Culture and How It Relates to Me

What is culture? Why is it important to a society?

Culture is what defines a society. One's culture can pertain language, religion, dance, music, customs, style of dress, or any number things. It can reach as far as an entire nation or be as small as one person. Culture is important because people need more than just their appearances to distinguish them from others. It is important for societies to pass their cultures down to each new generation so that they will have an identity and place in the world. Culture distinguishes us. It is one of the major traits that make human beings unique from animals.

Look up the definition of culture. Does your definition correspond with a dictionary's definition?

As defined by Dictionary.com, culture is the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. My definition somewhat corresponds with this definition because culture does distinguish humans from animals. All of the aspects of culture I described in my definition pertain to human intellect.

What is your personal culture? What has happened in your life to shape your culture?Are you aware of any aspects of culture of the country you have chosen?

My personal culture would consist of the life experiences that have shaped me. The traditions and the values that my parents have instilled in me have contributed to my culture. I don't believe any one isolated experience has shaped my culture but rather the collective whole of my life experiences. I am aware several aspects of the Dominican Republic's culture. One of the biggest aspects of Dominican culture that I admire is the music.

Bachata Music

Bachata is a style of Latin music that originated from the Dominican Republic. Bachata is extremely popular throughout Latin America and across the globe. Bachateros, as bachata musicians are called, such as Aventura have enormously contributed to increasing the popularity of bachata. Bachata songs are primarily about love and are sung in Spanish and Spanglish. The songs cover all aspects of love from the joys, hardships, and everything in between. The instruments that the music is comprised of are usually an electric or acoustic guitar and drums. It is also accompanied by a dance which is also called bachata. The dance consists of a simple two step and turns.

Bachata traces its origins to the shanty towns and back hills of the Dominican Republic. The word bachata is actually derived from the African words cumbancha and cumbanchata both meaning "noisy merrymaking."The music was meant for enjoyment and was usually heard at street parties. It was created by Dominicans of African descent who lived in impoverished areas. Because of this, bachata has often been dubbed the "Dominican blues." It was once considered to be the poor man's music, so Dominicans of higher social status did not listen to it. However, now it is widely accepted.

Bachata is relative to the Spanish culture because it was created in the Dominican Republic. The music is sung primarily in Spanish and is popular among Spanish speaking people. It has meaning to the Spanish culture because it was made by poor Dominicans for poor Dominicans. It was something they could call their own. Bachata is important to me because it has helped me to understand Spanish better. I began listening to it about four years to increase my Spanish hearing comprehension. I can relate to the subjects in the songs and the melodies are catchy. The history of this music has also taught me people of African descent experience the same hardships everywhere.

Works Cited

Pacini Hernandez, D. (1995). Bachata: a social history of a Dominican popular music. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Bachata Music

Here are several videos I found on Youtube that pertain to bachata. The first three videos are examples of some popular bachata songs. The last two videos showcase the bachata dancing style. Enjoy!

Colorism in the Dominican Republic

Sammy Sosa before and after using skin bleaching creams

Colorism is an issue that has been deeply imbedded within the Dominican culture for many years. It is not necessarily a tangible aspect of the culture, however its effects can be felt throughout the entire society. Colorism is defined as discrimination against people of a different skin tone within one's own race. This issue adversely affects Dominican's with dark skin more so than any other Dominicans. The social hierarchy in the in the Dominican Republic has people who are the darkest at the bottom of the society and people who are the lightest in the upper crust of society. Whiteness is associated with success and wealth and blackness is associated with being poor and unsuccessful.

It has been a part of Dominican culture to reject their black roots. Dominican women straighten their hair and use skin bleaching creams to lighten the skin to look more white. Natural hair and braids are even banned in some schools.(Robles, 2007) Most black Dominicans don't acknowledge their African roots and don't consider themselves to be black.When asked about their racial background most Dominicans refer to themselves as Indian. They usually only acknowledge Indian and Spanish aspects of their culture.

