Similar Cultures

What cultures/nationalities would be most similar to the Dominican one ie. in terms of family structure, customs, values.

HEY, POSTERS: Re: Similar Cultures

I think the above question is coming from the same student who previously asked research questions and is asking something else - so please don't ignore her. Even if it's not the same student, please, all who can give her this information, please do so. -Mame-

Re: I'm not her.

No Mame I'm not the same one. She wanted to know about the Dominican way of life. I want to know which cultures/nationalities Dominicans feel are most like their own i.e. Germans, Italians, Americans.

PR? you must be kidding

we have a strong spanish culture.

Re: I'm not her.

Oh! Okay! Just wanted to get some help in there!! Thanks for the notice! -Mame-

Because the three large Antilles share a common

cultural thread.
You can read Frank Moya's "History of the Dominican Republic"; Samuel Hazard's " A journey thru the Dominican Republic with a glance at Hayti" (1870), or even James Mitchner's "Caribbean"

All three islands were inhabited by indians from the South American land mass. They travelled up the chain of islands.
The Taino culture was existant in all three (Cuba, Hispa?ola and Puerto Rico) before the Spaniards got here. All three were pretty much wiped clean by 1600, and replaced by a mixture of Spaniards and Africans which exists to this day.

HB

Re: Because the three large Antilles share a commo

hb, my apologies if this question digresses too far off topic, but in my readings of DR history (i admit limited, but i have done some) the term Taino and Arawak have sometimes been interchanged. i am quite familiar with the Arawak history in Jamaica-the 4th Greater Antilles island, so my question:

are the two equivalent? i don't recall anyone here using the term Arawak to describe the first people of the DR, is there a reason why it is not used?

Re: Because the three large Antilles share a commo

Mobrouser,

If my memory of pre-Columbian history serves me, the term Arawak and Taino have indeed been used simultaneously. In the lesser
antilles, the indigenous peoples were called Arawaks, but in Cuba, Hispaniola and PR the native peoples were called Tainos.
Depending on who you read, it is believed that variations of the word Arawak existed back in the 15th century, while no one really
knows for sure where the word Taino actually comes from, although I have read that it was a Swedish anthropologist who conjured up the term. It is also believed that the Tainos were the descendants of the Arawaks. But in reality, no one really knows for sure what the indigeneous peoples of the Caribbean really called themselves. Some say that even before the Arawaks migrated to the Caribbean archipelago from the South American continent, the Ciboneys had inhabited the greater antilles. Another group, the Caribs, from which the Caribbean gets its name, were believed to be cannibals, yikes!

Hope TGF sees this post as he may be able to shed more light into this very interesting topic.

Regards, Natasha