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Image / Girl sewing a garment, San Basilio de Palenque, 1977

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Title
Girl sewing a garment, San Basilio de Palenque, 1977
Creator
Cross, Richard, 1950-1983
Date Created and/or Issued
1977-03
Publication Information
California State University, Northridge
Contributing Institution
California State University, Northridge
Collection
Richard Cross Photographs (Bradley Center)
Rights Information
Use of images from the collections of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center is strictly prohibited by law without prior written consent from the copyright holders. The responsibility for the use of these materials rests exclusively with the user.
The Bradley Center may assist in obtaining copyright/licensing permission to use images from the Richard Cross collection. http://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/contact
Description
A young girl uses a needle and thread to repair a garment. From a very early age, children helped out with chores. Domestic chores were mainly done by women while men helped with activities such as farming. The children, both male and female, grew up playing and socializing with peers of their same age group (cuagro). Eventually, it was tradition that people marry a person of the same cuagro. San Basilio de Palenque, a town located 31 miles from Cartagena, is considered the first free-slave community of the Americas because on August 23, 1691, the Spanish King Charles II signed a royal charter recognizing the freedom of the runaway slave communities in the María Mountains. Local authorities, however, did not sign a treaty with the communities of free slaves until January of 1714 acknowledging its freedom and ordering the establishment of the town of Palenque San Basilio Magno. People in San Basilio de Palenque speak a Spanish-based creole language known as Palenquero. According to public records, in 1975 the village had 2,400 residents (mostly farmers or day laborers) and 388 houses. Colombian anthropologist Nina S. De Friedemann had been studying the Afro-Colombian community of San Basilio de Palenque for the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and Richard Cross joined her to do work as a visual anthropologist in June 1975. This image illustrates Cross’s anthropological category: Inventory of male-female work roles.
Una niña usa una aguja e hilo para reparar una prenda. Desde una edad muy temprana, los niños ayudaban con las tareas domésticas. Las tareas domésticas las realizaban principalmente mujeres, mientras que los hombres ayudaban con actividades como la agricultura. Los niños, tanto hombres como mujeres, crecieron jugando y socializando con compañeros de su mismo grupo de edad (cuagro). Finalmente, era tradición que las personas se casaran con una persona del mismo cuagro. San Basilio de Palenque, una ciudad ubicada a 50 kilómetros de Cartagena, es considerada la primera comunidad de esclavos libres de América porque el 23 de agosto de 1691, el rey español Carlos II firmó una carta real que reconoce la libertad de las comunidades esclavistas fugitivas en el Montes de María. Las autoridades locales, sin embargo, no firmaron un tratado con las comunidades de esclavos libres hasta enero de 1714 reconociendo su libertad y ordenando el establecimiento de la ciudad de Palenque San Basilio Magno. La gente en San Basilio de Palenque habla una lengua criolla en español conocida como Palenquero. Según los registros públicos, en 1975 el pueblo tenía 2.400 residentes (en su mayoría agricultores o jornaleros) y 388 casas. La antropóloga colombiana Nina S. De Friedemann había estado estudiando la comunidad afrocolombiana de San Basilio de Palenque para el Instituto Colombiano de Antropología y Richard Cross se unió a ella para trabajar como antropóloga visual en junio de 1975. Esta imagen ilustra la categoría antropológica de Cross: Inventario de roles de trabajo masculino-femenino.
Type
image
Format
Photographs
image/jpeg
Black-and-white negatives
Extent
35 mm
Identifier
99.01.RCr.N35.B4.80.01.23
http://digital-collections.csun.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p17169coll1/id/4835
Subject
Children
Sewing
Blacks--Colombia--San Basilio del Palenque
Place
San Basilio del Palenque (Colombia)
Relation
99.01.RCr.N35.B4.80.01.23.tif
Richard Cross Collection
Richard Cross Photographs
California State University Northridge. University Library. Special Collections & Archives. Tom & Ethel Bradley Center

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