Haiti History and Culture

Haiti culture is a mixture of African, West Indian and French cultures. The residents of Haiti are referred as Haitian and use Creole language as their national language. In addition, creole language is commonly used in Haiti’s drama, music, literature and arts. Haitians are very creative and talented artists.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Haiti History and Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Their art work is popular worldwide as a result of its unique design and appealing colors. The Haitian culture features the Spanish, American as well as the French music. Haitian music is characterized by beating of drum which is considered by Haitian as a very essential musical instrument. Compas or kompa Direk is the most common Haitian music worldwide. The term compas was derived from a Spanish word that refers to rhythm. Despite Haiti music being very popular worldwide, Haiti music was not recorded until in the year 1937 when Guignard first recorded his jazz music in the year. Haiti music is often derived from Haitian ceremonies and traditions. It is usually characterized by fast tempo beats that are accompanied by saxophone, electric guitars, horns as well as synthesizers. Among the most popular Haitian music are Mizik, Rara, Zouk, Mini-Jazz and Haitian Rap (Daly, 2002).). Haiti culture is famous for its great festivities. Haiti has a great festival referred as Kanaval Creole that is celebrated on February. During this festival, Haitian leaves their day-to-day activities and goes to the street singing and dancing Haitian’s tradition music. The festival comprises of continuous parade floats as well as music and dances in the entire festival season. The festival marks the start of the holiest moments of the year. It leads to the time of repentance as well as abstinence. During this season most Haitian prays for forgiveness as well as rebirth. The festival ends during the day of Mardi-Gras which is also referred as Fat-Tuesday. This day was named after the norm that is characterized by consumption of all kinds of fats in Haitian residents prior to Easter season. Another similar festival that is common in Haiti is the Mardi-Gras or Ash Wednesday festival. The festival is noted by its fantastic parades that consist of pageants, masked balls, floats as well as elaborate costumes and seductive music. Drapo Art is another famous festival in Haiti that is celebrated in Haiti, but in limited capacity. The festival is common especially to the followers of the voodoo religion. The festival is characterized by voodoo flags that are colorfully painted and beautifully adorned. These paintings are considered as sacred and are greatly valued by the followers of voodoo religion. Another common Haitian festival is the Take Action that is normally celebrated as one of Haitian non-religious festival. This festival acts a mental boost to Haitians. During this festival, Haitia n use the occasion as a charitable opportunity to help the less privileged people.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More During this festival, Haitians distribute foods as well as clothes to the poor. Krik! Krak Festival is a Haitian family based festival that is characterized by songs, music, dances as well as riddles. The festival gives Haitian a chance to rejoice. Apart from these aforementioned festivals, Haitian also celebrates other common festivals such Christmas, New Year as well as Easter festivals that are also widely celebrated in other parts of the worlds. Haitian are mainly Christians with 80% of them being Catholics. Another religion that is common in Haiti is voodoo which is highly practiced in many regions of Haiti. The religion is characterized by a mixture of Europeans, African as well as religions customs. Voodoo is often regarded as Haiti’s national religio n. It is regarded as the nation national religion because many Haitian directly or indirectly practice it. Voodoo is considered as a family spirit that is known to help and protect those people that practice it. The religion does not feature any know theology or any organized hierarchy. It however contains its own rituals, ceremonies as well as alters that its followers do not regard to contradict the Catholics norms. In Haiti many Roman Catholic churches have prayers as well as symbols that are blended with voodoo rituals that results into a unique Haitian religion. For instance, pictures of the Catholics saints are often painted on the church walls to portray the voodoo spirits. In addition, during funerals family members initially undergo voodoo ceremonies and rituals before the Catholic ceremony presiding over (Colin, 1998). Haiti Cuisine is generally a mixture of African, French as well as Spanish and Haiti native cooking methods, dishes as well as ingredients. Rice as well as beans forms Haitian staple food. Haitians are also fond of meat and vegetables which makes them common in Haitian menu. Goat, chicken, beef and fish are the main sources of meat in Haiti, whereas carrots, cabbages, peppers as well as tomatoes are the chief vegetables in Haitian foods. Griot is the main dish in Haiti. The dish is commonly served during family ceremonies as well as during parties. The dish is prepared by first soaking cubes of pork in sour orange marinade which are then slow-roasted until they become tender. They are then fried in oil until they are delectable caramelized. Another popular dish in Haiti is Pikliz. The dish is prepared with carrots, Cabbage and chilies. The vegetable are initially soaked in vinegar. The salad is provided as a supplement in Haitian meals.