See also: Demographics of Haiti.
| Group: | Afro-Haitians |
| Native Name: | |
| Pop: | 11.2 million est [1] |
| Regions: | Haiti |
| Langs: | Haitian Creole 90% French 10% |
| Rels: | Majority: Christianity ~83.2% Minority: Haitian Vodou • Others[2] |
| Related: | Afro-Caribbean, African people,French Haitians, Syrian Haitians, German Haitians, Mestizo, Cajuns, Mulatto Haitians, Saint-Domingue Creoles, White Haitians, Indo-Haitians, Chinese Haitians, Zambo, Indo-Caribbean people, Arab Haitians, Italian Haitians, Haitian Cubans, Haitian Chileans, Haitian Brazilians, Haitian diaspora |
Afro-Haitians or Black Haitians (French: Afro-Haïtiens or Haïtiens Noirs; Haitian Creole: Afwo-Ayisyen, Ayisyen Nwa) are Haitians who have ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. They form the largest racial group in Haiti and together make up the largest subgroup of Afro-Caribbean people.
The majority of Afro-Haitians are descendants of west and central Africans brought to the island by the French and Spanish Empire to work on plantations. Since the Haitian Revolution, Afro-Haitians have been the largest racial group in the country, accounting for 95% of the population in the early 21st century. The remaining 5% of the population is made up of mixed persons (mixed African and European descent) and other minor groups (European, Arab, and Asian descent).
See main article: History of Haitian nationality and citizenship.
See also: Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, History of Haiti and History of the Dominican Republic.
The Island of Ayiti was inhabited by the Arawak Peoples: Taino, Ciguayo and the Siboney. Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sighted the Island on 6 December 1492. He named it La Isla Española ("The Spanish Island"), later Anglicized as Hispaniola. The Spanish controlled the Island from 1492 to 1697. The French in took control in the Treaty of Ryswick and renamed the western portion of the island as Saint-Domingue, of what will later become known as Haiti, while the other still maintained their Spanish colony in the eastern two thirds of what later became the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo.
 Saint Lucia |
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The enslaved African population of Haiti derived from various areas, spanning from Senegal to the Congo. Most of which were brought from West Africa, with a considerable number also brought from Central Africa. Some of these enslaved ethnic groups include those from the former Kongo kingdom (BaKongo), Senegambia (Mandinka, Fulani, and Wolof), Benin and Togo (Fon, Aja, Ewe, Yoruba). There were also many Igbo people from the Bight of Biafra, in south-east Nigeria. Many people can also trace much of their DNA from the native people.[4] [5] Others in Haiti were brought from Senegal,[6] [7] Guinea (imported by the Spanish since the sixteenth century and then by the French), Sierra Leone, Windward Coast, Angola, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Southeast Africa (such as the Bara tribesmen of Madagascar, who were brought to Haiti in the eighteenth century).[8]
Although Haiti averages approximately 250 people per square kilometre (650 per sq mi.), its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. Haiti's population was about 11 million according to UN 2018 estimates,[9] with half of the population being under 20 years old.[10] The first formal census, taken in 1950, showed a population of 3.1 million.[11]
According to The World Factbook, 95% of Haitians are primarily of African descent; the remaining 5% of the population are mostly of mixed-race and European background,[12] and a number of other ethnicities.[13] [14]
See main article: Culture of Haiti.
Culture, religion and social organization are the result in Haiti of a process of syncretism between French and African traditions.
See main article: Religion in Haiti.
A majority of the population identifies as Catholic. At 35%, the Catholic Church holds historical and cultural significance in Haiti.
52% of the population are Independents/ non-denominational:
Many Haitians, particularly those who identify as Catholic, also practice Vodou, a syncretic religion that blends elements of West African religions and indigenous Haitian traditions.[15]
A small minority (2%) cultural practice in Haiti is originated from the African diaspora religions of Ancestor worship.This probably originated from the synchronicities and blending of these cultures:
The Zemi system exists through Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation
A small Jewish community exists in Haiti, with a history dating back to the colonial period.
There is a small Muslim community in Haiti, primarily composed of converts and descendants of former Muslim slaves.Three branches of Islam in the country: Sunni, Shia, and Ahmadiyya
There is a small but growing Bahá'í community in Haiti.
Two languages are spoken in Haiti. French is taught in schools and known by about 42% of the population,[16] but spoken by a minority of black and biracial residents, in Port-au-Prince and other cities. Haitian Creole, with roots in French, Spanish, Taino, Portuguese, English, and African languages, is a language with dialectal forms in different regions. It is spoken throughout the country, but is used extensively in rural areas.[17]
See main article: List of Haitians.
