The Haitian Revolution

The Haitian Revolution and Hispaniola's Slave Revolts

Oge

The Island of Hispaniola had a long history of slave revolts and of course, there was the historically famous Haitian Revolution. The first major revolt was on Christmas Day 1521, when a group of slaves rebelled on a sugar factory which was about 100 km northwest of Santo Domingo. In the 16th century, slave leaders Juan Vaquero, Diego de Guzman and Diego del Campo lead revolts throughout the island.
Between 1791-1804, the Haitian Revolution swept through Saint-Domingue. The Oge Rebellion of 1790 is considered to be the start of the revolution. Oge acquired weapons and formed an army of about 300 blacks and mulattoes and marched to Grande-Rivière with the intent of taking control of the city. With his army eventually disbanded, Oge went into hiding in Spanish Santo Domingo.

The Revolution Begins 

The burning of large plantations in Le Cap, 1791

The Haitian Revolution officially began on August 14, 1791 with the Bois Caiman Ceremony in which the slaves met in Mourne-Rouge for final instructions. It was here that the slaves decided the revolt would be set afoot with the burning of plantations. It was also where two hundred slave leaders from various plantations met and confirmed their plans, as well as preformed a powerful voodoo ceremony. It is important to note that these leaders were all slaves who held prestigious posts on their plantations. Between August 22, 1791 and mid-September of the same year, Haitian slaves launch various revolts which include the burning of the largest plantations in the colony, the capturing and killing of many whites and the building of their forces to about 15,000 revolutionists. Because of the large amount of destruction from the revolt, The National Assembly of France made the decision to revoke the rights they had given to free blacks and mulattoes on September 24 1791. In response to this, many mulattoes joined in the revolt and the rebels take hold of Port-Au-Prince.

Toussaint L'Ouverture 

Toussaint L'Overture 

 By October 1791, the Port-Au-Prince has been completely burned to the ground and the most famous revolutionary Toussaint L'Ouverture begins to gain popularity. By the end of 1791, the rebels hit a large bump in the road because their leader Boukman is killed in battle and their ammunition and supplies become depleted  Also, the beginning of 1792, the Spanish declares war on the French and British and these European powers come to the colony and fight over its valuable land. By June of 1792 the mulatto rebels ally with the British and again take an upper hand in the rebellion. After this alliance,  the city of Le Cap is turned into a burning war zone and French colonists, desperate for control issue the right of full French citizenship to any slave who is willing to help defend the colony against any foreign and domestic threats. Also in September of 1792, Louis the XVI is beheaded and the monarchy of France is officially overthrown, creating the French Republic. In February 1793, L'Ouverture officially takes control of the rebel forces and France declares war on both the English and Holland. By the end of the year, with the anniversary of the French Republic and fighting being waged in the colony between slaves, slave owners, and European powers, the French government officially abolishes slavery in the colonies on February 4, 1794. Though it is abolished by the French, the Spanish still has not abolished slavery in Hispaniola and has not withdrawn its forces from that side of the island. L'Ouverture decides to leave the Spanish forces and side with the French in order to work abolish Spanish slavery on the island as well. On July 22, 1795, the French and Spanish sign the Treaty of Basal, establishing peace between the two and the following June, Spanish forces are officially retreated from Hispaniola. Also in 1795, L'Ouverture has established himself as the most powerful leader in Haiti.  He leads Haitian forces in a civil war against Rigaud and in 1801, L'Ouverture proclaims himself to be the surpreme commander and chief of Haiti. He draws up a constitution abolishing slavery forever in Haiti and eliminating any color discrimination between blacks, whites and mulattoes in Haiti. Many planters are unhappy with L'Ouverture's decisions and look to Napoleon to over throw him and restore slavery to the colony. Rebels begin another uprising, this time in order to declare Saint-Domingue independent. In October 1801, L'Ouverture captures Moise, the rebel leader and has him tried and then shot, creating further divisions among the rebels and colonists alike. Napoleon sends a large number of French forces to Saint-Domingue, lead by Leclerc in order to rid the island of any powerful black or mulatto leaders, and reinstate the institution of slavery. Leclerc tricks L'Ouverture by saying that he is going to step down his forces and leave Saint-Domingue without reinstating slavery, however he later captures L'Ouverture and restarts the war against the blacks and mulattoes.
Independence and the Establishment of Haiti