The history of colorism in the Dominican Republic originated several hundred years ago when many African slaves were freed from the sugar plantations in the country. Blacks began to move up in society and so they wanted to take the emphasis off of race. Then in 1822 Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, took over the Dominican Republic and ruled for 22 years. Because of this wrinkle in Haitian and Dominican history, Dominicans developed anti-Haitian sentiments. Then in 1930 dictator Rafael Trujillo came into power. During his 30 year reign Trujillo encouraged the ethnic cleansing of Haitians in the Dominican Republic through violence. His regime is considered to be one of the most violent and bloodiest in the Americas. Furthermore, during the presidency of Joaquín Balaguer, Belaguer complained that Haitians were "darkening the country."(Robles, 2007) Being associated with black is not desirable in this country.

The reason I chose this aspect of Dominican culture is because it is somewhat of a controversial subject that is not being addressed. Colorism is relative to the Dominican culture because it affects the lives of so many Dominicans of African ancestry. It is important because it affects how they identify themselves in the world. This aspect of the culture is important to me because it not just a Dominican issue, but it's an issue that affects blacks throughout the entire African Diaspora. I experience this same issue within in my own culture. Black people with lighter skin tend to be more successful are and more desirable as objects of beauty. There many African Americans who, when asked about their racial/ethnic background, will say that they are mixed with Indian and a host of other things. Although they may not be quite as intense as the Dominicans', many African Americans have the same racial identity issues. This is not my favorite aspect of Dominican or African American culture but it exists and needs to be addressed.


Works Cited

Howard, D. (2007). Development, racism, and discrimination in the Dominican Republic. Development In Practice, 17(6), 725-738. doi:10.1080/09614520701628097

Jones, S. (Photographer). (2009). Sosa skin whitening. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/black-culture-traditions-in-houston/sosa-is-symptomatic-of-global-self-hatred

Robles, F. (2007, June 13). Black denial. Miami Herald. Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia /news/afrolatin/part2/index.html

Sugar

Miguel “Sugar” Santos is a young pitcher with dreams of playing major league baseball in the United States. Miguel lives in relative poverty with his mother, younger sister and brother. While training at the baseball academy, Miguel gets the opportunity to advance to United States’ minor league baseball system playing for the Kansas City Knights. Miguel leaves the Dominican Republic to start his new life in a small Iowa town. When Santos first arrives to the United States he has to overcome the culture shock. Aside from his other Latino teammates, no one else speaks Spanish. Although his host family is warm and welcoming Miguel still feels isolated.

Initially when Miguel arrived to the Minor Leagues he played very well. He was a fan favorite because of his curveball. However as time passes his performance starts to wane and fans begin to lose faith in him. In addition, the Knights bring in a new player, one of Miguel’s friends from the baseball training camp in the Dominican Republic. Miguel begins to break under all the pressure and decides to take an alternate path: leave for New York. Upon his arrival in New York Miguel finds temporary shelter at a hotel. He finds work part time as a dishwasher and as a carpenter. Miguel begins to make new friends that can understand him. He meets other baseball players that walked paths parallel to his. Although the compensation for his new lifestyle does not pay as much as a baseball player's salary, Miguel is much more content with his new found life.

I chose this movie as one of my artifacts because it dives into a very important aspect of Dominican culture, baseball. Many Dominicans grow up playing this sport and it is the nation’s biggest pastime. Many Dominicans see baseball as an avenue to getting out of poverty and making a way for themselves. Some even sacrifice their education for this dream. I can relate to this because it is similar what I have seen in my culture. In African American culture many young men often believe basketball is their ticket out of poverty. They have the same dreams of making to the NBA and also sacrifice their education to do so. In both cultures there is a hunger to escape the woes of poverty and attaining the American Dream.

Here is a YouTube video of the Sugar movie trailer.

Here is an additional video that discusses baseball in the Dominican Republic.

Works Cited

Boden, A. (Director), & Fleck, R. (Director) (2008). Sugar[DVD].

Carnaval Dominicana

Carnaval is an annual celebration that occurs every February throughout the Dominican Republic. The event peaks on February 27^th, which is the Dominican Independence Day. The celebration includes parades, events, and competitions. Each Dominican town has its own unique way of celebrating Carnaval and have costumes to represent their respective regions. However the largest celebration is held in Santo Domingo. The event is characterized by the bright and colorful costumes, music, and dancing. Also, there several characters which are present in every Carnaval celebration.

Carnaval originated in the mid-1500s in Santo Domingo on the sugar plantations of the Dominican Republic. Plantation owners would allow their slaves to go out have a little fun to relieve all of their pent up angst. After a while the slave owners started to participate in the festivities themselves as a relief from some of their religious rigidity. Since Carnaval was considered to be a pagan celebration Spaniards had to incorporate religious aspects to satisfy their religious needs.

