Title: Duerme Negrito
General Information about Item:
- Verbal lore
- Language: Spanish
- Country of Origin: Mexico
- Informant: Ricky Juan-Ramos
- Date Collected: 5/9/2020
Informant Data:
- Ricky Juan-Ramos was born February 1, 2001 in Salinas, California. He grew up in a Mexicna-Philipino-American family. Ricky’s father identifies predominantly as Philipino but is also of Japanese and Chinese descent, while his mother is Mexican of European descent. Both his parents speak Spanish but Ricky’s father also speaks Japanese. As a result, Ricky grew up speaking English, Japanese, and Spanish. Additionally, Ricky attended schools that were predominantly of Spanish-speaking and Asian populations and was exposed to various facets of Hispanic and Asian culture. Ricky is a current Dartmouth student in the class of 2023.
Contextual Data:
- Social Context: Ricky learned about parts of the nursery rhyme from multiple sources when he was visiting his brothers in Cancún. Some friends from different regions of Mexico and of Caribbean descent told him some of the lyrics in the rhyme. However, Ricky’s aunts sang and explained the entire nursery rhyme. The nursery rhyme is used to put babies to sleep and, like other lullabies, includes elements that are meant to incite fear.
- Cultural Context: Originating in the Coastal Caribbean, this nursery rhyme is influenced by the history of racial segregation in Mexico, as indicated by the usage of the word “negrito,” which has racial implications.
Item:
Audio file:
Original Text:
Duerme duerme negrito
Que tu mamá esta en el campo negrito
Te va traer codornices para ti
Te va traer rica fruta
Te va traer carne de cerdo para ti
Te va traer muchas cosas ricas para ti
Y si negro no duerme
Viene el diablo blanco
Viene el diablo blanco
Viene el diablo blanco
Y paz
le lleva la patita
Chacabumba chacabumba chacabumba
Duerme duerme negrito
Que tu mamá está en el campo
Trabajando sí
Trabajando duramente
Trabajando sí
Trabando y no le pagan
Trabajando sí
Trabajando y va de luto
Trabajando
Trabajando negritito
Trabajando sí
Trabajando
Trabajando
Word-for-word translation:
Sleep sleep little black one
That your mother is in the field little black one
To you will to bring quails for you
To you will to bring rich fruit
To you will to bring meat of pig for you
To you will to bring many things rich for you
And if black one no sleep
Come the devil white
Come the devil white
Come the devil white
And zap
It takes the leg
Chacabumba chacabumba chacabumba
Sleep sleep little black one
That your mother is in the field little black one
Working yes
Working hard
Working yes
Working and no to he/she they pay
Working yes
Working and goes of mourning
Working
Working little little black one
Working yes
Working
Working
Free translation:
Sleep sleep little black one
Your mother is in the field little black one
She’ll bring quails for you
She’ll bring you rich fruits
She’ll bring you pork
She’ll bring you many riches
And if you don’t sleep black one
The white devil will come
The white devil will come
The white devil will come
And zap
He’ll take your little leg
Chacabumba chacabumba chacabumba
Sleep sleep little black one
Your mother is in the field
Working yes
Working hard
Working yes
Working and not getting paid
Working yes
Working and mourning
Working
Working little black one
Working yes
Working
Working
Informant’s Comments:
- Ricky speculated that the nursery rhyme has roots from the colonial period, during which locals worked in the fields as slaves. The nursery rhyme mentions a “white devil,” alluding to the European explorers who relied upon slave labor and used their power to subjugate the native population.
Collector’s Comments:
- Adding on to Ricky’s analysis, this nursery rhyme also depicts other specific aspects of daily life during this time period. For instance, the lyrics warn young slave children to behave for fear of their mothers losing their jobs as well as mothers sneaking goods back from the field for their children. Both of these actions reflect the conditions under which Mexicans once lived and is essential in accurately portraying the folk of the time.
Collector’s Name: Jasmine Li
Tags/Keywords:
- Language
- Nursery rhyme
- Lullaby
- Verbal lore