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Haitians

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Haitians
Haïtiens / Ayisyen
National Flag of Haiti
Total population
c. 13 million
Regions with significant populations
 Haiti 10,604,000[1]
 United States929,074[2][3]
 Dominican Republic800,000[4]
 Cuba300,000[5]
 Canada137,995[6]
 France90,000[7][8]
 Bahamas80,000[9]
 French Guiana42,500[10]
 Guyana33,500[11]
 Venezuela30,000[12]
 Brazil15,000[13]
 Saint Martin13,885[14]
 Guadeloupe8,000[14]
 Dominica7,600[15]
 Turks and Caicos Islands6,900[15]
 Suriname4,000[16]
 Martinique4,000[14]
 Chile4,000[17]
 Mexico1,935[18]
 Puerto Rico1,760[19]
 U.S. Virgin Islands1,673[20]
 Belgium1,500-2,000[21]
 Cayman Islands1,500[15]
  Switzerland1,000[22]
 United Kingdom1,000[23]
 Ecuador1,000[24]
 Aruba1,000[15]
 Argentina600[25]
 Netherlands594[26]
 Spain335[27]
 Italy262[28][29]
 Austria52[30]
 Australia25[31]
 Japan23[32]
Languages
French and Haitian Creole
Religion
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant[33] 16%, (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), other 3% (Islam,[34] Bahá'í Faith,[35] Judaism)[36]
Related ethnic groups
French, Africans, Latin Americans, Louisiana Creoles, Other Francophone people (particularly French Antillean and French Canadian)

Haitians (French: haïtiens, Haitian creole: ayisyen) are the inhabitants and citizens of Haiti. A Haitian can be also a person born abroad to a Haitian parent or a foreigner living in Haiti who acquired Haitian citizenship.

Definitions

Main article: History of Haitian nationality and citizenship

According to the Constitution of Haiti, a Haitian citizen is:

  • Anyone, regardless of where they are born, is considered Haitian if either their mother or father is a native-born citizen of Haiti. (A person born in Haiti does not automatically receive citizenship).
  • A foreigner living in Haiti who has had a continuous period of Haitian residence for five years can apply for citizenship and will have the right to vote, but is not eligible to hold public office until five years after their date of naturalization, excluding those offices reserved for native-born Haitians by Constitutional law.

Dual citizenship

The Haitian Constitution 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).

Ethnic groups

Schoolchildren from Hinche (Centre)

Haiti is a majority black country (80% are of mixed African and other racial makeup),[37] however many peoples of different ethnic and national backgrounds have settled and had major influence in the country's 200+ year history such as Poles[38][39] (Polish legion), Jews[38][40] (arriving from the Polish legion and during the Holocaust), Arabs[41] (from the Arab diaspora), Chinese,[42] Indians,[43][44] Spanish, Germans[45][46] (18th century and World War I), Italians,[41] and French, most marrying into the majority black populace and in turn yielding mulattoes (many of whom are prominent in Haitian society).

Languages

Further information: Haitian French and Haitian Creole

The official languages of Haiti are French and Haitian 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 uses. 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.

Culture

Art

See also: Haitian art

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[191][192] 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.

Music and dance

The music 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 of Hispaniola and minor native Taino influences. Styles of music unique to the nation of Haiti include music derived from Vodou ceremonial traditions, Rara parading music, Twoubadou ballads, Mini-jazz rock bands, Rasin movement, Hip hop Kreyòl, Méringue,[47] and Compas. Youth attend parties at nightclubs called discos, (pronounced "deece-ko"), and attend Bal. This term is the French word for ball, as in a formal dance.

Compas, short for compas 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, with méringue as its basic rhythm. In Creole, it is spelled as konpa dirèk or simply konpa. It is commonly spelled as it is pronounced as kompa.[48]

Until 1937, Haiti has had no recorded music, until Jazz Guignard was recorded non-commercially. One of the most popular Haitian artists today, is Wyclef Jean. Wyclef Jean, however, left the country before his teenage years. His music is somewhat hip-hop mixed with world music.

Cuisine

Main article: Haitian cuisine
A table set with Haitian cuisine

Haitian cuisine originates from several culinary styles from the various historical ethnic groups that populated the western portion of the island of Hispaniola. Haitian cuisine is similar to the rest of the Latin-Caribbean (the French and the Spanish-speaking countries of the Antilles), however it differs in several ways from its regional counterparts. While the cuisine is unpretentious and simple, the flavors are bold and spicy that demonstrate a primary influence of African culinary aesthetic, paired with a very French sophistication.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Haiti

Haiti is similar to the rest of Latin America, in that it is a predominantly Christian country, with 80% Roman Catholic and approximately 16% professing Protestantism. A small population of Muslims and Hindus exist in the country, principally in the capital of Port-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 amount of the population practice it, often alongside their Christian faith. Some secular Christians also have been known to participate in some rituals, although indirectly.

