Haiti+Group


 * [[image:Picture_1.png width="463" height="360"]]

Haitian Culture:** Schwartz, T. T. (2010). //Culture of Haiti.// Countries and Their Cultures. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from: [|http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Haiti.html] Although Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, the Haitian people have a long established tradition of rich cultural customs. Haitians place great emphasis on etiquette in social situations including the importance of greetings in communication, public modesty and the practice of bartering for goods. Cultural celebrations that honor Haitian language, cuisine, music, and dancing reflect the pride Haitians have in their independent status. The role of gender and family dynamics are particularly significant in Haitian culture and are often indicative of social class. The class structure is not only based on marital status, education and wealth, but also reflective of skin color, competency in the French language and the degree to which one has adapted to Western trends in dress and styling. One important point the site makes is that most Haitian immigrants to the United States originate from the Haitian middle or upper social classes. However, these same middle and upper class citizens are often designated to be lower class citizens once arriving in the United States based on their immigrant status and skin color. I found this site to be a useful guide to overall Haitian culture explaining many important Haitian cultural norms that will no doubt carry over into the classroom. Having an understanding of these cultural norms and the great divide among social classes is beneficial to teachers and other educational staff that will be working with Haitian immigrants as they adjust to life in America. This cultural knowledge is imperative when establishing a classroom environment of inclusion and acceptance in order to provide opportunities to build the Haitian student’s confidence. I will reflect upon the information learned from this site in order to form respectful, communicative exchanges with Haitian students and families. (Julie) Steber, M. (2010, January 21). //Essay: A Culture in Jeopardy Too.// New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2010, from: [] This essay touches on a tremendously important issue now facing the Haitian people. After the destruction of the country’s capital and outlying regions in the earthquake, how will the international response to the rebuilding efforts in Haiti influence the Haitian culture? Haiti’s impoverished state and lack of infrastructure positions the country at the mercy of other nations willing to assist in rebuilding endeavors. Now that Haitians find themselves in this vulnerable situation will they lose say in how their country is restructured? This essay also illustrates some positive results of the destruction. Many of the corrupt governmental agencies that have been accused of holding Haiti back from true economic independence have been destroyed. According to that perspective, this is the Haitian peoples chance to reclaim their country and continue moving forward. According to the author, they already have. Haitians are in the process of rebuilding their homes and communities as they wait for aid from the rest of the world. It is important to recognize what is potentially in jeopardy in Haiti with the intervention of global relief. The governments and organizations spending the money to rebuild Haiti will have strong opinions on how the country should be restructured. Who is going to ensure that this restructuring is going to benefit the Haitian people and culture? I think this topic needs to be approached delicately yet realistically with the Haitian population in New York. Many Haitian immigrants have family currently dealing with this issue in Haiti. There is potential for these efforts to escalate the level of resentment Haitians have against the United States, which many argue already exists. This issue would serve as a useful tool in the classroom when dealing with subject areas involving social justice, economics and cultural studies. (Julie)

