Office of Multicultural Affairs: Haitian Culture
Tracy Noncent
Issue date: 11/11/09 Section: Campus Life
I grew up in a household with a strong sense of cultural pride. My parents were always proud to say they were Haitian and constantly reminded me that I was Haitian-American. At home, my mom spoke to me in her native Creole and French, and we always had Haitian food for dinner. Being Haitian has shaped the individual I am today because a lot of my values come from my parents and what they were taught in their homeland. I never understood why my parents were so proud of where they came from until I learned the history of their country, the place that they refer to as home; Haiti.
Haiti [hey-tee] or Ayiti [i-e-tee], which means mountainous land in the Taino Arawaks' native's language, is located in the Caribbean and makes up one-third of the island of Hispaniola. French is the official language of Haiti because it was colonized by the French, but Creole, a language made up of mostly broken French, with Spanish and Taino Arawaks' native language influences, is spoken by all. Enslaved Africans were brought to the country by the French to work on the sugarcane fields and by the 1730's empires were built, making Haiti one of the main suppliers of sugar, along with Jamaica. As a result of the influx of enslaved Africans, the natives were nearly wiped out, making Haiti a predominantly black country. In 1790, enslaved people united the leadership of Toussaint L' Overture to fight off the French, and later gained their independence in 1804. This made Haiti the first Black Republic in the world and sparked revolutions within enslaved nations elsewhere, including neighboring Dominican Republic, who fought off the Spanish with the help of the Haitians.
Although Haiti was the first Black Republic in the world, many people did not consider the country to be independent because the enslaved people were not allowed to learn how to read or write. In addition, Haiti remains an under-acknowledged country because many people are unaware of its history. Haiti is always associated with poverty, Voodoo and violence, so I could not understand why my parents were still so proud to say they were from Haiti. The depictions of the slums of the country on TV, as well as the constant reminder that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, has clouded my perceptions of Haiti. Nevertheless, I have seen many pictures and visited the country four times and I have realized that my parents' country of origin is not what I see on TV.
Haiti [hey-tee] or Ayiti [i-e-tee], which means mountainous land in the Taino Arawaks' native's language, is located in the Caribbean and makes up one-third of the island of Hispaniola. French is the official language of Haiti because it was colonized by the French, but Creole, a language made up of mostly broken French, with Spanish and Taino Arawaks' native language influences, is spoken by all. Enslaved Africans were brought to the country by the French to work on the sugarcane fields and by the 1730's empires were built, making Haiti one of the main suppliers of sugar, along with Jamaica. As a result of the influx of enslaved Africans, the natives were nearly wiped out, making Haiti a predominantly black country. In 1790, enslaved people united the leadership of Toussaint L' Overture to fight off the French, and later gained their independence in 1804. This made Haiti the first Black Republic in the world and sparked revolutions within enslaved nations elsewhere, including neighboring Dominican Republic, who fought off the Spanish with the help of the Haitians.
Although Haiti was the first Black Republic in the world, many people did not consider the country to be independent because the enslaved people were not allowed to learn how to read or write. In addition, Haiti remains an under-acknowledged country because many people are unaware of its history. Haiti is always associated with poverty, Voodoo and violence, so I could not understand why my parents were still so proud to say they were from Haiti. The depictions of the slums of the country on TV, as well as the constant reminder that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, has clouded my perceptions of Haiti. Nevertheless, I have seen many pictures and visited the country four times and I have realized that my parents' country of origin is not what I see on TV.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
UkemeE
Ukeme
posted 11/13/09 @ 5:35 PM EST
Good job, Tracy. I can testify that Haitian food is awesome and that the Haitians I know are great people.
I'm glad you pointed out that most of what we see on TV is not truly accurate. (Continued…)
James Byrum
posted 11/16/09 @ 3:43 PM EST
Tracy, thanks for this wonderful writing. I just returned from Haiti where I do economic opportunity funding, making interest free loans to community associations to enable the people of Haiti to pull themselves out of poverty. (Continued…)
twf
posted 12/01/09 @ 12:23 PM EST
You can see a clip of Toussaint's last moments in prison from the new short film "The Last Days of Toussaint L'Ouverture" at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2468184/ This short film is the basis for a new feature (not with Danny Glover) that is in development. (Continued…)
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