Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic: The Society and Its Environment
considered white and 15 percent black; the remainder were
mulattoes—75 percent (the percentages are often debated).
Since then the percentage of whites has been slowly decreasing
and that of mulattoes increasing; the black percentage has
remained about the same, with Haitian immigration being a
factor. The figures about the ethnic ratio and its changing composition
are a sensitive Dominican issue because many elite
and upper-class whites are anti-African (blacks and mulattoes)
and seek to claim a higher, constant "white" figure. Many
mulattoes, however, claim a larger percentage for themselves at
the same time that many others have difficulty acknowledging
their African roots.
Contemporary Dominican society and culture are primarily
Spanish in origin. At the same time, much of popular culture
reflects many African influences. Taino influence is limited to
cultigens, such as maize or corn, and a few vocabulary words,
such as huracdn (hurricane) and hamaca (hammock). The African
influence in society was officially suppressed and ignored
by the Trujillo regime (1930-61) and then by Balaguer until
the 1980s. However, certain religious brotherhoods with significant
black membership have incorporated some Afro-American
elements. Observers also have noted the presence of
African influence in popular dance and music (see Culture,
this ch.).
There has long been a preference in Dominican society for
light skin, straight hair, and "white" racial features. Blackness in
itself, however, does not necessarily restrict a person to a lower
status position. Upward mobility is possible for the darkskinned
person who manages to acquire education or wealth.
During the era of Trujillo, joining the military became a major
means of upward mobility, especially for dark and light-skinned
Dominicans—the white elite would not permit its sons to join).
Social characteristics focusing on family background, education,
and economic standing are, in fact, more prominent
means of identifying and classifying individuals. Darkerskinned
persons are concentrated in the east, the south, and
the far west near the Haitian border. The population of the
Cibao, especially in the countryside, consists mainly of whites
or mulattoes.
Dominicans traditionally prefer to think of themselves as
descendants of the island's Indians and the Spanish, ignoring
their African heritage. Thus, phenotypical African characteristics,
such as dark skin pigmentation, are disparaged. Trujillo, a
71