REFUGEE FACT SHEET NO.10| << | CHAPTER |
| HAITIANS—
THEIR
HISTORY AND CULTURE
REFUGEE FACT SHEET NO.10 |
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CONTENTS | PREFACE | INTRODUCTION | LAND | PEOPLE | ECONOMY | HISTORY | EDUCATION | LANGUAGE | HEALTH | FAMILY | RELIGION | CULTURE | HOLIDAYS | PROVERBS | HAITIAN CREOLE | CONCLUSION | BIBLIOGRAPHY | ORDER A PRINT COPY | ||||
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Haiti's unique history has created a unique culture that is different from the Spanish Caribbean cultures and is dualistic in nature: European vs. African, French vs. Creole, mulatto elites vs. the black masses, urban vs. rural, Christianity vs. Voodoo, etc. |
The People The population of Haiti was estimated at 5,590,000 in 1990. Almost all Haitians are descendents of the approximately half a million enslaved West Africans who won their freedom from France in 1804, making Haiti the world's first modern black republic. The population is 95% black, with the remaining 5% consisting mostly of mulattos, traditionally the elite ruling class. Whites—mostly British, American, and French—make up a very small minority. The two national languages are French and Haitian Creole, but fluency in French carries a much higher status. More than two-thirds of the population live in rural areas, although this pattern has been changing in recent years. Roughly two-thirds of the labor force work in agriculture; however, deforestation, land erosion, and a declining economy have forced an increasing number of peasants to migrate to the cities or abroad. (A large number of Haitians work in the Dominican Republic as braceros, under near slave-like conditions.) Port-au-Prince, the capital, has a population of approximately one million people, more than six times the population of Cap-Haïtien, the second major city. Other major towns are Gonaïves, Les Cayes, and Jacmel. The penetration of transnational companies into the Haitian economy has also contributed to the influx of peasants into Port-au-Prince. These changing demographics have caused both urban problems and social changes. While peasants have traditionally depended on the extended family and cooperative labor to survive, urban slum dwelling has weakened this aspect of the social fabric. Haiti's unique history has created a unique culture that is different from the Spanish Caribbean cultures and is dualistic in nature: European vs. African, French vs. Creole, mulatto elites vs. the black masses, urban vs. rural, Christianity vs. Voodoo, etc. One would be hard-pressed to understand present-day Haitian society without some knowledge of the historically important role of color and class in shaping social norms and expectations. The color of a Haitian's skin, the languages he commands, and the work that he does are all related and have always been of utmost importance in assigning him to the appropriate class. But the recent emergence of a politically-significant middle class, however unstable, is forcing Haiti to come to terms with what is truly "Haitian."
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