Gaucho

For other uses, see Gaucho (disambiguation).

Gauchos taming horses in Corrientes Province, Argentina.

Gaucho (gaúcho in Portuguese) is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, and the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil.

The word gaucho could be described as a loose equivalent to the North American "cowboy". Like the North American word cowboy, Venezuelan or Colombian llanero, or Chilean huaso, or the Mexican vaquero, the term often connotes the 19th century more than the present day; then gauchos made up the majority of the rural pampas population, herding cattle and practicing agriculture as their main economic activities.

There are several conflicting theories of the origin of the term. It may derive from the Quechua huachu (orphan, vagabond) or from the Arabic chaucho (a type of whip used in herding animals). Other hypotheses abound. The first recorded uses of the term date from around the time of Argentine independence in 1816.

History

Dramatization of a fight between gauchos

Gauchos were generally nomadic and lived on the pampas, the plain that extends north from Patagonia, bounded on the west by the Andes and extending as far north as the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Most gauchos were either criollo (South Americans of Spanish ancestry) or mestizo (of mixed Spanish and Native American blood), but the term applies equally to people of other European, African, or mixed ancestry (see bottom of next paragraph).

The gaucho plays an important symbolic role in the nationalisms of this region, especially that of Argentina and Uruguay. The epic poem Martín Fierro by José Hernández used the gaucho as a symbol of Argentine national tradition, as opposed to Europeanizing tendencies and as a symbol against corruption. Martín Fierro, hero of the poem, is drafted into the Argentine military for a border war, deserts, and becomes an outlaw and fugitive. The image of the free gaucho is often contrasted to the slaves who worked the northern Brazilian lands. Further literary descriptions can be found in Ricardo Güiraldes' Don Segundo Sombra and Los gauchos judíos, by Alberto Gerchunoff, on the adaptation of Jewish immigrants to rural life in Argentina.

Like the North American cowboy, gauchos are generally reputed to be strong, honest, silent types, but proud, and capable of violence when provoked. There is, perhaps, more of an air of melancholy about the classic gaucho than the classic cowboy.

Also like the cowboy, the gauchos were great horsemen. Typically, a gaucho's horse constituted most of what he owned in the world. During the wars of the 19th century in the Southern Cone, the cavalries on all sides were composed almost entirely of gauchos.

The gaucho diet was composed almost entirely of beef while on the range, supplemented by yerba mate, an herbal tea-like drink rich in nutrients. Argentine cooking draws influence from the simple but delicious recipes used in gaucho meals.

Gauchos dressed quite distinctly from North American cowboys, and used boleadoras (three leather bound rocks tied together with approximately three feet long leather straps) in addition to the familiar "North American" lariat tor riata. The typical gaucho outfit would include a poncho (which doubled as saddle blanket and also as sleeping gear), a facón (large knife), a rebenque (whip), and loose-fitting trousers called bombachas, belted with a tirador, or a chiripá, a piece of cloth used in the fashion--but not the function--of a diaper. Several of these items were British imports into the area; for example, bombachas were originally made in Turkey. In the wintertime, gauchos wore heavy wool ponchos to protect against the cold.

Modern influences

Touristic gauchos show

The style of dress associated with Gauchos has filtered into fashion in the United States . In particular, many manufacturers produce "gaucho pants", similar in appearance to capri pants but with flared legs. These pants, in their sturdier, original form, are called bombachas in the pampas, and are dressed with boots and a belt called guaiaca.

The mascot and sports teams of the University of California, Santa Barbara also borrow the term "Gaucho." Texas Tech's Masked Rider even wears a "gaucho hat."

Gaucho is also the common denomination of the current inhabitants of the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul. An example is the Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho, nicknamed by some as Ronaldinho Gaúcho, as he was born in that State. The term is also used to identify some groups of people who live in other states of the southern half of Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina. For those people evoking this denomination usually has the purpose of expressing the pride one has for its origins as immigrants to untouched lands and for the hard-working nature it represents. Gauchito (a boy in the Argentine colors and a gaucho hat) was the mascot for the 1978 FIFA World Cup..hey hello yea this is sweet

See also

• Hacienda system
• Literatura Gauchesca
• Rebenque, the gaucho riding whip
• The Taba Game
• Estancias
• Pato
• Florencio Molina Campos
• Gauchito Gil

References

• Confederacion Gaucha Argentina
• Folklore del Norte Argentino (in Spanish)
• Movimento Tradionalista Gaúcho (in Portuguese)
• Página do Gaúcho (in Portuguese)