La Troupe Zetwal. (2010, March 21). //Haitian Dance: Movement Rooted in Ritual and Tradition// (Excerpts from an article written by Ellen Bleier). Retrieved March 18, 2010, from: [] Dance is an important part of Haitian culture and is used as a means of expression for the Haitian people. Haitian dance has its own unique style and is comprised of several types of African dance and cultural traditions. Old African songs and dance styles are mixed together with French culture to define this specific style of dance that the Haitian people have crafted. Voodoo also influences Haitian dance and it is described as being dance filled with spiritual significance and oppositional emotions. The drum is the instrument that rules Haitian dance and every motion is linked to its sound. The true spirit of Haitian dance can be experienced once the dancer relaxes into the beat of the drum and allows their body to move freely to its rhythm. Haitian dance is used as a spiritual, emotional, cultural and physical means of expression. It is important for educators to understand the significance of dance in the Haitian culture in order to provide opportunities for Haitian students to express themselves and possibly advocate the creation of a Haitian dance club so that students have access to this significant cultural tradition. (Julie) Watkins, T. (n.d.). //Political// //and Economic History of Haiti.// San Jose, CA. San Jose State University, Department of Economics. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from: []Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola, consisting of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, in 1492 and subsequently claimed the territory for Spain. Spanish settlers in Hispaniola enslaved the native population which quickly died out and then began importing slaves from Africa to work the land. By the middle of the 17th century, France began to actualize its interest in the island and eventually Spain relinquished control of the territory that is known today as the nation of Haiti. The French continued to import slaves at a rapid rate in order to maintain the demands of the coffee and sugar industries that flourished on Haitian land. White landowners held elite social status in Haiti and a large middle class of mulattoes emerged as a result of the white population producing mixed offspring with African slaves. The mulatto offspring of the white elite class were given special privileges, became land owners and established wealth that elevated their social status above that of their African relatives. This had an enormous impact on Haitian society and resulted in very clear class divisions that remain deeply imbedded in Haitian society and culture. The Haitian fight for independence from France lasted from 1791 until 1804 and was the first successful slave rebellion in post-colonial times. As a result, the notion of freedom is particularly important to the Haitian community. Being informed of the Haitian people’s history as a dominated culture and as a culture organized by a distinct class system will be beneficial in teaching Haitian immigrants to the United States. Through researching Haitian history, I have discovered that the Haitian people have a determined, strong spirited and proud background. This cultural legacy should be celebrated in the classroom by giving Haitian students educational opportunities that promote creativity and innovation. (Julie)
 * Haitian History:**

// A Brief History of Haiti that Every American Should Know // (2010, February 2). Retrieved March 14, 2010 from You Tube [] This video dedication reads “ Video dedicated to all the Americans who do not see that Haiti is in the state it is because of your government. Learn some history folks, pick up a book or watch a documentary once in a while.” After watching this video it is apparent that many Haitians feel suppressed by the United States’ efforts to import rice and offer aid to the struggling country. There is obvious resentment present in Haitians’ attitudes towards the US governmental policy that has in essence damaged the agricultural efforts of Haitian peasants. By subsidizing the US rice industry thereby making imported rice more affordable than locally grown Haitian rice, the local rice market has disintegrated and resulted in the mass populations of Haiti relying on the United States and other foreign imports for their main sources of food. Many Haitians also feel that the United States, although offering aid in times of need, has manipulated the distribution of aid to keep Haiti in an impoverished state. These same Haitians expressed the desire to overcome dependency on other nations for their own survival. Educators and those working with Haitian immigrant populations should be aware of this underlying relationship between the US and Haiti in order to approach interactions with sensitivity and sincerity. Students should be given a voice in the classroom to discuss how international relations between the US and Haiti have affected their family’s immigration experience. (Julie)media type="youtube" key="YxUk2NSwcEs" height="385" width="640"

__**Haitian Religions and Beliefs**__ Civan, M. (2004, February 14). //Haitians:their history and culture.// Cultural Orientation Resource Center Retrieved March 17, 2010, from : [] // Haitians: Their History and Culture, // is a booklet that consists of several different aspects of the Haitian culture written by Michelle Burtoff Civan. In this piece Civan writes about the religion of the Haitian culture. She writes that although Voodoo is considered the national religion of Haiti, eighty percent of Haitians are considered to be Roman Catholic and the other twenty percent are varying dominations of the Protestant religion. According to Burtoff-Civan Voodoo is a religion based on spirits. This belief was brought to the Haitian culture from the West Africans that were brought to Haiti as slaves. The West Africans instilled this belief into the Haitian culture while combining aspects of Christianity. This combination transformed into what some Haitians practice today, a religious mix of Roman Catholic and Voodoo. This articles gives a good background of the creation of Voodoo and how the religion has formed over time. Michelle Burtoff Civan was a linguistic and teacher specializing in Haitian culture. There are several other co-writers that read and contributed to the text as well. There seems to be a lot of research done to complete the whole pamphlet not just this aspect of religion. Michelle Burtoff Civan was also an ESL teacher and worked in the field of refugee education. I think the basis she provides on the different aspects of the Haitian culture is informative and a good foundation for exploring more about the Voodoo religion. (Jill)

