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            The Aruban Cunukero

            From past to present



                                                                                                                                stock,  and  the  obligations
                                                                                                                                once placed on them were
                                                                                                                                officially discarded.


                                                                                                                                Because of the dry climate
                                                                                                                                in Aruba, growing food for
                                                                                                                                commercial  purposes  was
                                                                                                                                not popular. The focus was
                                                                                                                                mainly  on  cattle  herding
                                                                                                                                and  taking  care  of  live-
                                                                                                                                stock.  However,  livestock
                                                                                                                                need  food  to  survive,  and
                                                                                                                                when  Aruba  experienced
                                                                                                                                its duper dry climate, many
                                                                                                                                farmers  would  see  a  big
                                                                                                                                loss  in  their  livestock,  and
                                                                                                                                hence profit.


                                                                                                                                Although  the  WIC  at  one
                                                                                                                                point  did  try  to  come  up
                                                                                                                                with  an  initiative  to  get
                                                                                                                                more  people  to  have
                                                                                                                                land  on  the  island,  the  cli-
                                                                                                                                mate  never  really  allowed
                                                                                                                                real  profit  from  farming.
                                                                                                                                Because  of  the  climate,
                                                                                                                                Aruban  farmers  in  gen-
                                                                                                                                eral  could  not  keep  large
                                                                                                                                quantities  of  livestock.  At
                                                                                                                                a certain point toward the
                                                                                                                                end  of  the  18th  century,
                                                                                                                                the climate got so bad that
            (Oranjestad)—Aruba’s  cul-       of illegal and poor col-  tory may explain why.       The  WIC  placed  a  lot  of  many  farmers  decided  to
            ture consists of rich histori-   onists,  runaway  slaves                              restrictions  on  these  indig-  leave the island for a while.
            cal traditions that make up      and    deserters   who  From  1636  (beginning  of  enous  farmers—a  method
            the  Aruban  identity  and       took advantage of the  Dutch  colonization  era)  to  to  safeguard  their  cattle  For  this  reason,  the  farm-
            lifestyle.  However,  the  life   Spanish’s  weak  super-  before  the  oil  industry  in  deposit  on  the  island.  The  ing economy on the island
            of the cunukero (farmer) is      vision  on  Caribbean  is-  1924,  Aruba’s  population  indigenous  farmers  were  remained  small.  As  the
            perhaps  the  most  impor-       lands like Cuba and the  consisted of mostly farmers.  mostly  granted  less  than  7  years went by and people
            tant  aspect  of  our  culture,   DR;                     These  farmers  were  mostly  acres  of  land.  Those  who  noticed  that  these  farms
            in  a  sense  representing  to  2.  Then  you  have  “Early  indigenous and were char-  owned  bigger  land  were  could  not  really  produce
            locals  the  true  essence  of   Yeomen”, who were le-    acterized as peasants. They  either  once  affiliated  with  any sustainable profit, farm-
            the Aruban.                      gal farmers who came  weren’t allowed to partici-     the  WIC  or  were  colonists  ers kept their small piece of
                                             to the west under con-   pate in trading, but instead  who  settled  on  the  island  land just to live off of. This is
            Historically, cunucus (farms)    tract.  Once  their  con-  were  granted  a  piece  of  to try their luck at farming.  why the Aruban cunukeros
            played  a  huge  role  in  the   tract expired, they were  land to live off of. However,  In  1767,  there  were  about  only played a very tiny role
            early social and economic        given a plot of land for  in  exchange  for  this  grant,  120 houses/cunucus on the  into the plantation econo-
            development  of  Aruba,          independent use;         these  indigenous  farmers  island.                       my.
            and  its  relevance  dates  3.  Proto-Peasants     were  were obligated to work for
            back  to  the  early  days  of   plantation  slaves  who  the  WIC,  doing  daily  tasks  These Aruban farmers were  In modern Aruba, cunucus
            the colonization era. Upon       were  allowed  to  have  such  as  taking  care  of  or  also limited to the amount  and cunukeros still exist on
            being discovered by Span-        a small piece of land to  hunting  cattle—large  ma-  of cattle they could keep.  the  island,  fortunately  with
            ish conquistadors in the late    grow food for their own  jority  of  which  were  des-  Most  kept  goats  as  cattle,  more  freedom  and  more
            15th  century,  Aruba  was       consumption.  This  was  tined  for  Curacao,  clean  as only those who were af-   opportunity to tap into the
            used  primarily  as  a  ranch,   to curb the cost of living  water  tanks  and  chop  filiated with the WIC could  agricultural  market.  These
            housing  horses  and  cattle     on the plantations;      wood, among other things.   keep (more) sheep. Of the  farmers usually sell their pro-
            brought  from  Europe.  Dur-  4.  Lastly  you  have  the                               76  goat  herders  on  the  is-  duce  on  a  smaller  scale,
            ing  the  Dutch  colonization    “Runaway      Peasant-   As  much  as  these  farmers  land, about 45 of them had  like during farmers’ market
            era where the West Indian        ries”, usually comprised  were  given  to  opportunity  less than 30 goats, and only  events  and  other  types  of
            Company  (WIC)  dominat-         of runaway slaves who  to live “free” with a plot of  7  of  them  had  more  than  (holiday) events.
            ed  the  economic  sphere        acquired  farming  tools  land,  their  exclusion  from  60 goats.
            on the island, using the land    and    cattle   through  the  trading  and  business                               Source:   “Arubaans    Ak-
            to set up cattle farms and       stealing  or  through  se-  world, as well as being de-  It wasn’t until the WIC was  koord:  Opstellen  over  Aru-
            ranches remained popular.        cret  exchanges  with  prived  the  chance  to  be-   defunct  in  late  18th  cen-  ba van voor de komst van
                                             other slaves from differ-  come  real  property  and  tury  that  these  farmers  de  olieindustrie  (Aruban
            Anthropologist Sidney Mintz      ent plantations.         cattle owners, made them  were  able  to  obtain  more  Accord:  Essays  on  Aruba
            divided Caribbean farmers                                 a  unique  group  among  freedom  as  cunukeros.  Af-     Before the Arrival of the Oil
            back in four categories:     However,  the  Aruban  cu-   Caribbean  farmers  at  the  ter  1824,  the  government  Industry)” by Alofs, Luc; Rut-
            1.  The  “squatters”,  who  nukeros  back  then  are  time.                            gave these farmers official  gers, Wim; Coomans, Hen-
                were mostly comprised  hard to place, and their his-                               permission  to  keep  live-  ny E. red.q
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