What are the biggest cultural differences between West Indians and African Americans (place, culture)
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Again that is no reason to make the comparison with African-Americans, who are one ethnic group within one nation. So-called "blacks" are from all over the world and have different cultures and traditions.
African Americans are an ETHNIC group. They are NOT a racial group
You're right. There is a great book about the Haitian Revolution called Avengers of the New World. One of the many things it touches on is that connection. Most blacks from Southern Louisiana probably have some ancestral connection to Haiti. Those of us with family from Louisiana are very familiar with certain traditions like Voodoo (or Vodou). To this day my grandmother still has certain beliefs that were born out of Haitian/Carribbean Voodoo (which was born out of indigenous West African beliefs systems).
NO. The vast majority of blacks of Southern Louisiama have no connection to Haiti. Also many people that fled from St Domingue at the time were whites of French descent and other European descents.
Haitian and Louisiana thing has been overly exaggerated
African Americans are an ETHNIC group. They are NOT a racial group
Can you READ?
That's exactly what my post stated, that African-Americans are an ETHNIC group. No one said African-Americans are a racial group.
Quote:
Originally Posted by caribdoll
Again that is no reason to make the comparison with African-Americans, who are one ethnic group within one nation.So-called "blacks" are from all over the world and have different cultures and traditions.
The food, languages, music, dances and origins or where people have become adapted too. Land and culture affects and shapes unique identity. Culture is way more important than race.
Music, food, accent and probably religion, I believe most people in the english speaking west indies are either anglican or methodist, where african americans are probably more baptist. I could be wrong about that, now there is probably many evangelical churches among both groups. Also some english speaking islands have people from India. The island seem to have strong ties to England. Just some differences I've noticed, peace.
The largest Christian denominations in the Anglophone Caribbean are Evangelical/Pentecostal. The days of Anglican dominance is long gone. Even Barbados is only 20% Anglican.
It is not hard to define African American. NYC, and those few places you mentioned are the exception, The vast majority of black communities are american with origins in the south.
If you live in NYC you will find it very hard to distinguish one group from another.
1. Many of the people descended from the West Indian migration of 1900-29 are now completely absorbed into the AA community, and indeed usually feel little in common with more recent West Indian migrants.
2. Many of the people who you think are AA are US born/or raised kids with Caribbean parents. They exist on a cultural continuum between BOTH AA and West Indian identities.
Given the length of time that West Indians have been migrating to the USA and the heavy influence of US media it is really hard to say that there is no cultural over lap between the two. Indeed much of the hiphop culture has Caribbean influences. How many West Indians understand all this hysteria about Miley Cyrus when one can see that in just about every West Indian party?
Here's a major difference between West Indians and Black Americans.
If you tell Black Americans to show up at 9:00 am, they'll show up at 9:30 am.
If you tell Bajans to show up at 9:00 am, they'll show up at 10:00 am.
If you tell Jamaicans to show up at 9:00 am, they'll show up at 11:00 am.
If you tell Trinis to show up at 9:00 am, they'll show up at 11:00 pm.
So true! Though if you tell a Trini that the Dimanche Gras show starts at 8:00 PM he will be there on time because by 8:02 PM the first calypsonian is singing.
Blacks from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and other states that were NOT 13 Original Colonies are technically NOT African Americans. They are technically Hispano/Franco Americans and Creoles.
The only problem is that when these states began to be developed for cotton and other crops they were swamped by the movement of slaves from the 13 states. So most of the blacks in these states are AA. We can debate about Lousiana.
Trinidad is more French, Spanish, and East Indian based and influenced.
What happened to the African?
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