About Haiti

Port-de-Paix is at the very top on Haiti, you will see it near the markings 73w and 20n.

The Haitian Flag

The Haitian Flag is one of the oldest flags in the world. It was created on November 18 1803, during the " Bataille Vertières" Battle of Vertieres. The last major battle for the Independence of Haiti. Jean Jacques Dessalines, the leader of the Haitian Revolution after Toussaint's Capture; Took a French flag; Blue, white and red. Tear out the white and gave the remaining two pieces to his god-daughter, Catherine Flon. Who would sew the first version of the Haitian Flag. The date May 18, was officially chosen to commemorate the creation of the Flag. The first Celebration was held in Archaie, May 18, 1804.

 

After the Independence, Haiti saw many different types of government taking place on its soil. Kingdoms, dictatorships, militias, occupation and democratic. Many leaders of those types of government, made some great changes to the original Haitian Flag. The one above is the current official and legitimate National Flag, this version was adopted in 1807, by President Alexandre Petion. Exactly made as Haiti's constitution requires it. Article 3 of the Haitian Constitution specifies as follow.

"The emblem of the Haitian Nation shall be a flag with the following description:

a. Two (2) equal sized horizontal bands: a blue one on top and a red one underneath;

b. The coat of arms of the Republic are: a Palmette surmounted by the liberty cap, and under the palms a trophy with the legend: " L'union Fait La Force" ''Unity Makes Strength".
In the center, on a square of white cloth, are placed the Coat of Arms of the Republic."

The coat of arms of Haiti show:
- Six draped flags of the country. Three on each side, which are located before a palm tree and cannons that are placed on a green lawn.
- Drum, long guns, ship anchors, bulge are found on the lawn also.
-There are two pieces of a broken chain on the forefront, symbolizing the abolition of slavery in Haiti.
-Above the palm tree, as a symbol of freedom there is the Phrygian cap placed. (The Phrygian cap have been used by many for thousands of years, as a symbol of freedom).
-Then there is the ribbon at the very forefront that bears the motto. " L'union Fait La Force" "Unity Makes Strength.

La Dessalinienne 

Click on the link to play Haiti’s national anthem La Dessalinienne.

The National Anthem of Haiti is called "La Dessalinienne" meaning the Dessalines song in English, is in honor of Jean Jacques Dessalines, one of the Founding father of the country. This Anthem was selected as a result of of a national competition, celebrating Haiti's 100 years of independence in 1904. The team Justin Lherisson as the writer and Nicolas Geffrard the composer won. The English translation is as follow.

For our country,

For our forefathers,

United let us march.

Let there be no traitors in our ranks!

Let us be masters of our soil.

United let us march

For our country,

For our forefathers.

For our forebears,

For our country

Let us toil joyfully.

May the fields be fertile

And our souls take courage.

Let us toil joyfully

For our forebears,

For our country.

For our country

And for our forefathers,

Let us train our sons.

Free, strong, and prosperous,

We shall always be as brothers.

Let us train our sons

For our country

And for our forefathers.

For our forebears,

For our country,

Oh God of the valiant!

Take our rights and our life

Under your infinite protection,

Oh God of the valiant!

For our forebears,

For our country.

For the flag,

For our country

To die is a fine thing!

Our past cries out to us:

Have a strong soul!

To die is a fine thing,

For the flag,

For our country.

Instead of giving information about Haiti here we will link to some material that offers that information. Keep in mind several things, first of all while Wikipedia is a great site, it is not always as accurate as it could be. Second of all, everyone has a bias and so any information that you access from anywhere will be skewed, whether it is political bias, racism, or just surveys that were done in an inefficient fashion. The best way to approach any topic is to look at it from opposing viewpoints, realize the backgrounds of the authors, and analyze the topic from there. With that being said please note that the resources below do not necessarily reflect our own opinions on certain topics, but that they are valuable in understanding the situation as a whole. Lastly, especially when dealing with Haiti, remember this quote from Mark Twain, “All generalizations are false, including this one.”

Internet Sources:The BBC Caribbean Section.
The CIA World Factbook.
Wikipedia.
The Louverture Project.
The World Health Organization.
Haiti Analysis.
CBC News.
Discover Haiti
Bob Corbett’s Haiti Page
Mapping Haitian History

Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover what is now Haiti. That’s right in 1492 Columbus discovered Haiti not India or America. It did not take European settlers long to completely destroy the native people on the island and replace them with slaves from Africa and more settlers.

This is Toussaint L’Ouverture who is for the most part considered the founding father of Haiti. In my opinion he is one of the most, if not the most, interesting and influential leaders of all time.

This is Jean Jacques Dessalines another key figure in Haitian history, as well as the first emperor of Haiti.

This is the island of Tortuga, which you may remember from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. It used to be a haven for pirates such as Captain Morgan and others. This island, which is a part of Haiti, is right off the northwest coast and has played a large part in the history of Haiti and piracy. In fact, the word buccaneer comes from the people who used to live on this isl

and.

Creole (Kreyol) Language ResourcesPlease note that Haitian Creole varies by region and so it is difficult to rely fully on any written resource, the resources below are sufficient, but by no means comprehensive of the language and how it is spoken in our particular region.

Creole Dictionary
Creole Medical Glossary