When I think of a place that has particular significance for me, I think of my large family and the Haitian culture to which it belongs. I'm not sure that many people know about the dynamic structure of the Haitian family. My objective is to explain and describe this cultural phenomenon using my experience and my personal observations.
To start, Haiti is located in the Caribbean and is the first independent black nation in the world. With its neighbor, the Dominican Republic, it shares the second largest island in the region; Hispaniola. Since most Haitians are descendants of African slaves there is a very distinct African influence in Haitian culture as well as a very strong French influence. Religion has always been important in Haitian culture. Like 80% of Haitians, my family is Catholic, but according to Halpern (2010) Voodoo is practiced widely but mostly among the lower social classes. All Haitians speak Creole and only a small, educated percentage are able to speak French (Halpern, 2010).
The location of Haiti. Image found here.
From my experience I know that most Haitians are very friendly and hospitable. They are very proud of their culture as well as their history. Most Haitians place great importance on family life, no matter what class they belong to. From what I have witnessed, family seems to come first, above work or other responsibilities.
You cannot speak of family in Haiti without understanding a few things. When it comes to my time in Haiti, my experiences centered around a place that was very dear to my heart, my grandfather’s home. It is a place that I visited quite frequently and where our family and friends came together. The house was huge and consisted of three stories with the third story being a complete apartment. The second bedroom consisted of 3 bathrooms and 10 bedrooms while the first floor was considered the meeting area and like most houses the heart of the home with living room, large dining room and kitchen. The downstairs was large and for the most part was an open floor plan that now, as a homeowner, I seriously envy. The property itself was walled and gated, though the gate was often left open as my grandfather was also a physician who practiced medicine in his clinic at the front portion of the house. It was a common occurrence to have lines of patients waiting outside to be seen, trailing down the large stone porch. Often they would bring with them livestock or baskets of vegetables and fruits as payment when they could not afford the services that my grandfather provided.
It is important to note the way Haitians treat their elderly. Traditionally the elderly are revered as people of tradition and wisdom. Often they stay within the house with the rest of the family and are approached to dispense advice on various issues that arise from family life to even finances. Homes for the elderly is something is that very uncommon in Haiti as they are usually kept close and are often still considered to hold the law in the household. When a grandparent speaks everyone is expected to listen.
When it comes to raising children in Haitian society the term “It takes a village” might be an understatement. Children are expected to be obedient and any of the extended family would discipline a child as was needed. School was not something that was expected for all families as it is in America as it isn’t something that is always affordable. My family was fortunate enough to be able to send all of us to school and it was expected that we would be among the top performing students. For the children whose family could not afford to send them to school they could be found helping around the houses or on the farms. Punishments within a lot of the households are usually physical as corporal punishment was exercised, at least within the culture of my family. Though it was rare for a child to talk back to any adult. When it comes to higher education many of my relatives came to the United States to earn their college degrees and some have returned to Haiti in an effort to help as much as they can.
Here are two audio files from my uncle and aunt about raising kids in Haiti.
| Raynald | Florence | |
Traditionally Haitian culture is mostly a male dominated society. While when it comes to the finances of the family the men make most of the decisions women are expected to run every day life in the household. My aunt Florence very aptly put it "Even if the women worked outside they have their duty to keep the house clean, make sure there is food, take care of everybody. They usually are the first up and the last to bed. (...) I think this is changing a little bit now but when I was growing up that's the way it was. I remember my grandmother and my mom who use to tell me "You are a woman so you need to be, you know, respectful of your brother and all the guys that are in the house. You have to be respectful, and you have to speak with a voice that is lower than theirs."
The earthquake rocked Haiti and it still hasn't recovered. It saddens me to know that so much is lost and people are so ignorant to how wonderful Haiti truly was and still is.
Citations
- Halpern, J. (2010). Tip Sheet on Haitian Culture. New York: New Paltz. Available in pdf format at: https://www.in.gov/isdh/files/Hatian_Culture_tip_sheet-IDMH.pdf
All images taken from https://www.freepik.com/ where I have an account.
About the Writer
Hi, I’m Gaël. I was born in Haiti and I am a recently married mother of 1 soon to be adopted little girl. Welcome to The Graphic Alchemist where I mainly talk about design, but I do throw in my opinions on other matters to add some spice. From graphic design to recipes and everything in between. Besides this portfolio/blog I also have a small business called Dyadic Alchemy that I run with my husband. We are both alchemists in are own right and love mixing things up. As the name of the blog suggests, between the two of us, I am the graphic alchemist.
