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Dominicans consider themselves "Spanish", as in the European Spanish. They relate more to Europeans as opposed to their Haitian counterparts. I personally view them as Afro-Caribbean.
That's a strong broad sweeping generalization that you made. Dominicans often mostly identify as a mixed people, but first & foremost as Dominican.
Lots of Dominicans living in Spain & they face discrimination at times.
That's a strong broad sweeping generalization that you made. Dominicans often mostly identify as a mixed people, but first & foremost as Dominican.
Lots of Dominicans living in Spain & they face discrimination at times.
Well, I've watched a documentary about it. Of course they face discrimination. It makes sense, but it also makes sense they relate more to their european "ancestry". There is a reason Dominicans don't consider themselves afro-anything and why ALL of the statues of dominican public figures look closer to european than african.
Well, I've watched a documentary about it. Of course they face discrimination. It makes sense, but it also makes sense they relate more to their european "ancestry". There is a reason Dominicans don't consider themselves afro-anything and why ALL of the statues of dominican public figures look closer to european than african.
SMH! Please tell me that this documentary that you're basing your perceptions & information on is/was not from the Henry Louis Gates Jr. Black In Latin America documentary series???
More importantly, have you ever even been to the Dominican Republic or even Haiti at all?
You have a lot if misguided perceptions, and lots if what you state is not true, and is not factual.
Most Dominicans DO identify with or embrace their African roots whether it be in rituals, folklore, food, religion, way of life. Dominicans identify with all of who and what they are.
Many Dominicans may not claim the sole identity of black, because they are not just black. The amount of Dominicans that DO identify as BLACK is actually always in the DOUBLE DIGITS. That last census tabulated 12% the DR population in DR identifying as BLACK. More realistically, over 20% of DR's population identifies strongly and proudly as BLACK.
Haiti is not pure black and there is sizeable presence of admixture in Haiti in many parts, and there are many Haitians that deny their Afro roots or are ashamed of having African roots so it's a two way street. Many Afrodescendants have issues at times with embracing or claiming their African ancestral roots, and many on the other hand do. None of this is exclusive to just Dominicans.
Also you need to understand Haitian-Dominican relations and vice versa and the role that oppression towards Dominicans from the Haitians has caused in the mutually antagonistic relationship & angst that has existed between the two neighboring connected nations on the island of Hispaniola.
Next, I suggest you study more or do intense & extensive traveling before making false or questionable claims.
Keep in mind that WHITE Dominicans & WHITE Haitians DO in fact exist.
As for your ridiculous statue claims, please study art and dynamics of shapes & features. ALMOST ALL of the features of the many statues of famous Dominican leaders & historical figures in DR that exist in DR are actually in fact consistent with real life physical features of the aformentioned mulatto & black figures & statues and are even consistent with drawings & paintings.
There are also many statues that pay immense honor to black African & Afro-Dominican, Afro-Haitian & other Afrodiasporic figures. Lemba is a well revered statue in DR. Lemba was an African cimarron/maroon or escaped enslaved African rebel and warrior and symbolizes a resistance to oppression and the struggle at the civil strife for independence, liberty, freedom.
If you go to the Museo Del Hombre Dominicano or Museum of the Dominican Man, an entire floor & more and then some is dedicated to the African influence and cultural and historical legacy in the DR, and much of it is even in positive light.
If you go to independence celebrations and carnival/carnaval celebrations, there are many floats and processions and expressions that pay honor and recognition of the enslaved Afro Hispanics in the DR and servants and African maroons and leaders in colonial period of DR. There is also the diablo cojuelo which takes and draws on heavy Afro Hispanic syncretic liturgy and esoteric practices.
Also while you're at it, look up Liborio Mateo and also look up Mama Tingo. All of this & more I mentioned DEBUNKS your narrative & false claims.
None of the Spanish-Portuguese territories are "afro" anything, because black, taino and cantonese culture was sincretized within the Spanish culture, creating a Dominican culture.
