Dominican Culture Essay

In America today, there is a large and diverse African-American population. Within this population, there are several ethnic groups. The other ethnic group similar to Afro-Americans is Dominicans. Not only are they both minorities, but they also look similar as well. Both Dominicans and Afro-Americans are originally from Africa, but their slave masters separated them into two different cultures. African-Americans was African slaves of Americans, and Dominicans were African slaves of the Spanish. Hevesi of the New York Times says, "Dominican and Afro-Americans culture was formed from one ethnicity, Africans" (Hevesi 86). As a person of these two ethnic groups, I have two perceptions of my dual ethnicity. Among Afro-Americans’ and

It was a hot, searing day as the sun beat down on my skin. The lush green palm trees provided me shade as I sat and observed my surroundings. Children, barefoot and dirty, wearing tattered and stained clothes were running around laughing and playing. Their joyous giggles put a smile on my face and warmed my heart as I watched them.

My cultural ancestry comes from a Cuban and Mexican decent. I have chosen to write about my Cuban side because I can relate to them more than I could with my Mexican side. I was raised around my Cuban family and would occasionally see my Mexican side due to them living so far away. I have spent a lot more time associating with Cubans and have adapted to more of their habits.

The United States established diplomatic relations with the Dominican in 1884 following its independence from Spain. They are not run by a dictatorship, but through a democracy. They have a Representative Democracy government, which means that all eligible citizens vote on representatives to pass laws for them. The government has about 61% control over the economy down there. Their form of government is a lot like the United States. They have three branches (executive, legislative and judicial) of government and the court is in charge of actions against the President, designated members of his cabinet, and members of Congress.

Culture is the thoughts, communications, actions, beliefs, values, and institutions racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups (Jarvis, 2012, p 14). Every culture has its own view/ understanding about health care, health and illnesses. Although what might be seen as acceptable in one culture, may not be acceptable in another, regardless of where you are health care and culture will always exist. My definition of culture is the way someone lives his or her life in a daily basis; which includes things like the language one speaks in and out of the home, food one eats, music one listens to, and one religious practice. The culture I will be

For this map project, the country of research is the Dominican Republic located in both the northern and western hemispheres in the Caribbean. The country is located on the east section of the island of Hispaniola, with the country of Haiti on the west section. The island of the Hispaniola is the second largest island of the West Indies and it is 29,418 square miles in total. The Dominican Republic's shores are dominated by the Caribbean Sea to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the north, but its nation capital Santo Domingo is located on the southern portion of the island. The also has close surrounding neighbors which are Cuba and Puerto Rico. The main reason why the country is in my interest of research is because it’s my place of

The division of Hispaniola began through the conflict of the French and Spanish trying to control the New World in the 17th century. The split in 1697 resolved the dispute making them two different countries. The Dominican Republic was still a part of Spain along with Haiti a part of France until the 1800s when they became independent (Lancer). The Dominicans then began to take advantage of the Haitians and use them as slaves. So in 1805 Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the ruler of Haiti, invaded the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola because of the slave raiding going on in the Dominican Republic. This wasn’t entirely successful, so in 1821 Santiago was finally overthrown by José Núñez de Cáceres. He was part of a group trying to break away from Spain and become independent. The Dominican

In 1821 the Dominicans rebelled against their Spanish colonizers, and succeeded in declaring independence. However, it was only nine weeks before the country was again forced to submit to the rule of another sovereign nation, Haiti. As Jan Lundius and Mats Lundahl stated in their book Peasants and Religion: A socioeconomic study of Dios Olivorio and the Palma Sola Movement in the Dominican Republic: “In February 1822, the Haitian president, Jean-Pierre Boyer; gained control of the entire island of Hispaniola without resistance, at the head of a 12,000-man invading army. The Haitians were to stay until 1844, when the Spanish-speaking population which had revolted the year before proclaimed the free and independent Dominican Republic” (Lundahl pg. 425). This was a very radical occupation, where Boyer attempted to reshape the Dominican Republic to how he thought it should be. One of his largest projects, was the confiscation of church and immigrant lands, and subsequently its redistribution. This, coupled with the destruction of large plantations, created a peasant class for the first time in the Dominican Republic.

