Evening star., 1925-05-04
LOT OF PORTO RICO
"J|BARO" BETTERED
Mountain Men, Secretive.
ToiIerS, Made Healthy and
Happy by United States.
BI GIDEON \. LYON.

V.
Porto Rico's jibaro. or mountain
man presents a most interesting sub
ieCt for study. His nume has become
a synonym for patien: endurance.
quiet watchfulness. steadfast industry.
He has suffered severely from the dis
eases that were for many years widely
prevalent in the island. and his con
Stitution has been somewhat weakened
i'll consequence. but he is today, with
long inheritance IF physical attlc-
ton, still capable OF liligent labor IN
the fields. Thanks TO the successful
fight against the hookworm disease,
scientifically known as uncinariasis,
he is now regaining his strength and
another generation Will be much more
efficient.
''Jibaro" is believed to have come
from Jibara, the name of a port IN
Cuba, and is composed of two words
Of Indian origin. "jiba meaning
mountain. and "ero.' meaning man.
Strictly speaking. the iibaro dweils in
the hills. but nowadays the name has
come to be applied TO practically all
agricultural workers, including those
who cultivate and cut the cane as
well as those who live in the upiands
and care for the coffee trees ana VINO
cultivate little patches of ground Tor
llelI own SuStCltitt- / ilt J'bf''' ''''N
his family constitute about 90 per
cent of the population of Porto Rico.
The iibaro is white man, accord
ing to all chronological classitications.
Fe is dark-skinned, as are practically
all the descendants of the spanish
settlers. who have been bronZed by
exposure to the tropical sun OF Porto
Rico. His hair is straight. There
is occasionally a strain of the abo-
ha
These people are taller as a rule than
the others, slender and with aquillne
features.
Rarely Talks With Strangers.
Reserve is the essential quality of
the jibaro. He rarely talks with
Stra ngerS. and in consequence Is dlffl-
cult to understand. His native IN
clination iS toward SeCretiveneSS. be
ing on the defensive through genera
tions of exploitation and inquisition
Ills disposition is to let the 'ieldo,
or local wise man, speak for him in
any argument or negotiation.
There is a local Spanish saying TO
the effect that Ito get the best of a
iiAaro. employ another, and to catch
both Satan himself must take charge
of them
In the early days of the fight
against the hookworn in Porto Rico
il was found to be necessary TO per
Suade these quiet. SeCretve hill
dwelIerS to submit 10 treatment
Cases were carefully selected in
neighborhoodS, men who were in an
advanced stage of the disease and who
were known to have large local IN
fuence When they were cured they
became missionaries for the treatment
and brought numbers of their fellows
hn ir,ir 4
with a few such examples little diff
Cultv was encountered in perSuading
the people that the medicines admin
iStered were for their good. They
adopted precautions against soil pol
luton. and as far as their means per
mitted they obtained shoes to protect
their feet from the infection.
Now Flock to Clinics.
Now there is no difficulty in get
ting sanitary measures under way.
The jibaro as well as the city dwell
ers are open to suggestion and TO
treatment. and they flock to the elm
les in large numbers. eager for all.
One characteristic of the jibar0 is
perhaps a reminder of the days when
the government was harsh. When
questioned on some matter about
which he does not wish to respond.
ne assumes Dldllh eApiet'SiDil -"
hace el bobo." runs the Spanish
phrase. In other words, He plays
the fool" He is, however, no fool.
He is thinking sharply and accurat te-
ly. He knows what is doing. He
simply will not commit himself.
In Porto Rico. as elsewhere, land
measurements are by rejection"
That is to say, acreage is determined
by straightaway alignment, regard
less of the Inequalities of the ground.
In the bottom lands near the sea or
the floors of the valleys these meas
urements are satisfactory TO the
jibaro, or the field worker. But in
the irregular spaces, where the fields
are dotted with little hills and pune
tured by hollows. the jibaro will not
accept the projection measurement
as the basis for his pay. lie has his
own system of survey.
Mysterious Measurements.
Taking a 9-foot pole, the iibaro
goes over the ground getting the
length and breadth with reference to
the irregularities of the surface, He
measures by system of his own.
Then he squatS on the ground with
"A few pebbles in his hands. which
he passes back aud forth, somewhat
after the manner of a Cinnamon
putes the actual area. the space
which he is to till or harvest. And
his calculation proves remarkably
accurate. Nobody seems to know
just how he does it. Many inquiries
by me failed to reveal the secret
OF this cryptic method of land
surveying, which seems to have
come down through generations of
jibaros.
The jibaro subsists mainly on rice
and beans, with other vegetables
whenever he can get them. He can
not afford much mea-. Roast pig is
his particular delight, and pig roast
is one of the high spots OF his life.
Usually a pig or two is TO be seen
roofing around his grass hut. which
is raised on stills for :entilation and
also to afford space beneath for the
domestic animals and chickens.
The. pigs of the. country are small.
razor backed creatures, swift OF foot
and capable of caring for themselves.