Glimmertwin previously said:

Yumnuk :
Thats cool!
I wonder when he stated that!

Baracutei previously said:


I personally do not have anything against (mostly because of the absurdity of negating obviuos African influence) Afro-centrics or any other of racial catergories that make us a unique Dominican people. I do have a problem with "Ultra-AfroCentrics", many of whom claim that even the meso-American cultures were the result of African presence in the Americas before 1492.
The one drop rule in the DR does exist, but it, in my opinion runs in reverse, if one has one drop of white blood then when is considered blanco.
As for Afro-Dominicans or other peoples of the African diaspora not being the ones who created the one drop rule, you are right it was created by European Americans during slavery. But you must admit that many Afro-centrics hold on to this absurd notion. For example I met an individual once that had very kinky hair, but his skin was very white and his eyes were blue. He saw himself as a white man, and he was, but a friend of mine who is afro-centric after meeting this same individual said to me "he is denying his negritude because his hair form is obviously African"!
I personally do not see how hair form denotes culture, language etc. It could very well be that this individual has African ancestry. But he is for the most part white and see himself as white. Therefore I would not question him based on hair form. Its like calling an individual born in Africa of African parents and has straight hair "white".
All identities are created. But some people seem enjoy asigning an identity to a group of peoples based on their own perceptions and beliefs. Hence we have a huge identity crisis in the DR that is further compounded when individuals that are not from the island tells us that we are African, or Indian or white etc etc.
In land of so many mixtures we will always have many identities. I identify with Indian and you with African. Both are points of view are valid and real.
For me Identifying with the Indian comes from my understanding of our campesino material culture. Also from the connection I feel to the island and my allegiance to it. For me my histories did not begin in Spain nor African, they bagan 7,000 years ago in the Americas. If you could take away, as if by magic, everything that is Taino from the island would we still be the same unique Dominicans that we are today? Of course not. Then again if we took all that is African and Spanish we would not be the same Dominicans either. But we would still be Indigenous! Identifying with taino plain and simple is that we are indigenous to our island. This feeling is not unique to us. When the Haitians
overthough the French ( announced by the sound of a Guamo (Shell) very taino) They had every ample oportunity to rename the island from St. Domingue to a plethora of African names. But they didnt. They chose Haiti because as African as they were, they already felt that Haiti was there homeland and had an indigenous connection to it.
Sorry ladies and gentleman, but it is early and I have rambled way too much!
All the best
Baracutei

JEM237 previously said:



Thank you for pointing this out, Baracutei. That right there is what several intelligent individuals on here (i.e. Lautaro, USADR, etc.) have been trying to convince those foreigners that accuse Dominicans of being racist and that we are 'denying our negritude' and so forth. I don't understand why it is so hard for many non-Dominicans that accuse us of this attitude to understand that even if our appearance makes us look like we are more of a certain group (African, Taino, or European) feeling identified or claiming all three identities does not make you a racist or in denial of your other races.

taky1 previously said:


JEM237. Those people that you mention who are not "racist and are "denying their negritude"
is not the issue or problem, its those who are

taky1 previously said:

I wouldn't go as far as saying that the
"meso-American cultures were the result of African presence in the Americas before 1492"
What I would say is that some of the cultures and people were

The Europeans created many problems when they limit people with dark skin
and people that look certain way to just Africa....

I do not have a problem if someone decided not to identify with only
one aspect of their ancestry, what I have a problem with is people who
see dark skin and what conected to it as a badge of some kind of
curse, something to look down on, insult and ostracize.
This includes people who opposed the one drop rule
when it apply one way but practiced the same thing the apposite way
because of the same reasons that I mention