Mestizo

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The term mestizo (French: Métis, Portuguese: Mestiço, Spanish: mestizo, English: Mestee from late Latin: mixticius hybrid ) called in German the descendants of whites and the indigenous population, particularly in South and Central America.

The term is of Roman origin and came up in the time of colonialism. Today's use of language is very different in different countries and languages ​​to some extent. In the Brazilian can mestiço as " half-breed" be translated or relate specifically to the descendants of European -born and African- Brazilian parents. The largest population groups, which are called mestizos, are found in Latin America.

Spanish speaking Latin America and Caribbean

In the caste system of colonial Latin America ( system of " Castas " ) were originally children who have a parent was European and the other Indian origin, called mestizo. Even children whose both parents were mestizos, received this designation, while for children with a different mixing ratio other names were used, such as castizo, cuarterón de indio, and cholo. Nowadays, all people are called with European and Indian ancestors mestizos, the name is in fact perceived depending on the region even as discriminatory or racist, but other places also used as a proper name. For people of African- European origin using other terms such as mulatto or morena ( female form ) or moreno ( male form ).

In Chile and Costa Rica mestizos and people of European origin are counted as an ethnic group. Genetic studies have shown that 65% of Chileans Indian and European ancestors, but also people with pure Spanish descent are not uncommon. In Argentina, the proportion of people with mixed heritage is after genetic tests in 56%, but the share of Indian characteristics only at 13 % is clear. Mestizo be called by Indians and Africans only the mixed offspring. The inhabitants of Puerto Rico see themselves as white population group, although for genetic studies at least 60 % have Indian ancestors. The ethno- national designation Puerto Ricans here is more important than an ethnic- racial assignment. In Honduras, Panama, and to a lesser extent Mexico have the mestizos also contain a proportion of African descent.

In Mexico and Peru is mestizo used in the cultural sense. As a mestizo people are called who live in the traditional Indian manner, eg with clothing, customs, or Native American languages ​​. In addition, most of African descent Mexicans are mestizo as referred because of their adherence to African traditions, less because of their origin. Otherwise, they are often referred to as Ladino, according to the "European" population. This cultural association partly leads to confusion in the classification of the population according to the origin, in the case of Mexico, the result is a Mestizenanteil of up to 80 %, because the Indian population is simply to be counted. The numbers from Peru and Mexico are only estimates anyway, since censuses no difference in ethnicity is made. The majority of mestizos speaks according to their homeland Spanish or English.

In most Latin American countries provide the mestizo majority or a large proportion of the population:

• Paraguay Paraguay - 95%
• Costa Rica Costa Rica - 94% of Europeans and mestizos
• El Salvador El Salvador - 90 %
• Honduras Honduras - 90 %
• Venezuela Venezuela - 75-80 % mestizos and mulattos

• Panama Panama - 65-70 %
• Chile Chile - 65 %
• Nicaragua Nicaragua - 69 %
• Ecuador Ecuador - 65 %
• Mexico Mexico - 60 %
• Colombia Colombia - 58% ( 14 % mulatto )

• Belize Belize - 49%
• Peru Peru - 44%
• Bolivia Bolivia - 30 %
• Argentina Argentina - 13%
• Uruguay Uruguay - 8%

Brazil

In Brazil, the word is mestiço commonly used for people of mixed race. Their share of the population is given as 38.5%. People with European- Indian descent called Mamelucos caboclos or a little dated, with African- Indian origin cafuso. June 27 is celebrated in the Brazilian state of Amazonas as a slide do Mestiço ( day of the mestizo ).

Canada

In Canada, the Métis are recognized as a distinct ethnic group. They are regarded as Aboriginal, but not as a First Nation, which they legally have a special position. They are the descendants of Indians, mostly Cree, Ojibway and Saulteaux, and French and English immigrants. Its history dates back to the 17th century. Own people as they were recognized in the early 18th century. They live in Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, parts of Ontario, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories and parts of the northern United States, such as North Dakota and Montana. They traditionally speak the mixed language Michif, which originated from French and the language of the Cree. Live in Canada, according to the 2001 census, approximately 292,000 Métis. The number of Métis is estimated at 300,000 to 700,000.

United States of America

In the U.S., the term is used for descendants of Europeans and Indians who come from Latin America, mestizo used, while the term mixed -blood used for " locals ". The general term is multiracial. Part of Mexican Americans in the southwestern United States, which originally belonged to Mexico, describes himself as metizo, especially the group of Chicano.

Of the over 35 million Hispanics counted in the 2000 census in the U.S., 42.2 % described as " some other race " belonging. 47.9 % ranked in to the white Hispanics. Coming from several breeds referred to 6.3% of Hispanics.

A historical personality with mixed -blood in the United States for example, was Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, who was pictured with his Indian mother Sacagawea on a dollar coin.

In the American south-east there are many Mestee groups. Most are small, but some, like the Lumbee and Melungeon are great. The Melungeon are an ethnic group that lives in the Appalachian Mountains. Your relatives are descended from several ethnic groups, presumably by Europeans, Africans and Indians.

Philippines

In the early Spanish colonial period, the term mestizo described only those persons of mixed Filipino- Spanish or Filipino- Mexican origin. The significance soon changed into a synonym for " mixed race". Today, all Filipinos are visible with mixed origin called mestizo, mostly when a part is Filipino. This also applies to mixed populations with other Asian ethnicities. A genetic study revealed that 3.6% of the Philippine population has Spanish, Mexican or other European ancestry. In addition, there are about 300,000 Chinese- Filipino and 20,000 Japanese- Filipino mestizos here. People with mixed Asian origin are also called chinito. Other names for people with Chinese- Filipino origin are Sangley or Tsinoy. Persons with Spanish- Chinese origin are called Tornatras. The mestizo have already managed to get there early in the Philippines, in contrast to Latin America, political and economic power. One reason was to small group of insular, Filipinos with pure Spanish origin.

