Impact of History, Culture, and Ethnic Relations on the Dominican Republic - Essay Example

Impact of History, Culture and Ethnic Relations on Dominican Republic The people of the Dominican Republic are divided on the basis of their origin, the elite ones are usually from the European background and the poor people descended from the African background. The culture of the country has a mix of African and the European flavor. The country can boast of being the first Spanish colony in the new world. The invaders from Europe started killing the local people, who were called the Tainos. The new invasion was an unwelcomed one and brought with it many a problem like enslavement of the people, diseases which were little known to the people at that time. Many local people, knowing there destiny fled fearing the Europeans and later on formed there own colonies, called the Maroon colonies. The colonizers brought in another change, they imported the black people and slavery was one of the most predominant features at that time. But all this changed because of the Haitian Liberation, this made sure that slavery was completely abolished from the country, as a result of which, the blacks having no where to go settled on in the country. This is the history of the country, which saw many a change taking place. The people of Dominican Republic are masters when it comes to indirect communication, they firmly believe in maintaining a good relationship with as many people as they possibly can. The people of the Dominican Republic consider themselves to be more Latin American than Caribbean. The situation of the country as of now is quite bad; the people are struggling to fight against the corrupt people, who are currently in power. Spanish is spoken in the country and the people are very proud of the purity of Spanish they speak in the country. The flag of the country is designed in such a manner that it shows national pride and patriotism. The flag consists of the colors red and blue which indicate the blood of the people who gave up their lives and liberty respectively. The Dominican coat of arms can be found in the centre of the flag. "A recent national symbol, constructed in 1992, is the Columbus Lighthouse. It was a work project conceived of by President Joaqun Balaguer when he was 85 years old and blind. It is an enormous cross, flat on the ground, facing the sky and bursting with lights, and was built as a tourist attraction." (Every Culture, 14 August, 2008). The light house is in an area where there is utter poverty; people live in despair, without any electricity and without many more basic necessities. The light house is a very big attraction and can even be seen burning brightly from Puerto Rico. The native people are called the Tianos; Columbus was well greeted when he first arrived in the country. These Tianos were peace loving people and lived in the tropical forest. These Tianos lives in make shift homes and many families lived under the same roof. The villages were further subdivided into districts, each district had a chief, who took care if that particular district. During this time there was no slavery in the country and it was free from all other evils too. The Tianos were very good at growing crops, specially the root crops. They also dug and used it as ornaments. Columbus kept a close eye on the gold digging skills of the Tianos and thought that he had a good chance of paying his debts to the king and queen of Spain. The culture of the Tianos is not very clearly presented because nearly all the Tianos died after three decades of Columbus's visit to the country. Columbus is known the world over for his navigating skills but he failed in dominating these Tainos, instead of farming he made them dig in pursuit of gold. The natives died, as there were torturous condition, food was not available in plenty and the population decreased. The country also saw the invasion of the United States of America from 1916 to 1924. The dominance of the United States brought many changes, for instance during the rule many new classes of land owners emerged and the country also saw the formation of a new military force. The early 1970s saw prosperity in the country, economic growth and development tool place in the country, mainly because of foreign investment and increased tourism. The mid of 1970s saw a rapid fall in the economy of the Dominican Republic, oil prices rose and gave rise to numerous problems such as inflation and the same impacted the economy of the country. Majority of the people in the country are Roman Catholics. People in the country are intrigued by sports, business, politics etc. There can be two ethnicities found in the country. The light colored skin people portray a European look where as the dark colored skin people portray the African look. People accept the strong class system, started by the Spaniards in the country. The Tainos have left behind there culture of accepting new things without showing much resistance or anything like that. The feeling of oneness bond the people of the Dominican Republic, the people share a very good chemistry with each other and often looked upon by the other people of various countries. The twentieth century saw a lot of people migrate from the ruler to the urban areas. The capital of the country is Santo Domingo and has population of roughly about 2.14 million. "Santo Domingo was a walled city, modeled after those of medieval Spain, and for three decades was the seat of Spanish power and culture in the New World. Today the area known as the Zona Colonial stands as a monument to Spain's time as a superpower, with some buildings dating back to the early sixteenth century" (Every Culture, 14 August, 2008). The eating habits of the people are very simple; the main focus is on the midday meal, which can last for two hours. "La bandera (the flag) is a popular national dish; the white rice and red beans remind people of the flag colors, hence the name. The third ingredient is stewed meat, and it is usually served with fried plantain and a salad. Another favorite dish is sancocho, a meat, plantain, and vegetable stew. On the coast, fish and conch are enjoyed, and coconut is used to sweeten many seafood" (Every Culture, 14 August, 2008). The economy of the country is one of the fastest growing in Latin America, which surely is some achievement. In spite of all this, the country still suffers from problems like poverty and unemployment. The biggest sector which contributes immensely to the economy is the service sector. As far as export goes, the export of silver and gold has recently broken a long term domination of sugar. These are the most exported resources of the country. The country is the fourth largest free trade zone in the world. Most of the women make up the majority of workers. The free trade zone has done a lot of good to the country, not only does it provide employment opportunities but also it enhances the technology used in the country, which leads to further progress of the country. Women in the country are believed to get jobs much easier then their counter parts do. This can specially be seen in the rural areas of the country. The Spaniards firmly believed in the oneness of there family and the same has been inherited by the people in the Dominican Republic. The priority is the happiness of the family members; all the other things are secondary in their lives. This goes to show a strong bond between the family members, which is rarely found elsewhere. The education system in the country is really good; the government does not charge for providing education, the charge is levied only for the books and the uniform, which is quite genuine and understandable. The country was devastated when Hurricane George stuck in 1998, many lives were lost and many schools were damaged beyond repair. The people of the country follow good etiquettes; they greet each other and talk very politely with each other. This goes to show that the people there are very good when it comes to manners and culture. "Formal introductions are rare, but professional titles are used to address respected persons. Older and more prominent people may be addressed as Don (for men) or Dona (for women), with or without their first names." (Every Culture, 14 August, 2008). Conclusion The country portrays a rich heritage, inherited by the people who once dominated the country. The people have many good qualities; the biggest of them all is their politeness which is very difficult to find elsewhere and there are so many things which set the people of the Dominican Republic a class apart from the people of the other countries. References Culture of the Dominican Republic. (2008). In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 14, 2008 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_the_Dominican_Republic Culture of the Dominican Republic. (2008). In Every Culture. Retrieved August 14, 2008 from: http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Dominican-Republic.html Read More