Dessalines and the Haitian Flag

With L'Ouverture captured and the French still inciting battles against the blacks and mulattoes of Saint-Domingue, the rebel forces made Jean Jacques Dessalines their new leader against the European forces. The colonial forces are able to hold the French and Napoleon off until they are completely out of money and supplies. Crippled by this, Napoleon sales his United States land holdings to Thomas Jefferson in the Louisiana Purchase Treaty on April 30, 1803. On May 18, 1803, Dessalines creates the Haitian flag by tearing the white stripe from the French flag leaving only the blue and red, signifying the unity of blacks and mulattoes against the whites. The French then begin their retreat from Saint-Domingue in August and  the French leader Rochambeau finally surrendered in on November 17. On January 1, 1804 after so many battles, Dessalines officially declares Haiti's independence, removing the French colonial name Saint-Domingue and restoring the original Taino name "Hayti" to the land. Haiti becomes the first black republic and the first independent Caribbean nation  and Dessalines is now known as the first emperor of Haiti, Jacques I. He ratifies a constitution making all Haitians considered black, forever abolishing slavery, and allowing all citizens the right to own land. He also orders all remaining French citizens to be killed.
Conclusion
Slavery on the island of Hispaniola proved to be a major factor in the establishment of the country of Haiti. Although slavery is considered to be a negative institution in history it proved otherwise in the creation of Haiti because without the large slave population their would not have been the remarkable story of Haitian independence.

Sources

1.)History of Haiti: http://library.brown.edu/haitihistory/10.html) Slavery and the Haitian 2.)Revolution: http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap8a.html

Spirituality in Hispaniola

The island of Hispaniola was, as we know, first discovered and conquered by Colombus and the Spanish in the late 15th Century and then the island changed hands to the French later on. Both Spain and France were heavy Catholic nations who influenced the island and the Spanish succeeded in converting many of the Taino natives to the Catholic faith with the issuing of the Requiermiento. After the forced conversion and years of Native-European intermarriage and cultural mixing, the Catholic faith became the dominant religion on the island.
The Taino and the Europeans were not the only racial groups on the island however. When the Europeans discovered that Hispaniola, especially the Saint-Domingue (present day Haiti) side of the island had land highly suitable for cash crop production (especially sugar), they brought in large amounts of African slaves to Hispaniola to work these large plantations. These slaves brought with them many African traditions of their own from their various parts of the continent. Among these traditions was there religious practices, namely, the practice of Voodoo.

Voodoo (also known as Vodun, Vudun, Vodon, Vodoun, Voudou and Vudu) is a African based religion practiced in Benin, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Ghana, Togo, New Orleans and other American cities with large Haiti populations. Unlike many religions, it has no specific texts, scriptures, or formal theology, but relies more on the oral traditions of the African tribes of its' birth. Voodoo was important to the slaves from Central and West Africa who brought it with them because they leaned on their beliefs as a way to help them cope with the harshness of slave life. The voodoo practice became so widespread in Hispaniola that it did not go unnoticed by the French who ruled the island at the time of its largest popularity. Because the slave and voodoo population on the island had become so large, the French felt intimidated and placed the Les Code Noir in effect in 1685 which removed all Jews and non-Catholic believers out of the French colonies and prohibited the practice of all non-Catholic religions in the French lands as well. The code also called for all slave masters to be of the Roman Catholic faith and made it mandatory for them to convert their slaves to the faith as well. Slaves did not want to abandon their original faith however and began to practice voodoo syncretism in which they combined and disguised their voodoo deities as saints and figures of Catholic beliefs so if they were ever caught worshipping or in prayer and caught by their masters, it would look like were praying to, for example, the Virgin Mary instead of Erizulie. This method worked well for slaves and with the increasing riches from sugar planting, came a constant growth of the Hispaniola slave population and a larger group of voodoo believers.

