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Image / Man herding cattle through a pasture, San Basilio de Palenque, 1977

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Title
Man herding cattle through a pasture, San Basilio de Palenque, 1977
Creator
Cross, Richard, 1950-1983
Date Created and/or Issued
1977-04
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 man on a horse guides cattle across a pasture in the village of San Basilio de Palenque. Cattle ranching was traditionally done in the Bajo Grande area of Palenque, where people in the community harvested corn in January and then let the cattle graze until September. However, outside cattle-owners sent their cattle to graze in that area and later fenced some land, forcing San Basilio cattle ranchers to move their cattle to graze in the highlands. San Basilio de Palenque, a town located 31 miles from Cartagena, is considered the first community to officially free enslaved people in the Americas because, on August 23, 1691, the Spanish King Charles II signed a royal charter recognizing the freedom communities in the María Mountains. Local authorities, however, did not sign a treaty with the communities of free slaves until January of 1714 acknowledging their 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 local 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 since 1973 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’ anthropological category: Inventory of male–female work roles.
Un hombre montado a caballo guía al ganado a través de una pradera en el pueblo de San Basilio de Palenque. La cría de ganado se hacía tradicionalmente en el Bajo Grande de Palenque, donde la gente de la comunidad cosechaba maíz en enero y luego dejaba que el ganado pastara hasta septiembre. Pero afuera, los dueños de ganado enviaron su ganado a pastar en esa área y luego cercaron algunas tierras, obligando a los ganaderos de San Basilio a mover su ganado para pastar en las tierras altas. San Basilio de Palenque, una ciudad ubicada a 50 kilómetros de Cartagena, es considerada la primera comunidad en liberar oficialmente a las personas esclavizadas en las Américas pues el 23 de agosto de 1691, el rey español Carlos II firmó una cédula real que reconocó la libertad de las comunidades libres en las montañas 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 un idioma criollo basado en el español conocido como Palenquero. Según los registros públicos locales, 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 desde 1973 para el Instituto Colombiano de Antropología y Richard Cross se unió a su equipo para trabajar como antropólogo visual en junio de 1975. Esta imagen ilustra la categoría antropológica de Cross:Inventario de roles laborales masculino-femenino.
Type
image
Format
Photographs
image/jpeg
black-and-white negatives
Extent
35 mm
Identifier
99.01.RCr.N35.B5.97.09
http://digital-collections.csun.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p17169coll1/id/6983
Subject
Cattle herding
Pastures
Men, Black--Colombia--San Basilio del Palenque
Place
San Basilio del Palenque (Colombia)
Relation
99.01.RCr.N35.B5.97.09.tif
Richard Cross Photographs
California State University Northridge. University Library. Special Collections & Archives. Tom & Ethel Bradley Center

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