A caboclo () is a person of mixed Indigenous Brazilian and

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

ancestry, or, less commonly, a culturally assimilated or

detribalized Detribalization is the process by which persons who belong to a particular Indigenous ethnic identity or community are detached from that identity or community through the deliberate efforts of colonizers and/or the larger effects of colonialism ...

person of full Amerindian descent. In Brazil, a ''caboclo'' generally refers to this specific type of ''

mestiço Mestiço is a Portuguese term that referred to persons born from a couple in which one was an aboriginal person and the other a European. Mestiço community in Brazil in Colonial Brazil, it was initially used to refer to , persons born from ...

''. The term, also pronounced "caboco", is from

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...

, and perhaps ultimately from the

Tupi Tupi may refer to: * Tupi people of Brazil * Tupi or Tupian languages, spoken in South America ** Tupi language, an extinct Tupian language spoken by the Tupi people * Tupi oil field off the coast of Brazil * Tupi Paulista, a Brazilian municipalit ...

''kaa'boc''. It means a "person having copper-coloured skin" A person of mixed Indigenous Brazilian and sub-Saharan black ancestry is known as a "'' cafuzo''." In the

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

and 1890 censuses, 3.90% and 9.04% of the population self-identified as caboclos, respectively. Since then, caboclos are counted as

pardo ''Pardos'' (feminine ''pardas'') is a term used in the former Portuguese and Spanish colonies in the Americas to refer to the triracial descendants of Southern Europeans, Amerindians and West Africans. In some places they were defined as ne ...

s, along with

mulattoes (, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese ...

(mixed Black-White) and cafuzos (mixed Amerindian-Black). A survey performed in

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 b ...

showed that 14% of Whites and 6% of Pardos reported a mixed Amerindian and White ancestry. According to the Mexican researcher Lizcano, based on a non genetic based estimation, caboclos (''mestizos'') would be 12% of Brazilian population.

Etymology

The term ''caboclo'' (which in the Amazon Basin and in

Candomblé Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman ...

is usually pronounced without the ''l'', as ''caboco'') is said to come from the

word ''kari'boka'', meaning "deriving from the white". Its primary meaning is ''mestizo'', "a person of part Amerindian and part European descent." But it may also be used to refer to any Indigenous Brazilian who is assimilated.Wafer, James William. ''The Taste of Blood: Spirit Possession in Brazilian Candomblé''. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991, p. 55. The term Indian should not be confused with people originating from India in South Asia. The king of Portugal, D. Joseph I, encouraged marriages between European colonists and Indians in the 18th century; this enabled the European men to settle into families, and resulted in the birth of the first ''caboclo'' children. Similarly, in the 19th century during the time of rubber soldiers, the government kidnapped young, primarily white and ''mestiço'' Brazilian men from

Northeastern Brazil The Northeast Region of Brazil ( pt, Região Nordeste do Brasil; ) is one of the five official and political regions of Brazil, regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six state ...

and transported them into the Amazonian interior to harvest

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

. The men were never granted permission to leave, and married local native women, fathering more generations of mestiços. The ''caboclo'' populations in the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

region of Brazil are noted as voracious eaters of the '' açaí'' palm fruit, which is basic to the traditional diet of the natives. In one study, ''açaí'' palm was described as the most important plant species because the fruit makes up such a major component of diet (up to 42% of the total food intake by weight) and is economically valuable in the region (Murrieta et al., 1999). The term ''caboco'' is also used as an alternate term for the ''

Orisha Orishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. T ...

s'' of the

religion. The caboclo is also an Orisha.

Days celebrating racial groups in Brazil

*In Brazil, the "Day of the Caboclo" (''Dia do Caboclo''), observed annually on June 24, in celebration of the contributions and identity of the original caboclos and their descendants. This date is an official public holiday in the State of Amazonas. *"

Mixed Race Day In Brazil, "Mixed Race Day" (''Dia do Mestiço'') is observed annually on June 27, three days after the Day of the Caboclo, in celebration of all mixed-race Brazilians, including the caboclos. The date is an official public holiday in three Bra ...

" (''Dia do

Mestiço Mestiço is a Portuguese term that referred to persons born from a couple in which one was an aboriginal person and the other a European. Mestiço community in Brazil in Colonial Brazil, it was initially used to refer to , persons born from ...

'') is observed annually on June 27, three days after the

Day of the 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 '' ...

, in celebration of all

mixed-race Brazilian Brazilian censuses do not use a " multiracial" category. Instead, the censuses use skin colour categories. Most Brazilians of visibly mixed racial origins self-identify as pardos. However, many White Brazilians have distant non-white ancestry, w ...

s, including the caboclos. The date is an official public holiday in three

Brazilian states Brazilian commonly refers to: * Something of, from or relating to Brazil * Brazilian Portuguese, the dialect of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil * Brazilians, the people (citizens) of Brazil, or of Brazilian descent Brazilian may also ...

. *"

Indian Day Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

" (''Dia do Índio''), observed annually on April 19, recognizes and honours the

indigenous peoples of Brazil Indigenous peoples in Brazil ( pt, povos indígenas no Brasil) or Indigenous Brazilians ( pt, indígenas brasileiros, links=no) once comprised an estimated 2000 tribes and nations inhabiting what is now the country of Brazil, before European con ...

. *"

Black Awareness Day In Brazil, Black Awareness Day or Black Consciousness Day ( pt, Dia da Consciência Negra) is observed annually on November 20 as a day "to celebrate a regained awareness by the black community about their great worth and contribution to the c ...

" (''Dia da Consciência Negra'') is observed annually on November 20 as a day "to celebrate a regained awareness by the

black community Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...

about their great worth and contribution to the country". The date is an official public holiday in five Brazilian states.

References

Citations

Books

* Adams, C., Murrieta, R., & Neves, W. A. (2006). ''Sociedades caboclas amazônicas: modernidade e invisibilidade'' (1a ed.). Sâo Paulo: Annablume. and * Nugent, S. (1993). ''Amazonian Caboclo Society: An Essay on Invisibility and Peasant Economy''. Providence, RI: Berg.

Journal articles

* Murrieta, R. S. S., Dufour, D. L., & Siqueira, A. D. (1999). "Food consumption and subsistence in three Caboclo populations on Marajo Island, Amazonia, Brazil," ''Human Ecology, 27''(3), 455–475.

External links

*http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/13/news/brazil.php {{Skin colors Multiracial affairs in Brazil Métis Race in Brazil