Cosentino, D. //Teaching about Haiti.// Teaching For Change //(//Reprinted February 1992) Retrieved March 17, 2010, from: [] //Teaching About Haiti// is a document that has been written to help teachers inform their students about the Haitian culture. Donald Consetino is an associate professor at UCLA. He teaches African and Caribbean folklore and mythology. He writes about the Vodou religion of the Hatian culture. He describes how the religion has been established and more and more accepted in the Haitian and American cultures. Voudou is in the Fon language means spirit. Fon people are from the country of Benin, located in West Africa. These people among many others were brought to Haiti as slaves during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Consentino dicusses the different types of spirits that are worshiped in the Vodou religion. Twin spirits, ancestoral spirits, and spririts representing nature or human emotions were all formed into one spirit form, Bondye. Consentino describes the practices of the Vodou religion and how the spirits are call apon for help or safety for the followers. The Vodou religion helped the Africans survive slavery and embarked on the New World they were set in. The religion is controversial and not accepted by all Haitians. The Vodou religion is seen more outside of the Capital City, although it was recognized, at the time this article was written, by the Haitian constitution. Some aspects of the American culture have taken on elements of Vodou, represented in American music. Haitian art is also influenced by the Vodou religion. This art is appreciated by many Americans today. The information presented provides great detail about the actual Vodou religion and the practices of it's followers. The articles is a good way to present the Haitian culture within the classroom since it ties in how Americans have also been exposed to certain aspects of the culture. Consentino writes of how the religion is seen in America through art and music. The article also discusses how the slaves used their religion to hold onto their African heritage through many years of slavery. This is important for children to understand in order to embraced their own cultures.(Jill)

** Haitian Education and Language **

Bracken, A. (2006, September 8). //Haiti:exhausted school system gets a second chance//. Rome, Italy: Inter Press Service News Agency. Retrieved from March 5, 2010 [] This article deals with edcuation in the Haitian School System. It should be noted that it was written before the recent devasting earthquake that occured in Haiti. This article really demonstrates that Haiti had a lot of problems even before the earthquake hit and now the country really needs help more then ever. This article discusses how January can be a very stressful and depressing time in Haiti. In this poor country many people cannot afford to send their children to school and they pray and hope for bonuses form their employers, donation from charitable causes and money sent from relatives living overseas. In Haiti in order to receive a quality education (before the earthquake) many sacrifies often needed to be made. Many family actually went without food, clothing and medication in order to save enough money to educate their children. Education in Haiti is viewed as a privilege rather then a right and only the privilege few receive an education. This is the very sad fact of life when growing in Haiti. I chose this article because it interested me about my country. I realized that Haitian immigrants try hard to go work and school later on I could help my Haitian people in their communities. Also this article help me as a counselor because based on the information, I could help the new Haitian people who just arrive to the United State how to cope with that disasted and informed them how to adapt with American system (Merantine).

Michelle B. //(//Reprinted February 2004). //Haitians- Their History and Culture: Language and Literacy.// Washington, D.C.: Cultural Orientation Resource Center. Retrieved March 17, 2010 [|http://][|www.cal.org/co/haiti/htoc.html]. This source is great because it's like a one stop shop of everything that you want to know concerning Haiti's Language and Culture. By taking the time to explore this site you can learn a great deal about the country of Haiti. Some of the subjects covered in this information site include: Geography, the people of Haiti, The Economy, Historical Information such as the the colonial era, independence and ruling a new nation, Duvalier to the present. The site also covers aspects of language and literacy. In terms of educational information the site breaks down the information by: Education Reform and Implications for the American Practitioner.The site starts off by roviding information on the history of the Haitian School System. It tells the reader that "Haiti's first schools were established shortly after the Constitution of 1804". As the site points out the educational system in Haiti is in very poor shape and although there was an educational reform has been taking place since the 1970s the country really has a very lon way to go (Merantine).

