Puerto Rican people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Puerto Rican Puertorriqueño |
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| Notable Puerto Ricans: Ángel Rivero Méndez · Luis Muñoz Rivera · Roberto Clemente · Ricky Martín · Sila Calderon · Benicio del Toro |
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Puerto Rican |
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| Spanish | ||||||
| Religions | ||||||
| Predominantly Roman Catholic and large Protestantism. Minority Judaism, Islam, others. | ||||||
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| Italian · Spanish · African · Amerindians · Mulattos · Zambos · Mestizos |
A Puerto Rican (Spanish: puertorriqueño) (Taíno term: boricua) is a person who was born in Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, people use the Spanish language as their primary tongue.
Puerto Ricans born and raised in the United States who use the English language as their mother tongue are also referred to as Puerto Rican, although they are not native Puerto Ricans, but descendants of Puerto Ricans. Rarely are Puerto Ricans born in the diaspora called Puerto Rican Americans, or simply Americans.
Puerto Ricans, who also commonly identify themselves as "Boricuas," are largely the descendants of Europeans, Taíno Indians, African slaves or a blend of these groups which has produced a very diversified population. The population of Puerto Ricans and descendants is estimated to be between 8 to 10 million worldwide, with most living within the islands of Puerto Rico, Central Florida, and in New York City there is a large Nuyorican community, It should be noted that most Boricuas don't consider Nuyoricans to be Puerto Rican or Boricua.
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[edit] Ancestry
The original inhabitants of Puerto Rico are the Taíno Indians, who called the island Borikén. However, as in other parts of the North and South American continents, the native people soon diminished in number after the arrival of European settlers. The negative impact on the numbers of indigenous peoples was almost entirely the result of Old World diseases that the Amerindians had no natural/bodily defenses against, including measles, chicken pox, mumps, influenza and even the common cold. In fact, it was estimated that majority of all the indigenous inhabitants of the New World perished due to accidental contact and contamination with those Old World diseases, while those that survived were killed by warfare with each other and different European groups.
Both run-away slaves and freed Africans (the Spanish, upon establishing a foothold, quickly began to import Sub-Saharan African slaves to work in expanding their colonies in the Caribbean) were in Puerto Rico. This interbreeding was far more common in Latin America because of those Spanish and Portuguese mercantile colonial policies exemplified by the oft-romanticized male conquistadors/adventurers (e.g. Hernán Cortés). Aside from the presence of slaves, some indication for why the native population was so diluted was the tendency for conquistadors to bring with them scores of single men hoping to serve God, country, or their own interests. Many exploratory migrations entailed violent pillaging to gain personal and national wealth, prestige, and power while spreading Christianity, ostensibly for the benefit of the natives, but also for that of the church, and God, all of which were arguably destructive influences on indigenous societies.
All of these factors would indeed prove detrimental for the Taínos in Puerto Rico and surrounding Caribbean islands, so much so that by the early 1500s, Taínos as a people were extinct on the island.
In the 16th century, a significant depth of Puerto Rican culture began to develop with the import of Sub-Saharan African slaves by the Spanish, as well as by the French, the British, the Dutch and the Portuguese.
Thousands of Spanish settlers also immigrated to Puerto Rico from the Canary Islands during the 18th and 19th centuries, so many so that whole Puerto Rican villages and towns were founded by Canarian immigrants, and their descendants would later form a majority of the Spanish population on the island.
These were followed by the arrival of French (especially Corsicans) immigrants along with smaller waves of Dutch, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Maltese, Portuguese (especially Azoreans), and German immigrants. In recent times, Puerto Rico has been the destination for immigrants from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, South America and Spain, as well from islands of the West Indies. In 1791, the slaves in Saint-Domingue (Haiti), revolted against their French masters. Many of the French escaped to Puerto Rico via what is now the Dominican Republic and settled in the west coast of the island, especially in Mayagüez. Puerto Rico has some British ancestry, notably Scots came to reside there in the 17th and 18th centuries.
[edit] Puerto Rican heritage
| Race - Puerto Rico [3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | White % | Non-White % |
| 1887 | 59.5 | 40.5 |
| 1897 | 64.3 | 35.7 |
| 1899 | 61.8 | 38.2 |
| 1910 | 65.5 | 34.5 |
| 1920 | 73.0 | 27.0 |
| 1930 | 74.3 | 25.7 |
| 1935 | 76.2 | 23.8 |
| 1940 | 76.5 | 23.5 |
| 1950 | 79.7 | 20.3 |
| 2000 | 80.5 | 19.5 |
| 2006est: | 75.4 | 24.6 |
[edit] Ethnic background
The Original Inhabitants of Puerto Rico
The European heritage of Puerto Ricans comes primarily from one source:
Other sources of European populations:
Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
French immigration to Puerto Rico
German immigration to Puerto Rico
Irish immigration to Puerto Rico
Portuguese
Scottish
Maltese
African Heritage:
- West Africans, mostly forced-migration to Puerto Rico
- Yoruba
- Igbo
People from Asia:
[edit] Modern Puerto Rican identity and heritage
The Puerto Rico of today has come to form some of its own social customs, cultural matrix, historically-rooted traditions and its own unique pronunciation, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions within the Spanish language. Even after the attempted assimilation of Puerto Rico into the United States in the early 20th century, the majority of the people of Puerto Rico feel pride in their nationality as "Puerto Ricans", regardless of the individual's particular racial, ethnic, political or economic background. Many Puerto Ricans are consciously aware of the rich contribution of all cultures represented on the island. This diversity can be seen in the everyday lifestyle of many Puerto Ricans, such as the profound European influences in Puerto Rico regarding food, music, dance and architecture.
