Culture of the Dominican Republic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dominican people and their customs have origins in a unique mix of European, Native, and African roots. The Dominican Republic was the first Spanish colony in the New World. The newly-arrived Europeans killed most of the native Taino and Carib people through enslavement and the introduction of diseases previously unknown to the native inhabitants. The colonizers then imported African slaves to replace the natives. While many Dominicans are accustomed to tracing their heritage to the Spanish conquerors, their roots lie equally with the vanquished and conquered people with whom the Spaniards mixed.
However, there are vast differences in class and education that separate different groups. There are very rich people, and there are very humble, poor farmers and marginal urban barrio dwellers. The metropolitan culture available to the upper class and vanishing (due to economic turbulence as of late) middle class is often comparable to the life of city dwellers in the rich countries of Western Europe and the United States. But this metropolitan culture doesn't reach the poorest people, who may not have the most basic amenities—light, running water, sanitary facilities nor consumer electronics.
Despite these differences, there are many similarities. Some of the traits shared by all class groups are particularist interpersonal relations, Christianity, and popular music.
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[edit] Relationships and communication
Ethnographers say that Dominicans practice particularist, as opposed to universalist, social ethics. By this, they mean that family networks and friends are more important than universal rights. As a practical matter, this means that Dominicans are more likely to achieve gains through who they know rather than by following strict rules or procedures, the latter being what people in universalist-ethics countries do. Dominicans depend on social savvy, trust, indirect communication, and consensus. These values are reflected in popular sayings like "everything is done through the help of others" and despues de la excusa, nadie se queda mal (After the excuse was given, everybody got along fine.)
Dominicans are gifted at the art of indirect communication. The phrases "no hay problema" (There's no problem) "es usted que sabe" (It's you who knows, meaning "I hear you, and while I'm not sure I agree, I'm not going to argue") are popular and heavily used manners of deflecting disagreement. In the small society which is "the Dominican Family," it is highly important that people not embarrass each other nor be seen to act with malice. Ideally, one wishes to develop "confianza" with as many people as possible. Again, who one knows is a much more important than any law or absolute standard of conduct.
Dominicans value openness, warmth, hospitality, and personableness. In rural parts of the country, residents may be seen offering complete strangers a meal or coffee. On public transportation, people start friendly conversations with people they don't know, in contrast to the norms of Europe or the United States. It is good Dominican form to be willing to converse with anyone, and good form to inquire about the health of one's acquaintances' family, even if one does not know the family. In the rural poor areas, anyone can reasonably expect to walk in to a house and be offered coffee or a meal, though the large urban areas are quite a contrast to this form of life.
A typical casual rural conversation upon meeting someone else would be:
- Campesino (Farmer) #1: ¡Ay! Dígame, ¿como 'ta la cosa? (Ay! Tell me, how's it going?)
- Campesino (Farmer) #2: Bueno, usted lo ve como va. Y la famila suya, ¿como 'tan? (Good, you see how it goes. And your family, how are they?)
- Campesino #1: 'tan bien, gracia a Dios. (They are fine, thanks to God.)
- Campesino #2 ¿Y la mujel? (And the wife?)
- Campesino #1 Ay, eta un poco regular, pero mejol, gracia a Dio'. (Ay, she's settling down, better now, thanks to God.)
- Campesino #2 Bueno, entonce' no' vemo... (Good, now I go.)
- Campesino #1: ¡Abul, abul! (Bye!)
[edit] Religions
The Dominican Republic's Spanish cultural heritage is most evident in the national language and predominant religion, Catholicism. 89% of Dominicans are baptized in the Roman Catholic Church. Other substantial religious groups are the Evangelical Christians and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Around one percent of the nation's inhabitants practice pure spiritism, although it is very common for Catholicism and spiritism to be mixed in Santeria's seances and "saint" parties. Near the border between Haiti and Dominican Republic, some people practice voodoo.
[edit] Entertainment
The music style of merengue is unique to the Dominican Republic. The earliest form of merengue, perico ripiao, originated in the countryside as three-person re-interpretations of suggestive folk songs. Bachata is also a Dominican invention, one that has become increasingly popular worldwide. Reggaeton, a style of music originating in Panama and Puerto Rico, defines the party lifestyle of the country and is popular with the youth, although the music is disliked by most of the older generations. As people emigrated to the Dominican Republic, so did several instruments. Indians native to the island made güiros, hollowed out gourds with notches, which players grated with a fork. The güira evolved similarly, a metal cylinder with holes, scraped to make a percussive beat. Just as important is the tambora, a two-sided drum. Traditionally, one side of the drum was made of a male goat's skin soaked in rum, while the skin on other side came from a female goat who had never borne offspring.
The national beer is Presidente, the national drink is rum, and the national game is either dominos or baseball. The Dominican Republic has its own baseball league which runs from October to January. Many MLB players and minor leaguers play in this six-team league during off-season. The winner of the Dominican winter league goes on to represent the country at the Caribbean World Series against Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Venezuela.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Manuel A. Patin Maceo (1947) Dominicanismos, 2do Ed. Ciudad Trujillo: Libreria Dominicana.
[edit] External links
- Island Thresholds, Peabody Essex Museum's interactive feature, showcases the work of contemporary Caribbean artists and their exploration of identity, culture, and social justice. (requires Macromedia Flash)
