Haitian Culture
Haiti is the western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic. The island itself was discovered by Christopher Columbus in the year 1492. Haiti is a majority black country due to the large amount of African slaves imported beginning in the late 17th century, however many peoples of different ethnic and national backgrounds such as Polish Jews, Arabs, Chinese, Indians, Spanish, Germans, Italians, and French settled in Haiti since its discovery. Most of these groups later married into the majority black populace, yielding a separate ethnic group called mulattoes. Haiti is currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and has experienced
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This instability, in conjunction with the vast diversity of the country’s immigrants has had a dramatic effect upon the overall culture of the Haitian people (CIA). Material culture is based upon the abject poverty of the majority of the populace. Despite having abundant mineral resources such as bauxite, copper, gold, and marble in the country in addition to oil resources that are larger than Venezuela, Haiti remains, for the most part, technologically underdeveloped. This may be in part, a result of educational shortfalls within the country. Haitian schools, both public and private, suffer from a lack of materials, expertise, management, and organization. These shortfalls have been exacerbated …show more content…
However, the strongest cultural influences may be juxtaposed with many African cultural norms due to the large African influence within the culture. Haitians place strong value on the family, but less than 40% of the population marries. A union typically is considered complete and gets the respect of the community when a man has built a house for the woman and after the first child has been born. When marriage does occur, it is usually later in a couple's relationship, long after a household has been established and the children have begun to reach adulthood. Although it is not legal, at any given time about 10% of men have more than a single wife, and these relationships are acknowledged as legitimate by the community. The women live with their children in separate homesteads that are provided for by the man. Households are typically made up of family members and children or young relatives. Elderly widows and widowers may live with their children and grandchildren. The husband is thought of as the owner of the house however, the house typically is associated with the woman. She is responsible for caring for the children and preparing the meals. Rice and beans are considered the national dish and are the most commonly eaten meal in urban areas. Traditional rural staples include sweet potatoes, manioc, yams, corn, rice, pigeon peas, cowpeas, bread,
Why are these background informations useful? Because these informations provide us some important basic knowledges of Haiti. As a country mainly composed of ex-slaves, Haiti is mainly composed of people of African origin. However, why is Haiti so poor compared to its other black majority neighbors such as Saint Kitts and Neves and Barbados? Because Haiti did not attain its independence through peaceful means. Haitian revolt against the French, and they indeed won, against Napoleon Bonaparte[2].
Haiti lifestyle and America lifestyle is different. In Haiti They don’t have the same sources as Americans do. In fact, Most Haitians don’t have Electricity and rely on charcoal for energy. While in America most people are able use stoves or microwaves to prepare food quickly. People in Haiti don’t bathe as much as people in America because they don’t have access to clean or running water. However, In America people are able to bathe every day. In America people often eat 3 meals a day which is breakfast, lunch and dinner. In Haiti they only eat 2 meals a day. Haitians usually eat bread and coffee in the morning and later on the evening they eat fried meat like goat, chicken, pork etc. Americans on the other hand, may eat eggs, bacon, sausages,
“Haiti maintains an independently unique flavor. Strong pepper flavoring in many dishes also sets Haitian food apart from the other islands” (Food of the Haitians). American and Haitians prepare food differently. Most Haitians in Haiti cook with charcoal and wood, whereas in America we have stoves and electricity
The Nation of Haiti has been plagued with excessive bad luck when it comes to external invasion. Whether it be larger countries taking control, or outsiders brought in as slaves, Haiti has endured many hardships. These issues, while very common in a lot of countries, are exposed in a short story by a native Haitian. In “A Wall of Fire Rising”, Edwidge Danticat illustrates a myriad of historical issues in Haiti from the 17th to the 20th century through a series of events in one family’s life. One such issue would be the Haitian Revolution and the consequences that came of it.
The Dominican Republic is a nation located in the Caribbean Sea and shares the land with Haiti, and the whole island is called Hispaniola as it was named when Christopher Columbus discovered it during his first voyage in the year 1492. The country has proved to be one of the leading Caribbean countries with accessible healthcare to its citizens and even expats. However, the country has a multinational population with low-to-medium incomes and multi-level access to healthcare based on income. Despite this, improvements to healthcare system can lead to better medical outcomes to all the citizens and even to the suffering citizens of the Haiti. Because the Dominican Republic is an immediate neighbor to struggling Haiti, it is the moral obligation of the Dominican to provide Haitians with access to healthcare.
The word community is defined as a group of individuals residing in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. We all, whether we know this or not, belong to particular communities and even sub communities (self contained community within an unusually large area). One particular community that I've been a part of during my entire life is the Haitian community. An Haitian Community is usually a place where a group of Haitian nationals reside, we share many cultural beliefs and practices together. In this paper I will be investigating some of the beliefs and practices of the Haitian Community.
This article explores Haitian Independence in terms of a war for national liberation. The disassociation from white governance left a window of opportunity for long-term nat...
