"Wajiro"

[cubarey]

I need to know definition and devivation of the term Wajiro.

[Tomisimo]

A quick search seems to indicate that there are numerous restaurants with Wajiro in the name. From one website:

Cuba is the largest island of the greater Antilles. On this fertile and rich land lives the peasant who is kind, hard working and good natured. Cubans affectionately call him "Guajiro".

The Guajiro goes about his daily tasks with his wide brimmed hat made of "Yarey", white Guayabera (a traditional shirt), tabacco in his mouth and a machete and gaitero.

So I think Wajiro is a spelling variation of Guajiro. But then, if you're the King of Cuba, you should know that.

Welcome to the forums, by the way!

[cubarey]

On this fertile and rich land lives the peasant who is kind, hard working and good natured. Cubans affectionately call him "Guajiro".


Problem of course is that as an exiled King raised in New Jersey I lack a bit of the nuances that by birthright should be mine. Actually from the way I remember the word used it could Also mean hillbilly, redneck, and a stubborn, narrow minded and cheap one at that. I was trying to find out its derivation and whether it was originally meant as a pejorative synonym for campesino.

[Tomisimo]

Ok, I found a few more snippets of information:

Guajiro (Wayuu, Goajiro, Guajira) is an Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela; Or the language they speak. Dictionaries also say guajiro is synonymous with peasant, farmer, campesino, rural person, so your description (hillbilly, redneck) is probably not too far off. As far as etymology goes, the term 'Guajiro' may be derived from the Arawak langauge.

[Rusty]

The only use of guajira/o that I could think of is in the song Guantanamera.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamera

Note the paragraph that speaks of ambiguity in the song's lyrics.

[RAAMIGUE]

Originally Posted by Tomisimo

A quick search seems to indicate that there are numerous restaurants with Wajiro in the name. From one website:

So I think Wajiro is a spelling variation of Guajiro. But then, if you're the King of Cuba, you should know that.

Welcome to the forums, by the way!

I understand that after the Hispanoamerican War around 1898. The american Generals thanks the Cuban soldiers that help to win that war.
And call them "WAR HEROES" and from that comes what is call an "anglicismo" or "barbarismo" that translate the word to "WAJIROS"...