The following students papers were accepted by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute to add to their Archive:

“No te quede en el sol por mucho tiempo te va poner negro” Don't stay in the sun for too long you’ll get black.Those are words that I have heard while growing up. Growing up in a Dominican household the culture and beliefs are really strong. A culture that has been passed down through generations. A culture that has been accepted, however just because it's my culture doesn't mean that I have to accept it. In my family, lighter is better, more beautiful. It's not only my family, in Dominican culture being light skin tone is usually related to beauty and success. However, I don't agree with that, the color of your skin doesn't decide if you will be successful. It is who you are that decides that. It is hard to try to talk to the family about

The Dominican Republic or also known as La Republica Dominicana is a small island that is 18,816 square miles, located off the coast of Florida. The Dominicans of this land share their island with the Haitians. The island has a subtropical climate, mountains, rolling hills, and fertile river valleys. The economy is mainly dominated by sugar, which still earns much of the country's foreign exchange despite establishment of varied light industries and the development of nickel, mining and tourism. Coffee, cocoa, tobacco, and bananas are also a major export crop. But, despite their seemingly stable economy, and lush landscaping, a vast majority of the estimated 8,603,200 people that live there wish to migrate to the

Mexican, Filipino, and Thai these are just a few of the diverse cultures in this group. To begin with, some interesting aspects of the Mexican culture is that the primary language of the culture is Spanish, the primary religion is Catholicism, and in Mexico one of the popular celebrations are The Day of the Dead. To begin with the primary language of the Mexican culture is Spanish. Approximately 92.7 percent of the Mexican population Speaks spanish. The lesser used dialects in Mexico include such as Mayan, and Nahuatl. Another interesting aspect of the Mexican culture is the primary religion is Catholicism. 82% of the Mexican population identifies as Catholic. There are also very few Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists. Last but not least, Day of the dead is celebrated in Mexico. It is celebrated on November 2. This day is set aside to remember and honor those who died.

De 1930 a 1961, el tirano Rafael Leonidas Trujillo dirigió la República Dominicana como dictador y se mantuvo en el poder mediante el imperio del terror. En 1961 su auto fue

It is centered with a white cross that extends to the edges and divides the flag into four rectangles. The color blue is for liberty, red for the blood of heroes, and white for salvation. His flag is the only flag with a bible on it. This Island is a strong Island and when it is in trouble all of its people stand together as one. There are some really cool facts about this flag. The Dominican Republic coat of arms features a shield in quartered colors of the flag, with a laurel branch to the left and a palm frond to the right. The blue ribbon above the shield displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Fatherland, Liberty). Below the shield, the words República Dominicana appear on a red ribbon. In the center of the shield, surrounded by six spears, is a Bible with a small golden cross above it. Popular belief claims that the pages are opened to the Gospel of John 8:32, which reads, "Y la verdad os hará libre." (And the truth shall make you free.) This is something interesting about the flag that you would have never thought of from the top of your head. The national anthem explains a little bit of the history from the

Cuba is an island nation that was adopted in 1902. One third of it consists of mountains and rolling hills. It lies in the West Indies, and is said to be a beautiful island. Havana is Cuba’s capital, and the center of government for Cuba. Some important cities are Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey. Santiago de Cuba is near the south-eastern area of Cuba, and has a population of about half a million people. It’s considered the second most important city in Cuba, probably because it’s an important sea port. Camagüey is the fourth largest city in Cuba, according to Wikipedia. The symbol of Camagüey is a clay pot, mainly because there are clay pots everywhere. They can be very small, or very big. They’re used to capture rainwater to be