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Haiti History and Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Haiti culture job market is gender bias ed where Haitian men monopolize the job market. In Haiti it is only men that work in the construction industry, jewelers, mechanics, general laborers as well as chauffeurs. It is also noted that most professionals such as engineers, doctors as well as politicians are mainly men. Nevertheless, nowadays many Haitians women have enrolled in schools and thus play a pivotal role in Haiti’s job market and particularly in the field of medicine. However, despite many Haitian women pursuing formal education, they are still greatly discriminated as they are regarded as being inferior to men. Most schools directors in the country are men. Similarly, men also dominantly act as spiritual healers as well as herbal practitioners. In the religious sphere, Haitian culture does not allow women to become pastors. Thus, all pastors in Haiti are men. The Haitian culture regards women as home makers. Subsequently, Haitian women are required to take care of their homes by cooking for their husbands and raising children. In addition, Haitian women are required to do the cleaning, washing of clothes, fetching water and firewood as well as helping in planting and harvesting crops. The few professional jobs that Haitian women dominantly occupy include teaching, nursing. Similarly, Haiti women also dominate in marketing and especially in sectors that deal with goods such as garden produce, tobacco as well as fish. Conversely, Haitian culture considers men as the head of the families. Men in Haiti are solely required to provide for their families. They are entirely required to manage the family farms as well as livestock (Jacobson, 2003).) In Haiti, marriage is considered for the elite as well as for the middle class. Marriages in Haiti stand at less than 40% of the non-elite population that marries. In Haiti a union between a man and a woman is regarded as complete and receives the full respect of the community when the man builds a house for his family and after the birth of the firstborn. When this happen marriages occurs later in the couple’s life when the children have grown up. Haiti culture permits families only to reside on possessions that belong to the man’s family. Although polygamy is not legalized in Haiti, a considerable number of Haiti men have more than one wife. Polygamy is a condition that is generally acknowledged in Haitian community. In the polygamous families, women reside with their children in different homesteads that are provided by their men. Haiti men are considered to be very promiscuous and thus, extra marital affairs are common among the wealthy Haiti men as well as the unmarried Haitian women. Haitian culture does not allow marriages between first cousins, but permits marriages between distant relatives.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Haiti culture does not allow Haiti men to pay the dowry for their brides. When women are married, the Haitian culture requires them to bring certain domestic items with them. On the other hand, Haitian men are expected to build a house for their wife (wives) as well as to provide garden for the family. In Haiti both men and women are entitled to inherit from their parents (Jacobson, 2003). Reference List Colin, D. (1998). Haiti History and Gods. California: University of California press Daly, A. (2002). Haiti Culture. New York: Prentice Hall Jacobson, E. (2003). An introduction to the Culture of Haiti. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press This essay on Haiti History and Culture was written and submitted by user Giselle Daniels to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Depiction of Native Americans in American Film Essays

Depiction of Native Americans in American Film Essays Depiction of Native Americans in American Film Essay Depiction of Native Americans in American Film Essay In today’s society there are many people populating in poorness. All across America there are different undertakings and reserves where the less fortunate reside. Statisticss show that largely minorities live in these different locations. Native Americans and African Americans are two of the more popular races populating in these topographic points. The group enduring the most in these state of affairss is the young person. Although both Native American and African American kids populating on a reserve or in the undertakings experience a awful community. hold small to no religion. and a broken household construction. African American young person life in the undertakings have it worse than Native American kids populating on a reserve. First. one of the most common life state of affairss for less fortunate African Americans is in the undertakings. A undertaking is a public life environment that is authorities owned. Although these edifices are authorities owned they are far from nice looking. Most of the edifices have no Windowss. are run down. dirty. and old. The government’s chief end is to keep low-cost lodging non to do them the best looking places in town. The undertakings aren’t a good environment for a kid to be raised. Throughout these vicinities different packs can be found. These packs are built to support the different countries in the undertakings. The packs bring major force to the country and are one of the chief causes of decease. At a immature age kids join these packs and are raised to be violent. Many of them decorate the edifices they are populating in with graffito showing their pack colourss. symbols. or slogan. In contrast. while Native American young person besides live in hapless lodging. the environment is safer than the undertakings. A reserve is an country set aside for a specific type of land usage or activity. or for usage by a peculiar group of people. largely Native Americans. Similar to the undertakings. houses on a reserve are old. crush down. and dirty. The houses on a reserve are authorities owned as good. Although these two locations are really similar they besides differ. The reserve is a safer topographic point so the undertakings. On the reserve there is a couple instances of mild force but they aren’t every bit terrible as the force in the undertakings. Therefore. the reserves environment is a better environment than the undertakings. Second. many of the immature people have no religion turning up in the undertakings. A batch of them believe their lone manner out of the undertakings