In the Dominican Republic, Voodoo is practiced but in a different way than that of Haiti. Dominican Voodoo believers believe in one main creator god, Papa Bon Dye while Haitians believe in the main god Gran Met (the Great Master). The Dominicans refer to their religion as Las 21 Divisones. Both sets of beliefs rely on priests known as mambo (female priests) or hougans (male priests) for leadership and healing. Healers use natural herbs for healing and can also interpret dreams. Believers value the "good vs evil" struggle as a key point in fate. Dominican Voodoo is less strict than Haitian Voodoo. Dominicans call on their spirits by reading palms, tarot cards, and shells. It has no specific doctrines or temples for ceremonies. It is a common Voodoo belief that spirits can be called through music, but Dominicans do not have specific songs for specific spirits to be called.

Today, in Haiti, voodoo is a key inspiration of Haitian culture and art and is still widely practiced in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Haiti's constitution nationally recognizes both Voodoo and Roman Catholism as the official religions. In Haiti, after the massive earthquake that rocked the country in 2010, many Haitians reverted from their Catholic worship back to that of Voodoo in order to make sense of and find relief from the disaster. Religious leaders believed that the divide between Catholisim and Voodoo was one of the main reasons the disaster struck them. Voodoo is one of the most enduring African religious practices in the world and in Hispaniola, one of the main staples in their society.

Sources

1. Sengupta, Kim. "Voodoo: The Old Religion Rises from the Rubble in Haiti." www.independent.co.uk. The Independent Co. February 2010. 18 November 2012. Web. 
2. Brictson, Robert C. "Voodoo: Spirits in Haiti Art." www.2webster.edu. 18 November 2012. Web. 
3. "Voodoo, Las 21 Divisiones, and Los Misterios." www.dr1.com/articles/voodoo. DR1 Co. 18 November 2012. Web. 

Cultural Blending in Hispaniola: The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic side of the island of Hispaniola as previously explained was first inhabited by millions of Taino Indians before the Spanish discovered and conquered the area. The Taino people had a rich cultural history which is still evident today in the use of the canoe, the eating of barbecue meat and referring to devastating tropical storms as hurricanes. All of these terms and the things they describe all originally come from the Taino people.

The Taino people on their early canoes 

Hurricane or "huracan" as called by the Taino

As with many early Caribbean areas under Spanish colonial rule, many native cultural staples became extinct, replaced or blended with that of Spanish culture. The first of these to native cultural identifiers to be replaced by that of the Spanish was the Taino's pagan religion. The Spanish government made the forced conversion of the Taino natives to the Catholic faith an official law in 1513, by enforcing the Requiermiento doctrine issued by the Catholic church and the Spanish crown. In addition the forced religious conversions, the landscape of Dominican and Taino culture was further changed by the slave trade. Unlike its French neighbor Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), Santo Domingo and the Dominican Republic did not make a large profit from becoming a plantation society. Because profits were not high on Dominican plantations and more relaxed slavery laws imposed by the Spanish, many of the slaves on the Santo Domingo side of the island bought their own freedoms, resulting in a very large freeman population. By the time the African population really began thriving in Santo Domingo, many of the pure blooded Taino people had been decimated by disease. Those who remained intermarried with Spaniards and Africans causing a large population and cultural mix. Pirates, like Sir Francis Drake and his company also found Santo Domingo to be great hiding and docking place. In addition to the people and their culture, The Dominican Republic changed hands from the Spanish, to the French, back to the Spanish and then under the control of the new Haitian country all before it declared independence in 1844. 
Today the mixing of different cultures in Santo Domingo helped to shape its culture of today. Like the original Taino, many root plants like sweet potatoes and cassava are large staples in the Dominican diet. Also, the Dominican Republic is still very racially diverse. The Dominican upper class are usually descendants of European ancestry and are lighter skinned, the lower class is usually black and descendant of the early African slaves or Haitians and mulattoes, a mixture of African and African or Indian descent make up the largest, middle class. These mulattoes identify themselves as either indio claros (those with lighter skin) and indio ocsuros (those with darker skin). They refer to themselves as "indios" because many Dominicans identify with their native Indian and European roots but not their African roots. The largest bit of European influence still evident today is the large devotion to the Catholic religion and Spanish as the national language. The way people pattern their marriages trace back to the colonial times as well. Many of the lower class, darker skinned people agree to common-law/ consensual marriages like the slave women who married European men illegally before them. Lighter skinned, more elite members of society tend to have civil or church marriages like the European elites before them. 
The Dominican Republic has a rich cultural history which dates back to the day of the Taino people. Those others who came to the island contributed their influence as well, resulting in a diverse culture and history today. 

