An ''arriero'', muleteer, or more informally a muleskinner ( es, arriero; pt, tropeiro; ca, traginer) is a person who transports goods using
pack animals, especially
mules.
Distribution and function
In South America, muleskinners transport
coffee,
maize (corn),
cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
,
wheat, and a myriad of other items. They used to be common in the
Paisa Region
A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia, including part of the West and Central ''cordilleras'' of the Andes in Colombia. The Paisa region is formed by the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindí ...
(
Antioquia and the
Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis
The Colombian coffee region ( es, Eje Cafetero), also known as the Coffee Triangle ( es, Triángulo del Café) is a part of the Paisa region in the rural area of Colombia. It is famous for growing and producing the majority of Colombian coffee ...
) of
Colombia but were replaced in the 1950s by tractor trailers called locally "tractomulas" paying homage to the mules that used to do this hard job. In
California, muleteers work out of
pack station
A pack station is the base of operations for transporting freight via pack animals in areas that do not allow for other forms transportation, either due to difficult access or use restrictions as defined in Wilderness Act. The station facilitates ...
s. In Europe, there are still muleteers in the south of
Portugal and the southwest of
Spain, in the cork producing area. Their role is now limited to transporting the cork with their mules, out of the Mediterranean oak forest to more accessible routes, where modern means of transport are available.
Names and etymology
The English word ''muleteer'' comes from the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
''muletier'', from
Old French, from ''mulet'', diminutive of ''mul'',
mule. The term ''muleskinner'' means someone who can "skin", or outsmart, a mule.
The
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
word ''arriero'' is derived from the verb ''arrear'', which means to urge
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
or other stock to walk. The verb itself is derived from ''arre'', which is the call used to cry out to animals for this purpose. In English, an ''arriero'' is one type of muleteer, a
wrangler of pack animals.
The
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
word ''traginer'' comes from the
Latin word ''tragīnare'', a variant of ''tragĕre'' which means "to transport".
Outfits
Typical muleteer outfits vary from country to country:
*''
Carriel
A carriel is a small leather satchel from Colombia. They are similar in appearance to a saddlebag but worn over the shoulder, usually by men. ''Carrieles'' were traditionally made of rawhide or nutria fur and are typical of the Antioquia regi ...
'': Leather bag traditionally made of
nutria leather. It is used to carry personal goods and money. It has become an element of the Colombian fashion.
*''
Espadrilles
Espadrilles ( Spanish: ''alpargatas or esparteñas''; Catalan: ''espardenyes''; Basque: ''espartinak'') are casual, rope-soled, flat but sometimes high-heeled shoes. They usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made ...
'' (''alpargatas'') : Sandals made of
fique
Fique is a natural fibre that grows in the leaves of plants in the genus ''Furcraea''. Common names include fique, cabuya, pita, penca, penco, maguey, cabui, chuchao and coquiza.
History
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas extracted and used ...
(natural fiber obtained of
furcraea plants and leather.
*
Machete
Older machete from Latin America
Gerber machete/saw combo
Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...
*
Poncho
A poncho (; qu, punchu; arn, pontro; "blanket", "woolen fabric") is an outer garment designed to keep the body warm. A rain poncho is made from a watertight material designed to keep the body dry from the rain. Ponchos have been used by the ...
: Rectangular piece of fabric, usually white with linear embroidery, that is used to protect the face and neck from the cold weather.
*''
Ruana'': Square wool garment, larger than the poncho, with a hole in the middle for the head. It covers the torso.
*Straw
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
(''sombrero aguadeño'')
*''Tapapinche'': Leather
apron
An apron is a garment that is worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body. The word comes from old French ''napron'' meaning a small piece of cloth, however over time "a napron" became "an apron", through a linguistics process cal ...
.
In popular culture
The fictional
Juan Valdez
Juan Valdez is a fictional character who has appeared in advertisements for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia since 1958, representing a Colombian coffee farmer. The advertisements were designed by the Doyle Dane Bernbach ad ...
, brand representative of the ''
Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia
The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, ( es, link=no, Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia), abbreviated as Colombian Coffee Growers Federation or Fedecafé, is a non-profit business organization, popularly known for its ...
'', is an archetypal muleteer carrying coffee sacks with his mule.
In
Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his g ...
's second
Border Trilogy
''The Border Trilogy'' is a series of novels by the American author Cormac McCarthy: '' All the Pretty Horses'' (1992), '' The Crossing'' (1994), and '' Cities of the Plain'' (1998).
The trilogy revolves around the coming of age and adventures ...
novel, ''The Crossing'', Billy's wolf upsets the muleteers' burros, which wreaks substantial havoc before Billy moves on.
"
Mule Skinner Blues
"Blue Yodel no. 8, Mule Skinner Blues" (a.k.a. "Muleskinner Blues", and "Muleskinner's Blues") is a classic country song written by Jimmie Rodgers. The song was first recorded by Rodgers in 1930 and has been recorded by many artists since then, a ...
" is a country music song first recorded in 1930 by
Jimmy Rodgers, which has inspired many subsequent variations.
The 1964 Broadway musical ''
Man of La Mancha'' features a band of muleteers as one of the primary
antagonists
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist.
Etymology
The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
.
See also
*
Igualada Muleteer's Museum
The Igualada Muleteer's Museum - Antoni Ros collection (in Catalan language Museu del Traginer - Col·lecció Antoni Ros) is a museum located in Igualada, Catalonia, Spain, that displays the evolution of transport using mules, horses and othe ...
*
Teamster
A teamster is the American term for a truck driver or a person who drives teams of draft animals. Further, the term often refers to a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union in the United States and Canada.
Origin ...
s drove animals pulling a wagon.
*
Mule drivers of Metsovo
*
Tropeiro
Tropeiro is the designation given to troop and commissions drovers of horse, cattle and mule moving between commercial regions and consumer centers in Brazil from the 17th century.FERREIRA, A. B. H. Novo dicionário da língua portuguesa. 2ª ...
(equivalent of ''arriero'' in
Brazil)
References
{{Reflist
External links
Biblioteca-virtual-antioquia.edea.edu.co
Colombian culture
Personal care and service occupations
Transport in Colombia
Animal-powered transport