The Original Dominican-Haitian Border

Before this thread, were you aware the DR was originally 5K km2 bigger?


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NALs

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This old map clearly shows the original border. From 1777 to 1801 it was the border between Spain and France, from 1804 to 1809 it was France-Haiti, from 1809 to 1821 it was Spain-Haiti, from Dec 1821 to Feb 1822 it was Spanish Haiti-Haiti, from 1844 to 1861 it was DR-Haiti, from 1861 to 1865 it was Spain-Haiti, and from 1865 to 1929 it was DR-Haiti. In 1929 and later in the 1930s 5,000 km2 were ceded to Haiti because Haiti claimed that land and in order to successfully appropriate itself of this Dominican territory, the Haitian government encouraged its peasant population to move into the Guava Valley (today Centre Plateau) and become subsistence farmers. It was the presence of these Haitians that the Haitian government used to justify its claims of one of the most fertile valleys on the island, even though now its not as fertile as it once was.

Before 1495 the island had several borders due to the five Taino kingdoms, from 1492 to 1697 there was no border due to islandwide Spanish rule, from 1697 to 1777 there was a border slightly different from the one in the map, and then in 1777 the border that followed the extent of the territory occupied by the Spanish and the French was established.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Liz-ONBC/On Stranger Tides/Haiti/HaitiMapcopy.jpg
 

NALs

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In the last paragraph I meant to say "before 1492" not 1495.
 

Chellow

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Do you know the history behind the lose of the territory? Did we get anything in return?
 

NALs

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Do you know the history behind the lose of the territory? Did we get anything in return?
After the country became independent in 1844, the Haitians didn't fully evacuate much of that land and even laid claims on them as theirs. Haitian military solders were even sent to destroy the pyramids that marked the original border, in an attempt of creating confusion, but that move was sort of dumb considering that the maps clearly shows where the border went through, not to mention that it marked by visible geographic markers (the Northern and Noir mountain rages in Haiti were in effect the boundary, also the northern/eastern half of the Azuey lake was part of the DR.)

After the Vega Real, the Guava Valley was the most naturally fertile of all the relatively flat lands on the island. Its also the largest valley on that part of the island.

The border dispute caused much hardship along the border, with constant skirmishes and armed invasion attempts. The Haitians claimed the land as theirs and the Dominicans refuse to give to them, even though those lands were being flooded by Haitian peasants.

The U.S. put pressure for the border issue to be settled between the two countries and they used the extent of the territory that was peopled mostly by Haitians to draw the new border. In 1929 the deal was settled with the Dominican government and the "Haitian" government signing the border treaty. I put Haitian in quotes because Haiti was under U.S. military intervention from 1915 to 1934. When you consider that it was the Americans that started the process and that it was done while Haiti was still under their watchful eyes, its sort of clear with whom the Dominican government truly made the deal; not to mention that when the Haitians were making the claim on their own, Dominicans simply refused to give it to them.

In 1935 an amendment was made to the 1929 treaty in which some extra land was ceded to the Haitians (the Miel Valley among other areas), supposedly settling the deal for good.

I personally think those lands should had never been ceded. The Haitians that infiltrated into those valleys should had been given an ultimatum of going through a process of Dominicanization and if they refused, then they would had been expelled back into Haiti.

In this video you can see the environmental disaster the Haitians have done to the Guava Valley, once considered to be one of the most beautiful on the island filled with the typical royal palms, mahogany trees, and other plants that gives the island its luxurious natural appearance.

[video=youtube;jNMfVpEGi94]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNMfVpEGi94[/video]

Had the valley been kept under the ownership of its original owners, today it would had been much greener and agriculturally productive.
 

NALs

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Here is a video of Concepci?n de Hincha, also known as Lares de Guava, originally settled in the 1700's by Spanish immigrants from the Canary Islands. Most of their descendants are now living in the Dominican Republic and in Cuba, product of the mass emigration due to the Haitian menace. Some families that were originally from Hincha and its vicinity include Mej?a (yes, Hip?lito and company from Santiago) and Vi.cioso (from Santo Domingo), among many others (Pedro Santana was born there too.) Most of these family left to preserve their lives and simply accepted their properties there to be a loss.

After Dominican independence in 1844, the constant Haitian attacks forced many other Dominican families to flee. During the Dominican-Haitian Ware (1844-1856), the Haitians were determined to make it a war of extermination against the Dominican population and those border areas were simply devastated because they always fell to their aggression.

[video=youtube;-T7eyTCVPr0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T7eyTCVPr0[/video]
 
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NALs

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The following video of the Santiago, DR area shows how the Guava Valley probably looked like before it was deforested by the Haitians.

[video=youtube;iLrNxevee68]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLrNxevee68[/video]
 

Criss Colon

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I see its raining in New England today, stay dry!
A good day to stay inside a search GOOGLE for irrelevant things to post on DR1.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

ps, you forgot to ?Close? the thread.
 

Chellow

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History is never irrelevant, you know what they say. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.". I see we did not learn by inviting all those Haitian worker in the past.

Also look at what is happening in the Ukraine, all those Russian that are revolting came in to the Ukraine during the Soviet day's.
 

windeguy

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I think we should leave the Palestinians alone there give them their own country.. er. wait.. Sorry . Wrong country, never mind.
 

GWOZOZO

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Move on folks.

**** happens, borders change and life goes on. That happened almost on every continent...USA/Mexico for example.

Just be grateful that it is all the land the Haitians settled.

A more brutal dictator might have settled even more haitians over a larger area and might have been more genocidal.

So be happy.
 

mofongoloco

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Feb 7, 2013
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I don't see why people always see some polemical intention with every history thread. I find it very interesting and am glad to have such valuable primary sources curated for me. I am glad Nals didn't close this thread.
 

mofongoloco

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Btw, I can't answer that poll question as a yes or no. I knew that at one time the border was much further west. I did not know it was 5k km2.
 

Criss Colon

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The dominican republic is very fortunate to have so many of their Haitian brothers & sisters here in the DR!!!!!
Without them some dominicans might have to do some pysical work!!!!!!
Besides Haitianas are better looking than dominicanas, although I'll admit I can not really tell them apart,by looks, until we get into bed, THEN, I Can TELL!
Embrace them, they are here to STAY!!!!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
 

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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Move on folks.

**** happens, borders change and life goes on. That happened almost on every continent...USA/Mexico for example.

Just be grateful that it is all the land the Haitians settled.

A more brutal dictator might have settled even more haitians over a larger area and might have been more genocidal.

So be happy.

That was tried, several times.