Sources

1.) Castillo, Jose del., Murphey, Martin A. "Migration, National Identity, and Cultural Policy in        the Dominican Republic." Journal of Ethnic Studies. (1987). 49-69. Web. November 2012. 

2.)"The Dominican Republic." Every Culture. Advameg Inc. n.d., Web. November. 2012

Slavery in Hispaniola

The Trans-Atlantic slave trade is credited as resulting in the largest migration of people in history. It is estimated that anywhere from four to twenty million Africans made the journey across the Atlantic ocean to the North American colonies, the Caribbean Islands, and Central and South Americas. Many of those slaves who made the voyage were captured from the inland portion of the African continent by other Africans or taken as prisoners of war, and the sold by them to European traders. On their journey across the vast Atlantic, these slaves were tightly packed below deck on slave ships where they were shackled to another slave who was sure to be from a different area of Africa. It is estimated that one out of every eight slaves traveling across the Atlantic died along the way.  This is the effects of the lucrative business' affects on the island of Hispaniola.

Saint Domingue (Haiti)

Background
In 1501, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel of Spain granted the settlers of Hispaniola the right to import African slaves to the island. These early African slaves were imported to the island to replace the waning native Taino population of workers who were quickly being wiped out by disease and over work. This importation made Santo Domingo the first place in the Americas to be involved in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Initially, while Hispaniola was under the sole control of the Spanish, slavery was not a large market. However, by the year 1697, the Spanish had worked Hispaniola's gold mines almost dry on the Western part of the island. Because of this, many of the Spanish settlers abandoned the area in pursuit of gold and silver that had been discovered in Peru and Mexico. Seeing this abandonment as an ideal opportunity  The French soon moved into the area.  The French saw the great value in the land and quickly began to establishing large sugar plantations in the land they called Saint Domingue (present-day Haiti). It is estimated that by the late 19th Century, there were about 400,000 slaves living in Saint Domingue. The immense slave population greatly outnumbered the estimated 32,000 whites and 28,000 free blacks and mulattoes living in Saint Domingue at the time. Unlike in the American colonies, free blacks and mulattoes were given higher statuses in society and they even owned about one-third of the slave population on the island.

Slavery by the Numbers
The Slave Trade Database shows that between the years 1701-1850 Saint-Domingue consistantly recieved more and 1,000,000 new slaves in the colony per 25 years. This steady influx of new Africans was due to the harsh working and living conditions the slaves were subject to on the sugar plantations in the colony. Saint-Domingue, because of these slaves and the sugar industry, Saint-Domingue was the most profitable colony in the Atlantic.
Free Blacks and Mulattoes in Society  and Building Tension

Because of their largely outnumbered population, the whites and slaveholders enforced the strict Code Noir or "slave code."  Médéric Louis Élie Moreau de Saint-Méry was a French Creole colonist, lawyer, and writer who was born in Martinique and composed a famous study on the race relations in Saint Domingue. His study is described as mainly theorizing the gene progressions between black and white and the progression between white and mixed raced people which carried political consequence in Saint Domingue. It also explores the sexual relations between white men and free black women which created the large mulatto population in Saint Domingue. Marriage between the two races was not outlawed in the colony but it was not highly agreed upon either. Saint-Mery's study makes the point that "Faced with the population increase, social ambition, wealth and political demands of free people of color, the white elite responded with an extraordinarily oppressive regime of racially exclusionary laws intended to halt their advancement. Free people of color were forbidden to wear luxurious clothing, take the name of a white person, carry arms, practice certain professions and hold public office."