is to go a hoops or football participant or to go a top merchandising blame creative person. At every bit immature as 16 old ages of age most African American males end up in gaol. deceased. or selling drugs. A batch of them are besides lead to believe that if they don’t do what every other adult male on the streets is making. so they won’t make it anyplace in life. On the reserve the childs believe their lone manner out is to go NBA participants or powwowers . Powwower’s are traditional Native American cheerleaders or terpsichoreans. Much like the African Americans turning up in the undertakings. the life anticipation rate for those populating on a reserve is in the mid mid-fortiess. Sing that both of these locations are in the United States mid mid-fortiess is really immature of age. Many of these people don’t unrecorded really long because they don’t have adequate money to take attention of themselves every bit good as their households. They besides aren’t able to populate a healthy life style which shortens their yearss. Death is common in the two locations which leaves these two immature groups inquiring what’s beyond the age 40. Last. household construction is really of import in a family. In the undertakings many of the places lack a really strong household construction. Children turning up in the undertakings nine times out of 10 don’t have both parents in the place. Most of them are drug traders. alkies. cocottes. or making any and everything to seek and supply for the kid. Although these parents are seeking to supply for their kids a batch of the clip they are besides on public assistance. Furthermore. these children’s parents aren’t of all time about. they sometimes go yearss without holding anything to eat. Many of the immature work forces follow after the footfalls of their male parent. older brother. or uncles which is why this rhythm has continued for so long. Native Americans typically lodge together as a unit. Harmonizing to Sherman Alexie. an award winning writer who grew up on a reserve. Native American kids are taught to be leery of Caucasic people. Native Americans teach this to their kids because there are many people in America that are against minorities and believe that merely because they are the bulk they’re better. A batch of the parents on a reserve go from occupation to occupation non being able to maintain one occupation for a long period of clip. Many of these parents are besides alkies. On the other manus. some of these households on these reserves are really household oriented unlike the African American households in the undertakings. These Native American households have up to seventeen household members populating in one house. They keep their households really near and are really supportive of one another instead so being against each other like African Americans. The parents watch over their kids to do certain they don’t travel down the incorrect way in life. Although these households are sing difficult times they cheer each other up and pull off to smile every one time in a piece. Therefore. the Native Americans household construction is stronger so African Americans. In decision. Native American young person populating on a reserve have it better so African American young person life in the undertakings. Both of these minorities are traveling through some adversities. From alcoholic parents to non holding anything to eat they both are enduring as immature kids. Native American households provide a safer life environment. work harder. and expression after one another. where as African Americans are against one another. on the streets all twenty-four hours. and are strongly associated with force. As the old ages go on these households are trusting that the authorities will divide people in the undertakings and those populating on reserves and supply them both with a better life state of affairs. If these environments are separated the United States will be one measure closer to extinguishing force in America.

Analysis of Fredrick Douglass's speech of what to the slave is the Essay

Analysis of Fredrick Douglass's speech of what to the slave is the fourth of july - Essay Example When Fredrick was young, he was grossly mistreated. He often competed with his master’s dogs for table scraps and bones to keep him from starving. He started to serve as a houseboy in the home of Hugh and Sophia Auld in Baltimore in 1825. This is where he was taught how to read and write. However her husband came to know of it and put a stop to it. At this time, Douglass had acquired enough to decipher many ills that were happening in the time. This early life of Fredrick Douglass affected his life later as He looked to address slavery sternly and try to emancipate his fellow statesmen from its fangs. He was really infuriated by the double standards in the time and the state of slavery that he had been brought up. His speech analysis below addresses the themes and styles he used to address the issue (Nick 1993). Douglas addresses the issue of slavery by using themes which generally pass the message better to the public and the audience that he is addressing. He emphasizes on the need to get knowledge and education so that they can be able to curb slavery and have equal rights with the people who held them as slaves. He says ‘No nation can now shut itself up from the surrounding world, and trot round in the same old paths of its fathers without interference. The time was when such could be done. Long established customs of hurtful characters could formerly fence themselves in, and do their evil work with social impunity. Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness. But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind’ (pp. 419). In this excerpt, he shows the importance of knowledge as the tool that was to be used to salvage the Americans from the bondage of slavery. He further uses a metaphor to show the lack of knowledge by terming it as mental darkness. This helps in passing the message well. In his speech, Douglass uses literary skills to give the audience hope