Food in their culture many Haitians cannot afford food so many types healthy options are not available rice and beans are a national dish every day, many Haitians only eat twice a day, in the us we eat fruit whenever we want weather its night or day and in Haiti they eat fruit but it’s often given as a treat also as bed time
People who are part of the Haitian-American culture, like myself, are either born in Haiti and moved to the U.S. and have assimilate to the American culture or were born in the U.S. and have parent who were originally from Haiti. I was born in Haiti and raised in the U.S. I can relate to other people, female and male, who were also born in Haiti and have moved to the U.S at a young age. Members
They eat a lot of beans and rice, usually mixed with some sort of meat. Such as pork, goat, lamb, and other meats. On the French side, they eat a lot of spaghetti, they eat spaghetti for breakfast, and make shakes out of it. One of the drinks they make is Haitian hot chocolate. It has Haitian cocoa, star anise, (which is a spice) cinnamon, and vanilla. They eat a lot of mushrooms, and other fresh foods. Haiti also has some customs and traditions. Greetings are very important, men usually shake hands, and women throw kisses. Everyone else kiss on the cheek. They also have a lot of other traditions, such as participating in Carnival, it is very close to New Orlean’s Mardi Gra celebration. Sadly many people also participate in voodoo ceremonies, they have voodoo priests, and priestesses. Other occasions they celebrate are baptisms, first communions, and other catholic traditions. The best thing is that they all believe that children are a gift from
The difference between the structure of the educational system in Haiti and the United States are the following ones: Schools in Haiti are divided in four levels: Primary, Secondary, Vocational and Technical, and University. On the other hand, United States’ structure has the following levels; Kindergarten, Elementary school, Middle school, High school, College and University. Schools in Haiti have a different educational system than the United States. Students remain in the same classroom for the whole day. In contrast, in the United States students go to different classrooms during the day. In Haiti there are a few things that are quite different; in Haiti during break time schools do not pr...
Haiti, previously known as Saint-Domingue, was a slave island and one of the wealthiest of France’s colonies. Up until this point in time, slavery was still common and, as mentioned above, continued throughout the world even after such freedom declarations such as, the Declaration of Independence in the newly formed United States, and the Declaration of Rights of Man in the Republic of France. The Haitian Revolution was brought on by the want for liberation of slaves, and was largely inspired by the French Revolution and the Declaration of Rights of Man. “Even though the early leaders of the French Revolution had no intention of exporting the upheaval, it spread to the colonies, especially to Saint-Domingue” (Ott 1973). This revolution proved to be a major event as it was the most successful slave revolution in history. The slavery population in Haiti, vastly outnumbered the white colonists in Haiti, and therefore, when the slave population banded together, led to a full-scaled rebellion. Revolts would continue to occur until finally in 1793, the slaves got their freedom, with slavery officially being abolished in all French territories in 1794. From this point until 1802, small rebellions continued to occur as not much changed in the daily lives of slaves, despite technically having their freedom. After the French Revolution and with Napoleon taking power in 1799; Napoleon reinstated slavery in all French colonies, including Haiti. Napoleon also sent an army to Haiti to enforce these new slavery laws and Haiti returned to a slave economy in 1802 (Doyle 1943). The Haitian Revolutionaries finally get their win after defeating the French soldiers in the Battle of Vertieres in 1803; the final part of the revolution. The revolution officially ended in 1804, with Haiti gaining its independence from France and permanently abolishing slavery
Corruption and abuse have been cancerous hallmarks of Haiti’s political system and leaders. Until recently, power switched hands quickly and brutally as dictators faced assassinations, coups, and international interference. The instability of political roulette has made it difficult to accomplish or establish any social, economic, or environmental plans or policies. Racism is a rampant residual from the colonial era. Wealth and power are controlled by the mulatto elite and little concern or regard is shown for the poor. Few social programs have been created to assist the poor as resources are diverted away from communities and into the hungry pockets of the corrupt. Differences in languages and religions also echo the past. The ruling class speaks French and is predominately Roman Catholic while the majority of Haitians speak the slave language of Creole and practice the voudon (voodoo) religion. The focus of power resides in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Rural communities are ignored and struggle to survive by farming. During the colonial era, much of Haiti’s land was deforested to accommodate sprawling plantations. Wood is also used in the building of homes and as a primary fuel. The removal of trees caused severe erosion and the loss of the nutrient topsoil which washed into the ocean, impacting marine life and fishing. Farmers have moved to Port-au-Prince to seek employment. The desperate
Haiti is drenched in poverty, corruption, and lack of education. Due to these aspects Haiti is “the least developed country in the western hemisphere”. With only one-third of suitable land...
As the Hispanic Caribbean has evolved it has managed to grow and thrive beyond belief, whether one is discussing art, music or just the culture alone the Hispanic Caribbean is truly reaping the benefits of allowing themselves to be influenced by many other cultures. While the Hispanic Caribbean is thriving they are still facing the many new found struggles that come along with the territory of becoming more affluent as well as more accepting to other cultures and their beliefs. Often with the growth of large proportions comes many problems, problems also can come about when incorporating of different cultures as a whole as well as just bringing in their beliefs and mannerisms. None the less it can be argued that the struggles being faced in