John D. Garrigus, a history professor at the University of Texas wrote an article as well about race relations in Haiti/Saint Domingue at the time. He states "that by the year 1789, Saint-Domingue had the largest, wealthiest and most self confident population of free blacks in the Americas." In response to the power of this class, many whites in the colony attempted to knock them down by spreading portraying negative images and stereotypes of the race. Because of the white's opposition to the free blacks and mulattoes' power in the colony, the people of color fought hard for their civil rights and in the 1789 they were granted these rights. Garrigus attributes many of the opinions of those who fought for civil rights to be fuel for the Haitian Revolution.

Sources 

1.) Slave Trade database: http://slavevoyages.org/tast/assessment/estimates.faces

2.) Hispaniola's History: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/free_chapters/dominican-rep-haiti-4-hispaniola-history.pdf

3.) Hispaniola Slave Routes: http://old.antislavery.org/breakingthesilence/slave_routes/slave_routes_dominicanrepublic.shtml

4.) Garrigus, John D. "Redrawing the Color Line: Gender and Social Construction of Race in Pre-Revolutionary Haiti." http://www.mixedracestudies.org/wordpress/?tag=mederic-louis-elie-moreau-de-saint-mery

5.) Garraway, Doris Lorraine. "Race, Reproduction and Family Romance in Moreau de Saint-Mery’s Description. ..de la partie francaise de l’isle Saint Domingue." http://www.mixedracestudies.org/wordpress/?tag=mederic-louis-elie-moreau-de-saint-mery

From the Diary of a Taino Girl: Colombian Exchange Changes

June 1520

sugar cane crops were the largest cash crops grown in colonial Hispaniola

Final phase of the small pox virus, the puss filled blisters 

 Fernando and I have been officially married for a year now and though he is a Spaniard, it casts no shadow on the love that I have for him. I have become fluent in not only his language but his ways of living as well. After our wedding ceremony, Fernando promised me that unlike many of the other Spaniards who have moved here, he would not subject the people in my Yukayeke (village) to the encomienda policy enforced by his people. This warmed my heart to know that he loves myself and my people enough to do this however, it is of not the same significance that it would have been only a year ago. Over the years, Aracoel always told me stories about the lives of my mother, aunts and cousins before they were lost to the great sickness. She says that we were a large, but close family and it is because of our closeness that they all perished so quickly. Aracoel always marks the time of the Spaniards arrival as the starting point of the fever and it was my aunt Shai'a who we lost first. "At first, we thought it was only a fever, and then she could not keep even the smallest amount of Anaiboa (starchy white juice taken from the Yuca plant used to make a sweet drink) in her bell, and after many days of suffering, her skinned turned white with the sores that after only a few more days would mark her death." After my Shai'a's death, it was not just my family that was quickly wiped away, but there were eighty three others in our village of about 120 who fell to the fever as well. It is a miracle that Aracoel and I were able to survive and it is part of the reason she remains so true to her religion and still will not commit to being a Cath-lic. After this first fight with sickness, we were able to partially rebuild our numbers and were beginning to thrive again. Shortly after the sickness passed, the Spaniards began bringing with them many new plants, foods and even beasts. The beast came with them first, and when I was about six years old, I saw the first beasts that I now know as the vaca (cow), caballo (horse), and cerdo (pig). When these animals first arrived, they were at first feared by our people, until we realized that they could be of great use to us. With their animals now here and our population making a slow recovery, the Spaniards soon brought us new crops and darker people that they referred to as Africanos. They began to clear out large areas of our lumber in order to plant these new crops. The majority of our remaining people and the new Africanos were all sent to work on these lands and soon, we were growing large amounts of azucar (sugar). The caballo was used in these fields to help workers move large amounts of the azucar around the mill. The labor needed to work in these mills were terrible especially during the hot seasons. Many of our people began to perish and soon we were not only greatly out numbered by the Spaniards, but the Africanos as well. I find myself to feel very grateful for my marriage to Fernando because neither I nor my Aracoel or my new baby will be subject to the life of a field hand.

