talia previously said:

I appreciate the positive feedback from my last post here. I just wanted people to understand that I am not naive and I hope people try to understand that its important to try to keep a positive outlook no
matter how ugly things get to be right now and Quisqueyanoyosoy I know what you mean but I don't need a dominican man or any person determining my worth and beauty at all let alone by the tones of my piel guapa. Again let's love ourselves and love our different hues.

Maybe someone can answer this (let's see what they will say)

Wikipedia says Trujillo was 1/4 or 1/3 haitiano. Is that true. And were the "Perejil" massacres true? It sounds sensationalized.

What makes a Dominican?

A Dominican is simply a mulatto. Which means, a mixture of a former African slave and a White European. The romanticize notion that they want to claim Taino Natives in the equation is simply an illusion to demeaning their African side of ancestry. By saying White Europeans, that goes for France, Spain, Great Britain and Portugal and many more other countries on the European continent and its region. The Tainos habited the entire Island of first originally named Ayiti, Quisqueya or Boyo. There is nowhere that I see it says Hispanola if not until came Christopher Columbus who, as history to tell you,massacred the Taino natives close to extinction by having killed 98% of the race. Thus any of them whom might have survived to repopulated, by today this blood would have fading and decimated; meaning indeed to a percentage closer to being non-existent of a mixture. Now the Island was renamed or given a new name, "Hispanola." If Dominicans want to claim anything else that would mention Tainos, basically they are saying they are Ayitianos, Quesqueyans, or Bohioans (Boyo) thus would contradict their hatred for Haitians. So let us say the whole Island is called Hispanola, thus that would make of the habitants of the Island Hispanolanos, would it not?

Of course yes. Because let us take Israel and Palestine for example. Can either of them denounce or claim not being both Middle Eastern or Mediterrainians despite their differences? Of Course not. So now ask a Dominican what is a Haitian see what the answer is going to be.

JabaoHaitian previously said:

Muchacho welcome aboard,

Well let me interject and say that why in the hell would haitians want or need to prove the obvious similarities between dominicans. Of course there are differences in culture and language but in my opinion the two cultures have co-existed with influence by each other. It's ironic to here dominicans running the other way but go out of their way to compare the similarities between Puerto Ricans. Listen personally I don't think neither country has anything to prove rather some type of understanding has to be manifested for a better island. There is no difference on the island and you saying that it is simply your lack of knowledge of the island or either you simply denying to distinguish yourself as much as possible from Haiti and Haitians. There isn't any place in the DR where a dominican speak the taino/arawak language. That is just outrageous and wishful thinking of the parts of some dominicans.

Now regarding the article, I think although some points are valid but the article main objective is to depict how the haitian negro & dominican negro are so so different. Yes, they both speak different languages and many haitians at that time where indeed born somewhere in western africa and many dominicans negros thru out time where born in the dominican republic well (santo domingo). Ok, so what is the big difference. A negro from x country will always be a negro. This was a blatant stretch to distinguish haitians & dominicans. Still negros to me. Well, I guess it is just to say that dominican children born anywhere x country aren't really dominicans. Indeed haitian slaves endured more than dominican slaves but the common donominator is SLAVE. They both were not in control of there destiny and toiled the soil for the benefit of the europeans which they were not compensated for. What's the big difference there? I field negro & a house negro still negros to me and both had no control of their destiny.

And the dual identity which he states haitian blacks have and dominican black doesn't suffer from is basically DENIAL, IMO on the dominican negros part. In 2008 all haitians (of all hue) pay hommage our african ancestors while majority of dominicans prefer to surpress it under a rug or show the other part of dominican culture. Again this isn't to say that there aren't dominicans who recognize there african lineage as you have written in your post but there is a idolisation of tainos. You mentioning that there language is still spoken by dominicans TODAY demonstrate that romanticism. For neutrality lets say that there are many tainos culture that is fused into the dominican culture but wait a minute so are the tainos in the haitian culture. Actually I would say we honoured the country to remember them since Haiti is from the arawak/taino language while dominican republic is not. Lautaro, can you please explain the origin of the DR? I am not quite sure I know it is religious but dont have too much knowledge of it's conception although I've heard many things. So for arguing sake I can say that haitians are more in tune with there taino ancestry than dominicans? Now we can argue to the pigs come home but I prefer to say let's respect each others opinion and find a COMMON GROUND. It appears that there is a fear of accepting the negro aspect in the DR culture because it some how links dominicans to haitians. I personally think this is the biggest hurdle for many dominicans. How to accept my negritude without confessing I have things in common with Haitians. Some time a get a laugh out of it and other time I get sad but I personally think to each his own.

Regarding how antihaitianismo derived has some just because DR did get its independence from Haiti. BTW, many haitians were co-conspirators of dominican independence as well. I want to say that Trujillo was the one who institutionalised the antihaitianismo which trancsended into dominican folklore. There is a fear of el cuco always out to get them which can be applied to haitians. Africanization is evil and hispanisation is idolised (mejor la raza). I personally think dominicans are part of the hispanohablantes and undeniallably caribbean/antillean influence. DR is far from being Argentina,Uruguay,Chile,Bolivia, Mexico,Peru,Ecuador, Paraguay, Colombia. Now this doesn't take away its hispanic culture. Besides, dominicans and haitians are evolving with large parts of there population abroad also adding another flavor into the mix of each respective country. I will discuss the other part of his article on how haiti became poor later. I hope you are up to a positive dialogue with respect.

muchacho previously said:



And they form the bulk of our ancestors. Most of the people who left Spain for the Caribbean and the Cono Sur were Andalusians.

Manhattanite previously said:

USADR I'd been curious about the Guanche natives of the Canaries I'd read about ... could you share your source on this?