term "''caipira''", of origin in the
Paulista General language
The Paulista General Language, also called Southern General Language and Austral Tupi, was a lingua franca and creole language formed in the 16th century, in the Captaincy of São Vicente. Today it is only of historical interest, as it has bee ...
, probably influenced by the terms "''kai'pira''", "''ka'apir''", "''ka'a pora''" or "''kopira''", from the
Tupi language
Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi (also spelled as Tupí) is an extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the aboriginal Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. It belongs to ...
, originally designates, since Brazilian colonial times, the inhabitant of the countryside, the "bush cutter". The caipira reached, mainly, due to the cycle of
bandeirism and
tropeirism, populations of the former
Captaincy of São Vicente (later Captaincy of São Paulo), which today are the states of
Santa Catarina,
Paraná,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
,
Mato Grosso do Sul,
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
,
Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goi ...
,
Mato Grosso,
Tocantins
Tocantins () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of Goiás. Tocantins covers and had an estimated population of 1,496,880 in 20 ...
,
Rondônia and
Rio Grande do Sul, as well as parts of south of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
state, such as
Paraty
Paraty (or Parati, ) is a preserved Portuguese colonial (1500–1822) and Brazilian Imperial (1822–1889) municipality with a population of about 43,000. Indeed, the name "Paraty" originates from the local Guaianá Indians' Indigenous Tupi ...
, which was part of São Paulo until 1727 and parts of
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
that were disputed with
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
The term "caipira" is often used in Brazil in a pejorative,
ethnocentric
Ethnocentrism in social science and anthropology—as well as in colloquial English discourse—means to apply one's own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead o ...
and
stereotyped way for inland populations, as in the book ''Urupês'' by
Monteiro Lobato, where the caipira is portrayed as an "''old plague''", "''parasite
caboclo
A caboclo () is a person of mixed Indigenous Brazilian and European ancestry, or, less commonly, a culturally assimilated or detribalized person of full Amerindian descent. In Brazil, a ''caboclo'' generally refers to this specific type of '' ...
''", "''parasite of the earth''", "''unimportant people''", "
''seminomadic''", "''unadaptable to civilization''", "''urumbeba''",
[Term used in the State of São Paulo, to designate a gullible person, easy to be deceived.''] etc.; As in the traditional
Festas Junina, where people dress in simple countryside, generally stereotyped as representing the caipira.
See also
*
Caipira dialect
''Caipira'' (; Old Tupi: or ''kaa-pira'', which means "''bush cutter''") is a Portuguese dialect spoken in the rural areas of the State of São Paulo and adjacent parts of neighbouring Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Minas Gerais, and Paraná.
Hi ...
*
Caipira music
*
Caipira guitar
*
Caboclo
A caboclo () is a person of mixed Indigenous Brazilian and European ancestry, or, less commonly, a culturally assimilated or detribalized person of full Amerindian descent. In Brazil, a ''caboclo'' generally refers to this specific type of '' ...
s
*
Gaucho
A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...
s
*
Ribeirinhos
*
Caiçaras
Notes
References
*
Cândido, Antônio. ''Os parceiros do Rio Bonito'' Sp, José Olympio, 1957.
* Monteiro Lobato, José Bento de. ''Urupês'', Editora Monteiro Lobato e Cia., 1923.
* Nepomuceno, Rosa., ''Música Caipira, da roça ao rodeio'', Editora 34, 1999.
* Queiróz,Renato da Silva. ''Caipiras Negros no Vale do Ribeira'', Editora da USP, 1983
* Pires, Cornélio . ''Conversas ao pé do fogo'' – IMESP, edição fac-similar, 1984.
Brazilian folklore
Ethnic groups in Brazil
Stereotypes of rural people
{{Ethno-stub