The term mestizo is vague & ambiguous. Most mestizos have African a ancestry as well in varying degrees & other admixtures. Mestizo clan entail different things at this point!
I think the traditional definition for mestizo is a mix of Indigenous and European.
I think if a person is racially all three, they get a different term. Well, thinking in Brazil terms, where there is a term for every type of skin color and shade and mix, it seems.
None of the Spanish-Portuguese territories are "afro" anything, because black, taino and cantonese culture was sincretized within the Spanish culture, creating a Dominican culture.
The same thing happened in the roman empire.
ALL good provided that you dont consider them Iberian anything either. Spain/Portugal are radically different from all of their colonies in the Americas, with the possible exception of Argentina and Uruguay.
tabulated 12% the DR population in DR identifying as BLACK. More realistically, over 20% of DR's population identifies strongly and proudly as BLACK.
Haiti is not pure black and there is sizeable presence of admixture in Haiti in many parts,
There are also many statues that pay immense honor to black African & Afro-Dominican, Afro-Haitian & other Afrodiasporic figures. Lemba is a well revered statue in DR. .
Haiti is 95% black. I always laugh at those who pretend that it has huge mixed population.
Only about 10% of Dominicans identify as black. It is a known fact that very dark skinned people in the DR are called "Haitiano" whether they are or not.
Any way it is good that Dominicans are finally being more public about their Africanh heritage. This no doubt in response to international criticism about Haiti, because such open identification with the African aspects of its culture are recent. Good that it did some good.
Some time ago I remember reading some nonsense that the merengue dance came from some limp, because evidently some European sprained his ankle and so danced with a limp. This in some Dominican tourist oriented literature.
It would help Dominicans if they renounce the bigoted nonsense of Balaguer. While Trujillo is from an unenlightened era Balaguer isnt. He is a part of the modern DR,
If significant numbers of Dominicans werent likely to be impressed by Balaguer's racist appeals against Juan Pena he wouldnt have done so. Pena was born in the DR, and raised by a Dominican family. Such behavior is equivalent to those who damn Obama as an African witch doctor, and it must be noted that both Romney and McCain ran away from that, because they knew how much damage it would have done to them.
Also why the term "Indio" on the ID cards? Why not mulato which more accurately describes most Dominicans? After all doesnt the term "mulato" not indicate the triracial ancestries of most Dominicans, than "Indio", which is usually used to designate one race?
Also why the term "Indio" on the ID cards? Why not mulato which more accurately describes most Dominicans? After all doesnt the term "mulato" not indicate the triracial ancestries of most Dominicans, than "Indio", which is usually used to designate one race?
That's no longer true and it was never a 'racial' term, simply a term applied to various shades of skin color between black and white.
I think the traditional definition for mestizo is a mix of Indigenous and European.
I think if a person is racially all three, they get a different term. Well, thinking in Brazil terms, where there is a term for every type of skin color and shade and mix, it seems.
Mestizo applies to any mixed person, but its more often than not applied to the indigenous/european mix because that's the most common in Latin America. Mulatto is simply a category within the mestizo label, or better yet a sub-label as is zambo (indigenous/african). It simply lets people know what type of mix it is, but not that its something other than a mix.
The Spanish word for mixing anything is mezclar.
People should also be careful not to confuse color with race, because in many places almost everyone is mixed but different skin tones get different labels and simply means that, a skin tone and not a race. And, for the most part, there's not much identity tied to each skin color, when it comes to Latin America identity tends to be more along the national or patriotic level.
Case in point, Dominicans don't really have a racial identity and neither do most Latin Americans. This is more of a USA phenomenon and maybe a handful of other countries in this hemisphere, that's pretty much it.
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SMH! Please tell me that this documentary that you're basing your perceptions & information on is/was not from the Henry Louis Gates Jr. Black In Latin America documentary series??? 