Map of Columbian Exchange Products

Sugar quickly became an
important New World export that displaced honey as the main sweetener in Europe. Sugar cane was one of the first new products to be
produced in Hispaniola, and the first sugar mill appeared on the
island in 1516. By the 1530s there were 34 mills on the island, including some owned by Corte´s. Warmer climate favored sugar, and
Portuguese transplanted sugar cane to Brazil, which eventually became the world’s largest producer. Bananas are another warm
weather transplant. They were brought from the Canary Islands to
Hispaniola in 1516 (Crosby 1972: 68).



New plants and animals were used first by Spanish settlers, but
eventually indigenous farmers adopted them as well. The speed of
adoption was increased by the massive decline in the native population. Some marginal traditional cropland was converted to pasture,
and large land grants to colonists speeded the adoption of European
technology. Food preparation also changed, as natives introduced
animal fat into their cooking. The resulting fusion food was also different from European food that relied on olive oil or butter for cooking oil.
3

The list of infectious diseases that spread from the Old World to the New is  The list of infectious diseases that spread from the Old World to the New is

long; the major killers include smallpox, measles, whooping cough, chicken pox,  long; the major killers include smallpox, measles, whooping cough, chicken pox,

bubonic plague, typhus, and malaria (Denevan, 1976, p. 5). Because native popula- bubonic plague, typhus, and malaria (Denevan, 1976, p. 5). Because native populations had no previous contact with Old World diseases, they were immunologically  tions had no previous contact with Old World diseases, they were immunologically

defenseless. Dobyns (1983, p. 34) writes that “before the invasion of peoples of the  defenseless. Dobyns (1983, p. 34) writes that “before the invasion of peoples of the

New World by pathogens that evolved among inhabitants of the Old World, Native  New World by pathogens that evolved among inhabitants of the Old World, Native

Americans lived in a relatively disease-free environment. . . . Before Europeans  Americans lived in a relatively disease-free environment. . . . Before Europeans

initiated the Columbian Exchange of germs and viruses, the peoples of the Amer- initiated the Columbian Exchange of germs and viruses, the peoples of the Americas suffered no smallpox, no measles, no chickenpox, no inl icas suffered no smallpox, no measles, no chickenpox, no inl uenza, no typhus, no  uenza, no typhus, no

typhoid or parathyroid fever, no diphtheria, no cholera, no bubonic plague, no  typhoid or parathyroid fever, no diphtheria, no cholera, no bubonic plague, no

scarlet fever, no whooping cough, and no malaria.” scarlet fever, no whooping cough, and no malaria.”

Although we may never know the exact magnitudes of the depopulation, it is  Although we may never know the exact magnitudes of the depopulation, it is

estimated that upwards of 80–95 percent of the Native American population was  estimated that upwards of 80–95 percent of the Native American population was

decimated within the i decimated within the i rst 100–150 years following 1492 (Newson, 2001). Within  rst 100–150 years following 1492 (Newson, 2001). Within

50 years following contact with Columbus and his crew, the native Taino popu- 50 years following contact with Columbus and his crew, the native Taino population of the island of Hispanola, which had an estimated population between  lation of the island of Hispanola, which had an estimated population between

60,000 and 8 million, was virtually extinct (Cook, 1993). Central Mexico’s popula- 60,000 and 8 million, was virtually extinct (Cook, 1993). Central Mexico’s population fell from just under 15 million in 1519 to approximately 1.5 million a century  tion fell from just under 15 million in 1519 to approximately 1.5 million a century

later. Historian and demographer Nobel David Cook estimates that, in the end,  later. Historian and demographer Nobel David Cook estimates that, in the end,

the regions least affected lost 80 percent of their populations; those most affected  the regions least affected lost 80 percent of their populations; those most affected

lost their full populations; and a typical society lost 90 percent of its population  lost their full populations; and a typical society lost 90 percent of its population