Most of the movements and revolts in the 19th century against the Spanish colonial power initiated Filipino mestizos. Such a movement was led by Philippine national hero José Rizal, a Filipino- Chinese mestizo. So they positioned themselves for a crucial role after independence from the United States. The first President of the First Philippine Republic, Emilio Aguinaldo, was of Chinese Filipino, the first president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon, Spanish Filipino.

Today, the mestizos constitute one of the smallest minorities of the Philippines, but continue to control the economy and politics. Spanish Filipinos were long the majority of the upper and middle layer and mingled but little with other ethnic groups. Many occupy high positions in politics, business and industry, but also in sports. Chinese Filipinos are also part of the upper and middle layer and control large swathes of the Philippine economy.

East Timor

Descendants of relations between the Portuguese and the original people of East Timor are mestiço called. As in the Philippines, the mestizos have here a great influence on the economy and politics. You already belong to the colonial period to the adolescent elite and had sometimes even access to Portuguese universities. So they founded the first political parties in East Timor also 1974. The former President and Nobel Peace José Ramos -Horta and Xanana Gusmão his predecessor are both Mesticos. Similarly, the influential family Carrascalão. 700 of the nearly one million East Timorese call Portuguese as their native language. Live in Australia since the occupation of East Timor by Indonesia in 1974 many East Timorese. Others have fled to Mozambique and Portugal. Some returned with independence back in their old home.

After the large-scale invasion of Portuguese Timor into the interior in 1642, took the immigration of Topasse (also Bidau or black Portuguese called ) to Timor. The Topasse were descendants of Portuguese soldiers, sailors and merchants, the women of Solor and Larantuka married. They had a significant impact on the development of Timor in the 17th and 18th centuries and controlled the Sandelholzhandel. They were supported by the Dominicans. Center of the Topasse was Lifau, the former main base of Portuguese Timor. The Topasse formed in the struggle for control of the island between the Dutch, Portuguese and Timorese an important power factor.

The Portuguese Creole East Timor Português de Bidau died out in the 1960s. The speakers used gradually more often the standard Portuguese. Bidau was almost only spoken by the Topasse in Bidau district, east of the capital, Dili.

Sri Lanka

Even in Sri Lanka descendants were called by the Portuguese with the locals ( Sinhalese and Tamils ​​) mestiço or casados ​​. Her story begins in the 16th century after Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India. When the Dutch conquered the coasts of the then Ceylon, sought refuge in the kingdom of Kandy, the Mesticos that in the interior remained under Sinhalese control. In the 18th century, the Mesticos mixed some with Dutch. These descendants of Portuguese, Dutch, Tamils ​​and Sinhalese are called Burgher (0.2% of the population). Some of them still speak Portuguese, Dutch other, which is why a distinction is Dutch and Portuguese Burghers. In rural areas, the Portuguese had a significant influence on the society, culture and government of Sri Lanka. At least 1,000 words of the Sinhala language derived from Portuguese.

Other countries in East Asia

Approximately one percent of the population of Macao are Mixed Portuguese- Chinese origin. Here, this ethnic group is called Macaense. Sometimes all residents of Macao are called Macaense. The actual Macaense form the affluent residents in the former Portuguese colony. They speak their own Creole language, the Patuá or Macanesisch ( Macaista Chapado ) is called. Many Macaense emigrated before the return of Macao to China in 1999 to Portugal, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Peru and the United States.

In Goa, the former Portuguese India, Portuguese - Indian origin were mixed also called mestiço. Today they are called in spite of their Portuguese ancestry Anglo Indians, to which all are counted, whose male ancestors were Europeans in a direct line.

In Malacca, which was over a hundred years under Portuguese rule, still lives a minority that speaks a Portuguese creole. Even traditions, such as the Intrudu ( a water festival at the beginning of the Christian Lent), the traditional dance Branyu and the street festival Santa Cruz exist to this day.

Other Portuguese -born mestizos in Southeast Asia living on the Indonesian island of Flores.

1665 a military base was built by the Dutch East India Company on Kisar. Common descendants of European soldiers and locals still live on the island. Clearly distinguishable from the original population, the Mestiezen van Kisar due to their European family names: Joostenz, Wouthyusen, Caffin, Lerrick, Peelman, Lander, Ruff, Bellmin - Belder, Coenradi, van Delsen Schilling and Bakker. The term mestizo is still worn here with pride. The Dutch equivalent of the Portuguese Topasse (see Timor-Leste ) in the western Timor and neighboring islands were the Mardick.

Africa

The islands of São Tomé and Principe and Cape Verde were uninhabited before the Portuguese voyages of discovery. From the 15th century, the Portuguese colonized the islands and brought black African slaves from Benin, Gabon, Congo and Angola. Today the residents are in their great majority mestiço (also crioulo ), mixed African- Portuguese origin ( in Cape Verde 71%).

Even in the former Portuguese colonies on the African mainland Angola (2%), Guinea- Bissau ( < 1%) and Mozambique (0.2%) make up a small but important minority Mesticos.

In Francophone Africa People of African- European descent are called métis. No country in their share in the population is greater than one percent.

The term " mestizo " in the German language

In German, it applies the name commonly used for descendants of Indian- European parents, while people of black African origin European- are usually referred to as mulattoes.

But there are also voices which ( in common parlance as " races" ) generally reject a designation of the different phenotypes of man as " politically incorrect ". In the eyes of critics, the term " mestizo " one of the colonial period that were found designation, entstamme anthropological or racial theoretical ideas. As a sub form of the term " half-breed", the term is classified as racist.