Cocolo is a term used in theHispanic Caribbean to refer toAfro-Caribbean migrant descendants. The term originated in theDominican Republic and is historically used to refer to theAnglophone Caribbean immigrants and their descendants and more rarely, towards those from theFrancophone Caribbean.[1] It is mainly used to refer to the migrants inSan Pedro de Macorís,Puerto Plata, theSamaná Peninsula, and other Afro-descendants who arrived in the Atlantic coastal areas of the country in the late 1800s and early 1900s. At the time these migrants were culturally distinct from the lighterDominicans who primarily lived in the northerninterior of the country and had a higher degree of colonial European ancestry.[2][3]
The usage, outside the specific ethnicity of the Cocolos ofSan Pedro de Macorís, is vague, and at times the word can mean all black or all poorer people of any race living in less developed coastal areas. It can also be used to refer to those who identify with theAfro-Latino culture and music, such aspalos,salsa and other Spanish Afro-Caribbean musical genres. The term is often used with pride to refer to oneself, yet can be taken as an insult when others use it.
The immigration of Cocolos began in the late 1800s with the rise and development of thesugar industry in the Dominican Republic, although immigrants are preferably placed in coastal communities with active ports (Sánchez, Samaná, Monte Cristi, Puerto Plata). The main Dominican ports were in the "North Band" so that a large majority of these immigrants came from theBahamas and theTurks, especially inPuerto Plata, due to proximity. Many also came fromSaint Kitts and Nevis,Dominica,Antigua,Anguilla,St. Vincent,Montserrat,Tortola,St. Croix,St. Thomas,Martinique, andGuadeloupe.
The first Turks and Caicos Islander immigrants began arriving inPuerto Plata after theDominican War of Restoration, long before the modern sugar industry was established. There were carpenters, blacksmiths and schoolteachers who emigrated due to the economic crisis in theBahamas andTurks and Caicos. Many also came as stevedores on the Clyde Steamship Company boat line, which dominated trade for many years. When the railroad of Puerto Plata-Santiago was built in the late 19th century, many came from these islands to work on the railroad as well as others fromSaint Thomas, which was then a Danish colony. These people also settled in large numbers in Puerto Plata.[4]
Since the Dominican Republic was a predominantlyHispanicRoman Catholic nation, the Cocolos thus needed to establish their own religious, social, and community centers. These were of various sects and were mainly founded inLa Romana,Puerto Plata andSan Pedro de Macorís.
Protestant denominations that were introduced by Cocolos include the Anglican Church, established in 1897 in San Pedro de Macorís, and now known as the Dominican Episcopal Church; Apostolic Faith, which began operations in 1930; the Moravian Church (now Evangelical Dominican Church) established in 1907 in San Pedro de Macorís; and the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which began their services in San Pedro de Macoris.
West Indian immigrants and their descendants also introduced some sports of British origin, namely cricket and boxing. In order to cultivate a following, the Cocolos created various sports groups in San Pedro de Macorís. Over time the descendants of those West Indian immigrants began to abandon the practice ofcricket and took up sports likebaseball andbasketball instead.[5]
In the United States, particularly in theNortheast, the term has been used byDominican migrants from theCibao region to refer toAfrican Americans. The word also became popular inPuerto Rico, where it was similarly used to refer to the more African influenced segments in that country's population. In 1937, it only meant Black in Puerto Rico, however, the termcocolo would later become a slang term describing the subculture which followed Afro-Latino music, especiallysalsa as opposed to rock music (those were calledrockeros). In the Puerto Rico of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the rivalry betweencocolos androckeros was similar to the rivalry between theMods and theRockers in 1960s England.[6]
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| Secondary Afro-American diaspora |
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