(Cook, 1998, p. 5)

Sources

1.) Grennes, Thomas. "The Columbian Exchange and the Reversal of Fortune." http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj27n1/cj27n1-8.pdf

2.)"The First Edition of the Modern Taino Dictionary." http://members.dandy.net/~orocobix/tedict.html

3.)Nunn, Nathan and Qian, Nancy. "The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food and Ideas." http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/nunn/files/Nunn_Qian_JEP_2010.pdf

From the Diary of a Taino Girl

This blog will be written from the diary of Zaina a native Taino village girl who lived on the island of Hispaniola during the time that Columbus discovered the island. This is her personal account of the European influence on her island and the story of her love for the Spaniard, Fernando Cortes 






May 1511

  It has been quite a few years since the first group of the Eieri' (men) from the land His-span-a came to our land. I was only a Guaili (baby) when they first landed on our shores but I am now almost nineteen years. Aracoel (Grandmother) has become worried that I will not become a Liani (wife) as soon as she hopes I will but I have other plans. She says that my Bibi (Mother) would have found it important that I become a Liani before my time of Caguna (fertility) became limited or worse, passed. I lost my Bibi shortly after I was born for she was taken with the sickness of the Ari' (strangers).
 I met Fernando one day while I was headed to gather Cha'gara (Crayfish) and Ector (a soft, sweet corn) for dinner. Aracoel and I enjoy mixing Dajao (river fish) and Ahi (peppers) together and eat them with Guanamie (bread) for dinner. When Fernando began speaking to me that day, I was not too eager to associate with the Arijua (stranger) but he came and began to speak to me. Now because these men have been apart of my life and have taken apart of my home for as many years as I can remember, I could understand their language enough to speak freely with them. Ho-lah he said to me and I knew from my experience that this was his greeting. This particular Eieri had a seemingly pleasant appearance and his spirit showed no sign of the malice that many of his people have shown to be capable of. He offered to walk with me and to carry my Jaba (basket). He went down to the waters with me that day and helped me gather many Cha'gara and then walked with me back to my Yucayeke (village). I knew if Aracoel saw us at that time she would think that Fernando would try to take me as his Liani as many of the Spanish men have done over the years. Even worse than that, Aracoel would begin to believe that he would force me to take up his ways and stop me from believing in the Ya'ya'a (Taino Creator or the Great Spirit; the Spirit of the Spirits) and pledge my faith to the May-ree (Mary) that he believes so devoutly in. Many people in my Yucayeke have made this change and many women on the island have become the Liani of a Spaniard and have made the conversion as well. Even though this change has been spreading, many of the people around the island are still resisting the changes and with some of them, the Spaniards have become violent and oppressive against if they resisted the conversion. Many like Aracoel refused to give up the ways of their ancestors and resisted the destruction of their Cemies (small figurines fashioned out of stone,wood,shell and cotton. They were the physical representation of Taino spirits). I understand the devotion of my dear Aracoel but I know the capabilities of these people if we resist their ways. My own father lost his life fighting for the preservation of our ways and the beauty of our culture. For me, keeping my people and Aracoel alive and well is the important thing and if conforming to the ways of the Spanish will keep us that way then it is what I need to do. Since the first day we met, I have begun meeting Fernando in secret and we have been learning the ways of one another. He has promised to not subject myself or Aracoel to the harsh treatment that has been forced upon my fellow Taino people if I let him take me as his Liani and she and I become Cath-lic and pledge ourselves to the May-Ree.

