Historically there hasn’t been a complex breakdown of races as there were in other countries. The conflict has almost always been between light-skinned and dark-skinned Dominicans. Through the years of colonization, the people were taught to think that the darker skinned were inferior. Racial tensions also lie within Haitan-Dominican relations; many Haitians are hated by their Dominican counterparts because of their darker skin. It is also important to note that suggestions of European and indigenous heritages in the Dominican Republic have historically been celebrated at the expense of a generic African past. “Race is created by attaching a social and cultural significance to physical features or color and then by grouping individuals according to phenotype and appearance”

            Three basic racial groups exist on the island; negro, blanco, and mulato. The term Indio is used to classify an indigenous person of Taino descent. The majority of people are mulato due to a mixing of negro and blanco. However, the disparity of skin tone within the mulato community created a sub-level prejudice of the darker-skinned. In reality the Dominican Republic is jabao; a multiplicity of colors due to generations of racial mixture. Race is more than just skin color; it is status, power, and location. A person could actually become “lighter” by improving economically, for example, one may be born negro but die blanco because of their status.

            Dominican nationalism is deeply mired in anti-Haitianism and during the colonial period, the idea of a black republic was disturbing to the ruling class. The elites fostered antagonism in black populations in both countries in order to maintain power. I find it ironic how an island that was supposed to be “one and indivisible” has literally been split down the middle. In 1937, the dictator Rafael Trujillo led a massacre of about 15,000 Haitian workers which even further instilled a deep hatred between the two countries. Going even deeper, we can examine the relationship of English and Spanish colonizers. Santo Domingo was the first island in the Spanish Caribbean to abolish slavery; leaving many freedmen. Haitians welcomed the French and incorporation into the first black republic.

            Roughly 90% of the population is of African descent, and interestingly Dominican notions on race do not differentiate Dominicans in the way that the U.S. notion of Black/White race differentiates Americans. This is because most of the population doesn’t even consider themselves black or of significant African descent. Ethnicity, race, and culture are essentially the same thing; the second generation Dominicans identify themselves as “Dominican”, “Spanish”, or “Hispanic”. Language also plays a big role; they speak Spanish, so they are Spanish. There are an abundance of second generation Dominicans who are phenotypically indistinguishable from African Americans, so they show that they can speak Spanish in order to identify as “Hispanic”

            The race complex in the Dominican Republic has developed from a basic differentiation in skin color to an almost complete denial of African descent. Ironically, most Dominicans identify strongly with African Americans due to a shared political economic position. Notably, Dominicans are able to transform racial contexts unlike the rigidity and mutual exclusivity that characterizes U.S. Black/White racial categories.

The Integration of Hispaniola: A Reappraisal of Haitian-Dominican Relations in the Nineteenth & Twentieth Centuries

Sara Johnson-La O

Journal of Haitian Studies 
Vol. 8, No. 2, A Special Issue on Politics & Grassroots Organizing (Fall 2002), pp. 4-29

Published by: Center for Black Studies Research

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41715132

1.     From Hidden Hand to Heavy Hand: Sugar, the State, and Migrant Labor in Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Samuel Martinez

Latin American Research Review 
Vol. 34, No. 1 (1999), pp. 57-84

Published by: The Latin American Studies Association

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2503926

Santeria

Block discusses the histories of Spain and England and its call to Christian dominance. Christian rhetoric was central to survival in the Caribbean as told through the lives of the six different persons in the book. She tells the story of a plantation master that converted to Quakerism; one might ask “how does this relate to the difference in religion on the subject of the Dominican Republic?”

Besides the fact that the Quakers were amongst the first to denounce slavery, and he was a plantation owner, many individuals realized that conversion would grant them safety and also the opportunity to expand commercially. This was after the Protestant English failed to convert the natives, then attributed it racial inferiority. Europeans were concerned with colonization and conversion to Protestant and Catholic religions. She attempts to argue that over the course of time, monetary gain has led to an increase in toleration amongst various religions in the region. However, in my honest opinion and research, many Dominicans prefer the Afro-Dominican religion known as Santeria. This is a pantheistic religion that originated from the Yoruba, and includes some Catholic rituals.

Santeria can be viewed to Westerners as “Folk Catholicism”; many legends are rituals are passed down from generation to generation. These include shrines, voodoo dolls, and other forms of worship.  Historically this practice has been fueled by a patron-client relationship with the supernatural. The client will ask a favor of the patron in return for agreeing to endure some sort of suffering. It is similar to Catholicism because “the image of a saint is the ideological representation of a spiritual entity who lived at one time upon the earth as a human being , but for the santero, the Catholic image is the embodiment of a Yoruba God”. Santeria was appealing for colonized Africans because it allowed them to maintain their faith while appearing to have accepted Catholicism. Over time, the ability to maintain the religion of the motherland had allowed many Dominicans to accept their strong African roots. It is very important to note that antihaitianismo; which is literally the hate of Haitians, was rampant because they were darker and went to the extremes of practicing Santeria. Dominicans that were colonized by the Spanish grew to hate their Haitian counterparts due to belief that persons of darker complexion were inferior. They were looked down upon because they chose to worship spirits instead of converted to a “superior” religion.

Catholicism in the Dominican Republic was for the elites; those that were tied into politics and had a significant amount of wealth.  The difference in the religions ended up creating a gap between wealthy and poor; the haves were catholic and the have-nots continued to practice Santeria. This, of course, was under the rule of the Spanish. The population was able to assert its independence under French rule (due to it being neglected).  This is not to say that Catholicism is a negative thing, as much of the country is Catholic, however a great number of people stuck with and still stick with Santeria.

The Journal of American Folklore , Vol. 118, No. 469 (Summer, 2005), pp. 308-326

Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of American Folklore Society

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4137916

Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion , Vol. 37, No. 1 (Mar., 1998), pp. 74-89

Published by: Wiley on behalf of Society for the Scientific Study of Religion

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1388030

El Cuco

As a country of very vivid culture, it’s not surprise that the Dominican Republic packs a book-worthy personality. Whether it’s the fast pace of downtown Santo Domingo, or the laid back nature of the campo; one thing remains consistent. The legendary El Cuco. For ages parents have been using this mythological monster to put the fear of God into their children. (This is equivalent to the Boogeyman in American Culture)

The term was believed to be African, originating from the Yoruba tribe. However, El Cuco was originally a European pumpkinhead, the legend actually began with Spanish and Portuguese colonizers.

At first glance El Cuco may seem like a harmless jack-o-lantern that any normal American would see on Halloween but to Dominicans this monster is terrifying. This is still practiced today as it is passed down from parents to children.

It is also important to note that El Cuco has a few different meanings. Many Mexicans refer to the mythological creature as the Coco Man, he is used around Christmas to demand repentance through Catholic prayers. In Brazil he is viewed as Sack Man and he is also used during Christmas. Dominicans tell their kids that El Cuco will eat them if they do not go to sleep or obey them. The idea behind this is to keep kids in line and to give them something to be afraid of so they won’t misbehave.

“Duermete jovenito, duermete ya…que viene el cuco y te comera”

In other words…you’d better go to sleep now before el cuco comes to eat you.

What It Means To Be Dominican :)

First post for fun, for those who speak spanish enjoy :)