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                                                                                                           local Thursday 22 augusT 2024
              The Aruban Cunukero

              From past to present


            (Oranjestad)—Aruba’s  cul-
            ture consists of rich histori-
            cal traditions that make up
            the  Aruban  identity  and
            lifestyle.  However,  the  life
            of the cunukero (farmer) is
            perhaps  the  most  impor-
            tant  aspect  of  our  culture,
            in  a  sense  representing  to
            locals  the  true  essence  of
            the Aruban.

            Historically, cunucus (farms)
            played  a  huge  role  in  the
            early social and economic
            development  of  Aruba,
            and  its  relevance  dates
            back  to  the  early  days  of
            the colonization era. Upon
            being discovered by Span-
            ish conquistadors in the late
            15th  century,  Aruba  was
            used  primarily  as  a  ranch,
            housing  horses  and  cattle
            brought  from  Europe.  Dur-
            ing  the  Dutch  colonization
            era where the West Indian
            Company  (WIC)  dominat-
            ed  the  economic  sphere
            on the island, using the land
            to set up cattle farms and
            ranches remained popular.

            Anthropologist Sidney Mintz
            divided Caribbean farmers  However,  the  Aruban  cu-     a  unique  group  among  were  able  to  obtain  more  many  farmers  decided  to
            back in four categories:     nukeros  back  then  are  Caribbean  farmers  at  the  freedom  as  cunukeros.  Af-    leave the island for a while.
                                         hard to place, and their his-  time.                      ter  1824,  the  government
            1.      The    “squatters”,  tory may explain why.                                     gave these farmers official  For  this  reason,  the  farm-
            who  were  mostly  com-                                   The  WIC  placed  a  lot  of  permission  to  keep  live-  ing economy on the island
            prised  of  illegal  and  poor  From  1636  (beginning  of  restrictions  on  these  indig-  stock,  and  the  obligations  remained  small.  As  the
            colonists,  runaway  slaves  Dutch  colonization  era)  to  enous  farmers—a  method  once placed on them were  years went by and people
            and  deserters  who  took  before  the  oil  industry  in  to  safeguard  their  cattle  officially discarded.      noticed  that  these  farms
            advantage of the Spanish’s  1924,  Aruba’s  population  deposit  on  the  island.  The                              could  not  really  produce
            weak supervision on Carib-   consisted of mostly farmers.  indigenous  farmers  were  Because of the dry climate  any sustainable profit, farm-
            bean islands like Cuba and  These  farmers  were  mostly  mostly  granted  less  than  7  in Aruba, growing food for  ers kept their small piece of
            the DR;                      indigenous and were char-    acres  of  land.  Those  who  commercial  purposes  was  land just to live off of. This is
            2.      Then you have “Ear-  acterized as peasants. They  owned  bigger  land  were  not popular. The focus was  why the Aruban cunukeros
            ly Yeomen”, who were legal  weren’t allowed to partici-   either  once  affiliated  with  mainly  on  cattle  herding  only played a very tiny role
            farmers  who  came  to  the  pate in trading, but instead  the  WIC  or  were  colonists  and  taking  care  of  live-  into the plantation econo-
            west under contract. Once  were  granted  a  piece  of  who  settled  on  the  island  stock.  However,  livestock  my.
            their contract expired, they  land to live off of. However,  to try their luck at farming.  need  food  to  survive,  and
            were  given  a  plot  of  land  in  exchange  for  this  grant,  In  1767,  there  were  about  when  Aruba  experienced  In modern Aruba, cunucus
            for independent use;         these  indigenous  farmers  120 houses/cunucus on the  its duper dry climate, many  and cunukeros still exist on
            3.      P r o t o - P e a s a n t s  were obligated to work for  island.               farmers  would  see  a  big  the  island,  fortunately  with
            were plantation slaves who  the  WIC,  doing  daily  tasks                             loss  in  their  livestock,  and  more  freedom  and  more
            were  allowed  to  have  a  such  as  taking  care  of  or  These Aruban farmers were  hence profit.                opportunity to tap into the
            small piece of land to grow  hunting  cattle—large  ma-   also limited to the amount                                agricultural  market.  These
            food  for  their  own  con-  jority  of  which  were  des-  of cattle they could keep.  Although  the  WIC  at  one  farmers usually sell their pro-
            sumption.  This  was  to  curb  tined  for  Curacao,  clean  Most  kept  goats  as  cattle,  point  did  try  to  come  up  duce  on  a  smaller  scale,
            the  cost  of  living  on  the  water  tanks  and  chop  as only those who were af-    with  an  initiative  to  get  like during farmers’ market
            plantations;                 wood, among other things.   filiated with the WIC could  more  people  to  have  events  and  other  types  of
            4.      Lastly you have the                               keep (more) sheep. Of the  land  on  the  island,  the  cli-  (holiday) events. q
            “Runaway      Peasantries”,  As  much  as  these  farmers  76  goat  herders  on  the  is-  mate  never  really  allowed
            usually  comprised  of  run-  were  given  to  opportunity  land, about 45 of them had  real  profit  from  farming.   Source: “Arubaans Akkoord:
            away slaves who acquired  to live “free” with a plot of  less than 30 goats, and only  Because  of  the  climate,     Opstellen over Aruba van
            farming  tools  and  cattle  land,  their  exclusion  from  7  of  them  had  more  than  Aruban  farmers  in  gen-  voor de komst van de olie-
                                                                                                                                  industrie (Aruban Accord:
            through stealing or through  the  trading  and  business  60 goats.                    eral  could  not  keep  large   Essays on Aruba Before the
            secret   exchanges     with  world, as well as being de-                               quantities  of  livestock.  At   Arrival of the Oil Industry)”
            other  slaves  from  different  prived  the  chance  to  be-  It wasn’t until the WIC was  a certain point toward the   by Alofs, Luc; Rutgers, Wim;
            plantations.                 come  real  property  and  defunct  in  late  18th  cen-  end  of  the  18th  century,   Coomans, Henny E. red.
                                         cattle owners, made them  tury  that  these  farmers  the climate got so bad that
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