"For the Taíno, religion differed from the institutionalized faiths of modern society. ‘‘The world today is accustomed to separate realms for religion and science, church and state, theology and philosophy. But for the Taínos, religion assumed all of these functions through an interlocking system of symbols, rites, and beliefs’’ (Stevens-Arroyo (1988) page 53). For the Taíno, religion incorporated all aspects of life. The central focal point of Taíno religion was the practice of cemeism. Cemies are small figurines fashioned out of stone, wood, shell and cotton. These figurines provided a physical representation of the Taíno cult of spirits. They were a link between the psychic world of humans and nature. They helped explain the chaos of life through rituals of fertility, healing and divination, and the cult of ancestors. ‘‘The cemies served as sacred mediums allowing the power of the numinous to flow in two directions; from the spirit world out into human experience, and from human need into the cosmos’’ (Stevens-Arroyo 1988). Cemies were kept by all members of the society, but those belonging to the cacique (chief) or behique (shaman or priest) were believed to hold higher powers. Cemies could only be constructed with the assistance of a behique. For instance, if a commoner was walking in the forest and came upon a tree which he/she thought held certain powers, he/she would call a behique to come from the village and perform a prescribed ceremony. If the tree was able to answer the behique’s questions correctly and the ceremony was performed correctly, the person was able to cut the tree down and carve his/her cemi (Ramon Pane translated in Bourne 1907). Communication with the cemies was often achieved via the use of a hallucinogenic drug, known as cohoba. This rite of using cohoba was clearly done for religious purposes. It allowed the participant to see beyond the normal."                                      Sources Ryan Martin. "Ceremonial Offerings and Religious Practices Among Taino Indians An Archeologicial Investigation of Gourd Use in Taino Culture." http://www-old.iusb.edu/~journal/static/volumes/1999/Paper11.html The Modern Dictionary of the Spoken Taino Language.  http://members.dandy.net/~orocobix/tedict.html

The Beauty Of Hispaniola

 In the year 1492, Italian voyager Christopher Columbus set out on his first voyage in search of an alternative path into the valued trading posts around India without having to first deal with the Muslim middle men of the time. With this in mind, Columbus and his fleet who were sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabelle of Spain set sail into the Atlantic. Columbus unfortunatly did not find the alternate route to India, but he instead sailed into the Caribbean and landed on what we now know as the island of Hispaniola. He then established the first settlement on the island, La Navidad, in honor of the Santa Maria ship in his fleet which crashed and dismantled off the coast of present-day Haiti on Christmas day. Because of losing the extra ship, Columbus' other ship, The Pinta could not support all of his men, so Columbus was forced to leave them behind in La Navidad (Christmas). The thirty nine seafarers that Columbus left behind on the island were given instruction to search for gold, learn the land and befriend the natives, but they had a second agenda. The European settlers began mistreating the native Taino people and raping their women. The natives retaliated against them and when Columbus returned in 1493, he found La Navidad to be destroyed and his men all dead. When he learned of the reason behind his men's demise, Columbus took his men further east into the present day land of The Dominican Republic and established La Isabella, which is now known as the first permanent European settlement in the Americas. La Isabella would eventually be destroyed by a Hurricane and be re-established as present day Santo Domingo. 

  From just reading a brief early description of its discovery it is easy to see why Hispaniola is an important place of focus in the History of the Atlantic World. Not only was it the first permanent European settlement but it also becomes a major hub for trade, a hotbed for natural resources and a major site in the story of slavery in the Americas. The uprising of the Taino against Columbus' men was the first of many uprisings in the Atlantic between groups of natives and the Europeans and will later host the first major slave uprising in Haiti. 

 Hispaniola is the island where the present day islands of Haiti and the Dominican Republic are divided by the Cordiellra Central or Central Range mountains and is bordered by Cuba in the Northwest, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos in the North and Jamaica in the South. It is also the second largest island in the Caribbean behind Cuba. Its geography, discovery, value to the Europeans, size, and history of wars and uprisings makes Hispaniola, and later, the Dominican Republic, which I will draw my focus on is a highly important piece in the huge puzzle of the Atlantic World.

Sources: http://dr1.com/articles/taino.shtml
               http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/latinamericatheconquest/p/La_Navidad.htm
               http://www.lionlambmissions.org/images/Hispaniola-map.gif