Haitians

Haïti is one out of 6 Francophone counties and territories in the Americas(in fact is the only one of those that is an independent country) that has a population which refers to themselves as Créole.The term Créole as used in Haïti and the rest of the French West Indies refers to the natives of these areas. Créole natif natal is a term used in Haïti to refer to someone born and raised in that country. 80-85% of Haïti’s population is made up of black Creoles, the descendants of Africans brought to the island in captivity during French colonialism. The remaining 20-15% are of a racially mixed background. A small percentage of the non-black population consists of white Creoles (Mostly of French, German or Polish ancestry) there are also some Haitians of Arab origin Haitians of East Asian origin number approximately 400.

The Créole idientity is one that unifies Haitians of all races. It’s the language, the music, the food and the culture that connects not only all Haitians but all People of the French West Indies. In Haïti everyone is Créole but there are terms to refer to a person or race/racial mix of a person based on a person’s skin color.

• Blanc adj./n. A white person (this term is also used on a non racial basis to refer to foreigners)
• Brun adj. to have a brown skin complexion
• Grimaud adj./n. a faire skinned Negro
• Jaune adj. to be “yellow skinned” (fairer than a grimaud)
• Marabout n. a person of mixed African and Taino descent or African, European and Taino descent (typically dark or brown skinned with loosely coiled or straight hair)
• Marron adj. to have a brown or chestnut skin complexion
• Mulâtre n. a faire skinned Negro who has loosely coiled or straight hair
• Nègre n. A black person (all Haitians regardless of race are concidered black)
• Négresse n. a black female
• Noir n. A black person and all mixes of black
• Rose adj. to be “pink skinned” (fairer than a jaune and very faire in complexion)