Notable Haitians

Main article: List of Haitians

See also

References

  1. ^ Haiti & The Dominican Republic IMF population estimates
  2. ^ American FactFinder - Results
  3. ^ "Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  4. ^ Pina, Diógenes. "DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Deport Thy (Darker-Skinned) Neighbour". Inter Press Service (IPS). Archived from the original on March 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Haiti in Cuba Retrieved 2013-12-30.
  6. ^ 2011 Canada Census: Ethnic Origin (National)
  7. ^ "Haitian Creole", Ethnologue.com Website, accessed 4 May 2011
  8. ^ Jean-François, Macollvie (8 June 2004), "The French dis-connection: Haitians struggle to make their mark in Paris", Haitian Times, archived from the original on 2012-03-12, retrieved 2013-06-22
  9. ^ Bahamas outlook clouds for Haitians by Nick Davis, BBC News, 20 September 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
  10. ^ French Guiana
  11. ^ Celebrating 50 years of the Haitian diaspora in Guyana
  12. ^ Ice cream sales a lifeline for Haitians in Caracas
  13. ^ Overwhelmed by Haitian immigrants, Brazil may temporarily shut border crossing
  14. ^ a b c French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique
  15. ^ a b c d "People Groups: Haiti". Joshua Project. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  16. ^ Haïtianen: blij in Suriname - Parbode Magazine
  17. ^ “Little Haiti”: Chilean city attracts recent wave of Haitian immigration
  18. ^ Estadísticas históricas de México 2009
  19. ^ Illegal Immigration Through Puerto Rico Is Skyrocketing Too | The Daily Caller
  20. ^ 2010 Census U.S. Virgin Islands: Place of Birth
  21. ^ Réunion "de famille" pour les Haïtiens de Belgique - La Libre.be
  22. ^ "Diaspora wants a say in Haiti's future". Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  23. ^ BBC News - Earthquake in Haiti brings UK community together
  24. ^ Haitian Trafficking Victims Discovered in Ecuador
  25. ^ AfroAmericanas: Inmigrantes haitianos en Argentina -según La Nacion.com
  26. ^ Haïtianen in Nederland in onzekerheid - archief nrc.nl
  27. ^ Padrón municipal, cifras de población. Haitianos en España. EPA.com.es
  28. ^ Statistiche: haitiani in Italia
  29. ^ Haitiani in Italia - statistiche e distribuzione per regione
  30. ^ Haitianer bangen um ihre Verwandten « DiePresse.com
  31. ^ Homeland is where the heart is for Haitians
  32. ^ Haitian in Japan | Black Tokyo
  33. ^ [1], Cia.gov Website, accessed 4 May 2011
  34. ^ [2], The Muslim Population in Haiti
  35. ^ [3], Most Baha'i Nations (2005), accessed 30 December 2013
  36. ^ [4], The Virtual Jewish World: Haiti
  37. ^ "CIA - The World Factbook -- Haiti". CIA. Retrieved 2013-10-12. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ a b "The Polish Influence in Casale, Haiti and Contribution to the Haitian Revolution". Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  39. ^ "Polish Haitians: How They Came to Be". Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  40. ^ "Haiti". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  41. ^ a b "From Lebanon to Haiti: A Story Going Back to the 19th Century". Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  42. ^ "Chinese in Haiti may be evacuated". China Daily. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  43. ^ Ayitinou.com - India-Haiti: relationships that are consolidated Archived 2013-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
  44. ^ The Hindu - Indians in Haiti seek monetary help
  45. ^ "Haiti And The German Connection". Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  46. ^ "Haiti Net Foreign Relations". Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  47. ^ "Music and the Story of Haiti". Afropop Worldwide. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  48. ^ Wise, Brian. "Band's Haitian Fusion Offers Fellow Immigrants a Musical Link to Home". New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2015.

Further reading

  • Moreau de Saint Mery, Louis (1797–1798). Description topographic, physical, civil, and political history of the French part of the isle Saint-Domingue. Paris.
  • Garrigus, John (2006). Before Haiti: Race and Citizenship in French Saint-Domingue. U.S.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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