I have seen them at a few public events over the years and know what they literally are: grown men (some women and children) who wear nothing but small underwear, paint their entire bodies with acrylic house paint, and run around dancing like crazy, much to the delight of onlookers.
What I want to know is, what are the origins of this and what kind of symbolism is involved? Is it a copy off of a tradition of some other place, like Brazil? Probably a lot of people haven't heard of them, but some people here swear that they are some unique part of Barahona's culture. I have seen some kids covered in mud at Carnaval in la Vega, but nothing like this elsewhere.
Is it some way to represent their "savage" African heritage? There is one guy that paints himself in black, has a huge fake nose ring, wears a goat bone necklace and carries a staff with a baby doll's head on top.
Here are some good pics of them:
Los Pintao de Barahona by ciabarahonero
What are "los Pintao" de Barahona?