Tyler C. (2006, April 27). //Haiti Social Resilience and State Fragility in Haiti//. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank. Retrieved from March 5,2010. [].This article is very interesting as it demonstrates the importance of the Haitian people to receive a quality education. Haitians greatly desire raising their children in the United States for the sake of an education and other advantages that are inherent to the U.S. that Haitian simply do not have in Haiti. The article says that education is the most powerful and effective way for the poor people of Haiti to be able to escape extreme poverty and to live a better life.The article mentions some very important and alarming facts such as that "Of the world's poorest countries, Haiti is the only one in which more than 50 percent of children are enrolled in non-stated schools'. The article also mentions that there are 14,424 private schools and 1,240 public schools in the country. An alarming 92% of the schools in Haiti are non-state schools. Also the public school are mainly in urban areas of Haiti. This means that for most people in Haiti it is very difficult and expensive to receive a quality edcucation. I believe the Haitian government need to change the school system there. The government should make education affordable for every one (Merantine).

Richard A. (1989). //Haiti: A Country Study//. Washington, D.C.: GPO for the Library of Congress. Retrieved March 5, 2010 from: [].This site discusses the two main languages that are spoken in Haiti. These languages are Creole and French. The site provides a great summary of the history of the Haitian Languages and how these languages are related to each other. This is a very long and complex relationship that is very interesting to read about.According to this site nine out of ten people in Haiti only knew how to speak Creole. Creole is the everyday language in Haiti and everyone know how to speak it. Also only one out of ten Haitians speak French and only one in twenty people are fluent in both Creole and French. The fact that two languages are spoken actually brought about some confusion and separated the people of Haiti. This is a very good information and historical site and it would make for an excellent reference for anyone who wants to study the culture and language of Haiti. (Merantine).

Ashby-Jobes, S., Buison V., Nuamah N.A. (2001). //Flatbush Avenue: Little Haiti.// New York, NY: Voices of New York. Retrieved March 5, 2010. [].Many Haitian immigrants come to New York without realizing many Haitians live here. As this site explains New York City is extremely culturally diverse and many immigrants are able to call this great city home. Language is an import part of the Haitian culture and identity and New York University seems to support the Language of America's ethnic minorities and this should come as a comfort to the Haitian community. According to the site "To be in New York is to be in a city of countless tongues". This is a great point as New Yorkers have a reputation for being outspoken and very forward when they speak. Well, being outspoken and blunt doesn't always have to be heard in English as the city of New York is made up of many different kinds of people who speak many different languages.In Haiti many people speak Creole. There are many cultural aspects to the Creole language which is usd in literature, dram, music, dance, and other types of performance art. Port-au-Prince is the cultural center of Haiti and is home to museums, libraries, and other entertainment venue and thanks to programs offered by NYU our language will be preserved in this country and in this great city for a very long time. I chose this site because I realized it's one of the best compared to the others. It explains how so many Haitians are living in one area. However, when I first got married, I used to live around there until I moved out. East Flatbush is a big Haitian community and it's also multicultural area where you see so many people different background beside Haitian. As a counselor I would like to work in a community like that because I could relate more to my people (Merantine). **__ Haitian Art __** Gordon, L. (1995, April). //A raw vision-contemporary Haitian art//. //Haiti Briefing// Number 12. Haitian Support Group Retrieved March 17, 2010, from: [] The article by Leah Gordon describes the unique art of the Haitian culture. The article also discusses a few of the most predominant artists from Haiti. The art of Haiti is mainly painting, but also consists of metal sculptors and flag makers. The slave revolt that ended in 1804 isolating Haiti from the rest of the Caribbean attributed to the unique style of Haitian art. Haitian art has a strong link to the Vodou religion, which is seen in everyday life. Several Haitian artists served the Iwa and the hougans which are Vodou spirits and priests. They painted murals in the humfors (temples) and decorated flags for the ceremonies to summon the Iwa. De Witt Peters was an American teacher who traveled to Haiti in 1953. After seeing the talent of the Haitian artists who at the time were blacksmiths or decorators, he helped the artists establish the Centre D'Art. Here artists could develop their skills and make their work accessible to more viewers. Many artists joined the Centre D'Art and have become famous for their work, including Hector Hyppolite (painter) and George Liautaud (metalwork). The article touches on other types of art that are done by unknown artists for their political context. Many murals are put up over night depicting governmental issues of the time. Haitian art has also been exposed to Western commercialism. Although there are many wonderful artists in Haiti some of the art is massed produced and not of the unique quality that one would like to find. Haitian artists have been exploited for their naivety, not understanding the true value of their creations. Westerns have come and sold artists' work for high prices, never giving the money to its rightful owner. Artists have also struggled the hardships of the bad economy and a loss of materials, however with this came a greater chance for creativity and many works that were created during this time are considered a rarity. This article helps to depict the lives of the artists in Haiti and gives a good background of how their unique style came to be. For many students this shows that although Haiti is not in high economic standing there are still jobs in which one can flourish. (Jill)