Carnaval is important to the Dominican culture because this annual celebration is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. It is relative to the culture because Carnaval was the first celebration of its kind in all the Americas. I chose this artifact because it reminds me of the Mardi Gras celebrations we have here in the United States. These celebrations are about letting loose before Lent begins. Even their histories are strikingly similar. I have celebrated Mardi Gras and I find it amazing that there is something similar in the Dominican Republic. It seems like loads of fun.

Works Cited

Carnaval. (2008). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-604912/Travel-pictures-week.html

Dominican republic carnival / carnaval dominicano - the origin. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/traditions-carnival.html

Hossenally, R. (Photographer). (2011). Carnival. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.easyvoyage.co.uk/dominican-republic/the-carnival-5467

Carnaval Dominicana: Videos y Fotografias

Here are a couple of videos containing slide shows and footage of Carnaval Dominicana.

Comida Dominicana : La Bandera Dominicana

La Bandera Dominicana

Dominican food is a fusion of the African, Indian, and Spanish cultures. The Dominican Republic has several national dishes but La Bandera Dominicana is the most popular. La Bandera Dominicana, or the Dominican flag, is consumed by all Dominicans regardless of their social status. The dish is important to the Dominican culture because it a staple food. It is served during lunch and is considered to be the most important meal of the day. The dish consists of rice, beans, meat/seafood and a side of plantains and is always made with fresh ingredients. The dish is called the Dominican flag because of how often it somehow represents the flag colors and because of its popularity.

This particular dish is interesting to me because it was the first Dominican recipe I actually prepared. Even though I am not Dominican I feel like this dish is a part of my culture now because it has helped me to expand my palate and appreciate Dominican culture that much more.

Here is a recipe for La Bandera Dominicana:

(This is not an original recipe. I found it on the Punta Cana Information Guide)

Plantains

Pan-fry in hot oil, lightly salt them and allow to dry on paper towel. You can treat fried plantains much the same way that you would french fries in a North American kitchen.

Red beans

2-3 cups of red kidney beans

1 red onion finely chopped

3 cloves of garlichalf tspn. of coriander

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 cups of chicken stock

salt & pepper to taste

Start by caramelizing the onions over medium heat in a little oil. Add garlic and coriander and saute for a couple minutes before adding other ingredients. Stew beans for 20-25 minutes; use a potato masher to turn parts of them into a paste while they're simmering. Keep them simmering until they reach a nice creamy consistency. Serve them mixed with the criolla (rice), the Dominican term for rice & beans is “moro”. However, in la bandera the items are usually separated into quarters on the plate – symbolizing the Dominican flag.

Rice

Whenever rice is cooked well there is a layer that sticks to the pot. In North American kitchens people tend to hide this part of the cooking process and throw it out. This is not the case in the Dominican Republic. This crispy layer of cooked rice is called “concon” and is a delicacy, served separately from the rice. A good Dominican cook can make great tender rice and wonderful crispy concon.

Guisade: Stewed Meat

Usually goat is used for this recipe, but you can substitute with stewing beef.

3 pounds of goat, cut into cubes

3 roughly chopped onions

6 cloves of garlic

4 tomatoes roughly chopped

2 sweet peppers julienned

2 cups beef stock

Coriander, salt & pepper to taste

Marinade:

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

Finely chopped onion

3 teaspoons oregano

Salt & pepper

Dominican goats graze on wild oregano, giving their meat a wonderful pre-marinated flavor, something that is always lacking when their dishes are recreated elsewhere. To get around this, marinate the stewing meat overnight in the refrigerator. Rub the meat with the marinade, place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight.Saute meat in hot oil until seared on all sides. Add onions, garlic, tomatoes and peppers and saute for five minutes. Add beef stock and allow to simmer for a couple hours. Season and adjust liquid as needed.

Works Cited

La bandera. (2011). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.bestday.com/Puerto-Plata-Area-Dominican-Republic/Restaurants/

La bandera dominican recipe: La bandera means “the dominican flag”. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.puntacana-information-guide.com/la-bandera-dominican-recipe.htm

Recipes 2. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/food-recipes-2.html