In the 2000 U.S. Census Puerto Ricans were asked to identify which racial category with which they personally identify. The breakdown is as follows: white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9%.
[edit] Puerto Ricans and the United States
- See also: Puerto Rican migration to New York
U.S. residents have also migrated from the U.S. mainland to different parts of Puerto Rico, especially to the San Juan metro area and the southern portion of the island, mainly for tourism purposes and for business ventures, including in the financial, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries. They are also a part of the United States. Part of the money made is also by the production of sugarcane and tourism.
[edit] Boricua
Puerto Ricans often proudly identify themselves as Boricua, loosely based on Boriqueno (archaic), both words originating from the Taíno word Boriken (also known as Boriquén, Borinquen, or Borinquén), to illustrate their recognition of the island's original Taíno heritage. The word Boriken, which translates to "the great land of the valiant and noble Lord",[4] was used by the original Taíno Indian population to refer to the island of Puerto Rico before the arrival of the Spanish. The use of the word Boricua has been popularized in the island and abroad by descendents of Puerto Rico heritage, commonly using the phrase, "Yo soy Boricua" ("I am Boricua", or "I am Puerto Rican") to identify themselves as Puerto Ricans. Another variation which is also widely used is Borincano which translated means "from Borinquen."
[edit] Language
Spanish is the predominant language among Puerto Ricans residing in the island. However its vocabulary has expanded with many words and phrases coming from the African and Taíno influences of the island. More recently, exclusively used by those who live in the mainland United States, its language has been influenced by Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States by adding English words, pronunciation, and phrases to their vocabulary (for example: Lonchar: to go to lunch), creating a mixture of both languages known as Spanglish. The spanish used by Puerto Ricans is very creative. Such words like socio, bostel, and mano(spanish slang for bro or homie) have become monumentally moving in the Puerto Rican world.
[edit] Religion
The great majority of Puerto Ricans are Christians, though there are certain Islamic and Jewish sectors in the island. Roman Catholicism has been the main religion among Puerto Ricans since the arrival of the Spanish in the 15th century, although the increasing presence of Protestant, Latter-Day Saint (Mormon), Pentecostal and Jehovah's Witnesses denominations has increased under U.S. sovereignty, making modern Puerto Rico an inter-confessional community.
[edit] Political and international status
Since Puerto Rico is a so-called "commonwealth" and not an incorporated State of the United States of America, not all constitutional rights, privileges and immunities provided by the U.S. Constitution were extended to the island and its residents by the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917. The Jones Act established that Puerto Ricans born prior to 1899 were considered naturalized citizens of Puerto Rico, and anyone born after 1898 were declared naturally-born citizens of the United States; unless the Puerto Rican expressed intentions to remain as a subject of Spain. Since 1917, all Puerto Ricans, whether born within the U.S. or in Puerto Rico are citizens of the United States.
Puerto Ricans residing in Puerto Rico cannot vote in the U.S Presidential election, nor are they represented by a voting U.S. Representative or Senator. They are represented by a Resident Commissioner in the U.S. House of Representatives who has the right of voice, but not vote. Puerto Ricans residing in the United States, however, do have all rights and privileges associated with residing in a U.S. State.
As statutory U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico may enlist in the U.S. military. Puerto Ricans have been included in the compulsory draft, when it has been in effect. Puerto Ricans have fully participated in all U.S. wars since 1898, most notably in World War II, in the Korean and Vietnam wars, and the current Middle-Eastern conflicts. Recently, nearly 60 Puerto Ricans have died serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
[edit] See Also
[edit] Notes
- ^ U.S. Census Annual Population Estimates 2000 to 2006
- ^ U.S. Census, The Hispanic Population in the United States: 2004 Detailed Tables, Section I, Table 1.2
- ^ Puerto Rico's History on race
- ^ Chief Pedro Guanikeyu Torres. The Dictionary of the Taíno Language. Taino Inter-Tribal Council Inc.. Retrieved on February 11, 2006.
4. U of PR Taíno DNA study- http://www.taino-tribe.org/pr-taino-dna.htm
[edit] Further reading
- "Adiós, Borinquen querida": The Puerto Rican Diaspora, Its History, and Contributions, by Edna Acosta-Belen, et al. (Albany, NY: Center for Latino, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies, SUNY-Albany, 2000)
- Boricua Hawaiiana: Puerto Ricans of Hawaii --- Reflections of the Past and Mirrors of the Future, by Blase Camacho Souza (Honolulu: Puerto Rican Heritage Society of Hawaii, 1982)
- Boricua Literature: A Literary History of the Puerto Rican Diaspora, by Lisa Sénchez González (New York: New York University Press, 2001)
- Boricua Pop: Puerto Ricans and the Latinization of American Culture, by Frances Negrón-Muntaner (New York: New York University Press, 2004)
- Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings, by Roberto Santiago (New York: One World, 1995)
- Boricuas in Gotham: Puerto Ricans in the Making of Modern New York City, edited by Gabriel Haslip-Viera, Angelo Falcón and Félix Matos Rodríguez (Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2004)
[edit] See also
- Puerto Rican American
- History of Puerto Rico
- Demographics of Puerto Rico
- Black history in Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of notable Puerto Ricans
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