Trenton, D. (2001, July 11). //Despite turmoil, art flourishes in Haiti.// Haitian Times. The Haitian Support Group Retrieved March 17, 2010, from: [] This article by Daniel Trenton sheds positive and negative light on Haitian art, artists, gallery owners, and the government. The article starts off by describing the the beautiful and internationally known artwork done in Haiti. There is bright colored art everywhere which helps the people of Haiti during the hard times with it vast use of colors. Through art, political issues have also been expressed. The dispute between President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the Democratic opposition inspired several artist's work during the time. Haitian artists are inspired by their surroundings, their religion (spirit of the people), cultural heritage (French, Hispanic, African, and the United States) and everyday life, making it truly expressive. Several gallery owners are quoted in the article speaking about the benefits Haitian artists have received from the outside help of commercialism. They feel that this help has put Haitian art on the map and given them a name. Others are not so sure fearing the Haitian art is dying and losing it's true value. That artists should be be inspired by their craft and not by money and commercialism alike. Some feel that gallery owner's ignorance will lead to the end of this inspired art and that the government is not doing anything to help promote the artists' work. This article shows many facets of the Haitian culture and how art has been so expressive in the Haitian government and religion. Students can use this information to learn more about the Haitian culture and how something like art can help bring a struggling country to life.(Jill) // Haitian artists: forged in the fire. // (2007, February 24). //Independent News and Media//. The Haitian Support Group Retrieved March 17, 2010, from: [] The article __//Forged in Fire//__, is written about a sculpture that has been created by Haitian artists and young adults in Haiti. The sculpture expresses the lives of the people in Haiti. It is a compilation of all the artists' thoughts and feelings about living in the violence that surrounds them everyday. They speak of the despair and hardships that everyone faces in daily life. The article tells of how these young adults and artists work together using whatever materials they can find to create the sculpture. Their work is a symbol of struggle, support, and freedom. This article is a great resource for teachers. It shows how expressive art can be and how people use it to learn more about themselves and each other. It is a good piece of writing to let students use to compare with their own life. This article relates art to life instead of just giving facts, it makes art real and more personal. (Jill)

[] [] Additional Haitian cultural sites:Photos and Cultural Information about Haiti from Patrice Douge [|http://www.haitiphotos.com] Afro-Haitian Dance []
 * Pictures**: