Haitians (Haitian Creole:Ayisyen,French:Haïtiens) are the citizens and nationals ofHaiti. The Haitian people have their origins inWest andCentral Africa with the most spoken language beingHaitian Creole. The largerHaitian diaspora includes individuals that trace ancestry to Haiti andself-identify as Haitian but are not necessarily Haitian by citizenship. TheUnited States and theDominican Republic have the largest Haitian populations in the world after Haiti.
Anethnonational group, Haitians generally comprise the modern descendants ofself-liberated Africans in theCaribbean territory historically referred to asSaint-Domingue. This includes themulatto minority who denotecorresponding European ancestry, notably fromFrench settlers.[39]
According to theConstitution of Haiti, a Haitian citizen is:
The HaitianConstitution of 2012 re-legalizes dual citizenship, allowing for Haitians living abroad to own land and run for Haitian political office (except for offices of president, prime minister, senator or member of the lower house of Parliament).
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Haiti's population is 95% of African descent (5% are of mixed African and other ancestry),[40] though people of many different ethnic and national backgrounds have settled and impacted the country, such asPoles[41][42] (fromNapoleon's Polish legions),Jews,[43]Arabs[44] (from theArab diaspora),Chinese,[45]Indians,[46][47]Spanish,Germans[48][49] (18th century andWorld War I),Italians,[44] andFrench, most marrying into the majority black populace and in turn yielding mixed race children (many of whom are prominent in Haitian society).
The official languages of Haiti areFrench andHaitian Creole.
Traditionally, the two languages served different functions, with Haitian Creole the informal everyday language of all the people, regardless of social class, and French the language of formal situations: schools, newspapers, the law and the courts, and official documents and decrees. However, because the vast majority of Haitians speak only Creole, there have been efforts in recent years to expand its use. In 1979, a law was passed that permitted Creole to be the language of instruction, and the Constitution of 1983 gave Creole the status of a national language. However, it was only in 1987 that the Constitution granted official status to Creole.
Haitian art, known for its vibrant color work and expressive design, is a complex tradition, reflecting strong African roots with Indigenous American and European aesthetic and religious influences. It is a very important representation of Haitian culture and history. Haitian art is distinctive, particularly in painting and sculpture where brilliant colors, naive perspective and sly humor characterize it. Frequent subjects in Haitian art include big, delectable foods, lush landscapes, market activities, jungle animals, rituals, dances, and gods. Artists frequently paint in fables.
Themusic of Haiti combines a wide range of influences drawn from the many people who have settled on this Caribbean island. It reflects French, African rhythms, Spanish elements and others who have inhabited the island ofHispaniola and minor nativeTaino influences. Youth attend parties at nightclubs calleddiscos, (pronounced "deece-ko"), and attendBal. This term is the French word for ball, as in a formal dance. Styles of music unique to the nation of Haiti include music derived fromVodou ceremonial traditions andMéringue,Rara parading music,Twoubadouballads,Mini-jazz rock bands,Rasin movement,Hip hop Kreyòl,[50] andCompas. Compas, short forcompas direct, is a complex, ever-changing music that arose from African rhythms and European ballroom dancing, mixed with Haiti's bourgeois culture. It is a refined music, withméringue as its basic rhythm. InCreole, it is spelled askonpa dirèk or simplykonpa, however it is commonly spelled as it is pronounced askompa.[51]
The first recorded song in Haiti was "Fèy," a traditional Vodou folk song recorded byJazz Guignard and RAM, a Haitian record label, in 1937. One of the most celebrated Haitian artists today isWyclef Jean. Wyclef Jean, however, left the country before his teenage years and began theFugees withLauryn Hill and Pras, who together went on to become the biggest selling hip hop group of all time withThe Score released in 1996.
Haitian music combines a wide range of influences drawn from the many people who have settled on this Caribbean island. It reflects French, African rhythms, Spanish elements and others who have inhabited the island ofHispaniola and minor nativeTaino influences. Styles of music unique to the nation ofHaiti include music derived fromVodou ceremonial traditions,rara parading music,twoubadouballads,mini-jazz rock bands,rasin movement,hip hop kreyòl, the wildly popularcompas,[52] andméringue as its basic rhythm.
Very popular today iscompas, short forcompas direct, made popular byNemours Jean-Baptiste, on a recording released in 1955. The name derives fromcompás, the Spanish word meaning rhythm or tones. It involves mostly medium-to-fast tempo beats with an emphasis onelectric guitars,synthesizers, and either a solo altosaxophone, ahorn section or the synthesizer equivalent. InCreole, it is spelled askonpa dirèk or simplykonpa. It is commonly spelled as it is pronounced askompa.[53]
Dancing is an important part of Haitian social life. Used for celebrations such as church socials and informal parties, rituals, as well as evenings out with friends. In small restaurants, social dance music is provided by relatively smalltwoubadou groups, while larger clubs with big dance floors often feature dance bands reminiscent of theTropicana Club of Havana, Cuba. Social dance music has been one of the most heavily creolized music forms in Haiti. Creolized dance forms mixed from African traditions, Arawak/Taino, European and developed distinct local origins:
In the decades after 1804, when Haiti became the first independent black republic, southern whites in the United States were concerned that the example of a successful slave insurrection would inspire a similar revolt on their plantations. Since the early nineteenth century, then, white U.S. fiction about Haiti has been concerned with the depiction of Haitians as savages, consumed by a thirst for white blood. Negative stereotyping of Haitians by white writers has persisted to the present in the form of movies and books that transform the religion of Haitians from a healing ceremony into a satanic ritual.
The French influences in Haiti are present in their cuisine, but more so it is representative of their location in theCaribbean. They do however have their own flavor as a result of the lack of Spanish influence on their island compared to others in the Caribbean. The cooking style used in Haiti is predominately Creole and includes heavy use of pepper in the majority of their dishes. A main staple in Haiti Is starch, and many of their dishes include potatoes, rice, corn, beans, and plantains.
There is also a strong presence of tropical fruits in their cuisine due to their ability to grow in thetropical climate. This includes pineapples, coconuts, mangoes, and other fruits that are used for many dishes and beverages. Food also has importance in religious and status-symbol type forms. Foods that are considered delicacies in Haiti include French inspired cheeses and meats and are a symbol of money and power. Typically these types of meals are only served in the richest part of Haiti, namely in the capital ofPort-au-Prince. As far as religious meals go, the Catholics in Haiti typically enjoy more elaborate meals during Christmas Eve.
Haiti is similar to the rest ofLatin America, in that it is a predominantlyChristian country, with 80%Roman Catholic and approximately 16% professingProtestantism. A small population ofMuslims andHindus exist in the country, principally in the capital ofPort-au-Prince.
Vodou, encompassing several different traditions, consists of a mix of Central and Western African, European, and Native American (Taíno) religions, is also widely practiced, despite the negative stigma that it carries both in and out of the country. The exact number of Vodou practitioners is unknown; however, it is believed that a small proportion of the population practice it, often alongside theirChristian faith. Some secular Christians also have been known to participate in some rituals, although indirectly.
In 1998, a World Bank estimation claimed that approximately 800,000 Haitian citizens were residents of Dominican Republic. By 2001, approximately 15,000 Haitians had migrated to Dominican Republic to work in sugar mills.[56] Haitian workers also migrated to other countries such as the United States, France, Canada, the Bahamas and other Caribbean Islands. In 2006, approximately 800,000 Haitians resided in the United States (especially in the Miami and New York City areas), 60,000 Haitians were living in France (especially Paris) 40,000 in Canada (especially Montreal) while 80,000 were dispersed between the Bahamas and other Caribbean Islands.[56] The Haitian migration has greatly hindered the development of Haiti in comparison to other countries. Some of the country's most skilled individuals have migrated elsewhere; an estimated 70 percent of Haiti's skilled human resources have left Haiti. In the 2010 U.S. Census, 907,790 citizens identified as Haitian immigrants or with their primary ancestry being Haitian. An increase of just over 100,000 Haitians from 2006. The confiscation of property, massacres, and prosecution caused the upper and middle class of Haiti to migrate to more developed countries in Europe and the United States.[57][58]
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