Polish descendants in Haiti

[Bonobo]

A wonderful case for anthropologists - contemporary Haitians of Polish descent.

In Haiti, there exists a community called Poloné (or La Pologne, "Polish"), partially descending (and claiming descent) from Poles that were sent there as a military legion by Napoleon in 1802–03.[1] The community is centered in Cazale, a small village about 45 miles from Port-au-Prince.[2][3] The name Cazale, or the home of Zalewski as many locals believe, originates from the popular Polish surname Zalewski and the Haitian Creole word for home (kay).[4]

In 1802, Napoleon added a Polish legion of around 5,200 to the forces sent to Saint-Domingue to fight off the slave rebellion. Upon arrival, discovering that the slaves fought off their French masters for their freedom, many Poles eventually joined the slaves against the French.[2] The Polish had a familiar situation back home, where they fought for their liberty against invading Russia, Prussia and Austria that began in 1772; seeking to unite, some joined Napoleon's army (of which part was sent to Haiti).[2] Many Polish soldiers admired their enemy and decided to turn on the French army and join the slaves, and participated in the Haitian revolution of 1804.[5] The community partially descends from the 400 surviving Polish Legionnaries that either defected to the slaves or were taken prisoner.[1] These Poles were naturalised according to the new Haitian Constitution.[1]

Dessalines called Polish people "the White Negroes of Europe", which was then regarded a great honour, as it meant brotherhood between Poles and Haitans. Many years later, Papa Doc reminded about this concept when referring to Polish people.[6][7] For their loyalty and support for overthrowing the French, the Poles acquired Haitian citizenship after Haiti gained its Independence, and settled there to never return to Poland. To this day, many Polish Haitians still live in Haiti and are of mixed racial origin, however some have blonde hair, light eyes, and other European features. Most settled in Cazale, La Vallée-de-Jacmel, Fond-des-Blancs, La Baleine, Port-Salut and Saint-Jean-du-Sud.[2][8]

In the François Duvalier (Papa Doc) era, the small town of Cazale became a communist stronghold where many young intellectuals clashed with the dictator's regime. As a result of their political indifference, March 29, 1969 became known as the worst day for the people of Cazale as Duvalier's Tonton Macoute (private army), built a barricade around Cazale, and murdered many young men.[2]

In 1983, Pope John Paul II visited Haiti. He mentioned how the Polish contributed to the slave rebellion leading to Haiti's independence. Several Haitian Poles were selected from the most populous Polish areas of Haiti by Duvalier to attend the various ceremonies planned for the Pope's visit.[2]

Remnants of Polish culture today:
dance called polka
hair plaits in Slavic style
Phrases : Lá-bas en Pologne (there in Poland), M-ap Fe Krakow (I am doing like in Krakow - orderly), Chajé kou Lapologn (charge like Polish cavalry - successfully)
Surname - Belno, from Belnowski

















































This young man reminds me of one of my Polish students.




Pics from
blog.swiatoslaw.com/?p=3806
www.polska-haiti.org/pl31/teksty127/polska_haiti_historia_zapomniana
s1.zetaboards.com/anthroscape/topic/4803032/1/
kronikamontrealska.com/2012/09/15/polonia-w-haiticzyli-biali-murzyni-europy/
historiamniejznanaizapomniana.wordpress.com/2015/06/07/polacy-na-haiti/

[Bonobo]

Ezili Dantor or Erzulie D'en Tort (also spelled Erzulie with Danto or Danthor) is the Petro nation aspect of the Erzulie family of lwa, or spirits in Haitian Vodou. Ezili Dantor is considered to be the lwa of motherhood, single motherhood in particular. She is most commonly represented by the image of Black Madonna of Częstochowa whose origins are believed to be in copies of the icon of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, brought to Haiti by Polish army soldiers sent by Napoleon to subdue the Haitian Revolution, but instead settled in Haiti, in particular the town of Cazale [1] See Polish Haitian Other depictions of Ezili Dantor include the Black Madonna, as well as Our Lady of Lourdes, Saint Barbara Africana and Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Worship

Ezili Dantor is associated with the black creole pig of Haiti, her favorite animal sacrifice which was made to her at the famous Vodou ceremony at Bois Caïman that inaugurated the Haitian Revolution,[2] and the colors gold and blue, sometimes green and also red to signify that she is a Petro lwa. She is a dark-skinned and scarred warrior-mother like the Dahomey Amazons or Mino meaning "Our Mothers" in the Fon language. Her favorite offerings include: a fried pork dish known as griot, creme de cacao, rum, Florida Water perfume






Impact on Creole Culture in Haiti

The people of Cazales remained largely isolated from the rest of Haiti following the colony’s independence. However, over the years one bit of Polish religious culture did manage to imprint itself on Haitian Voodoo. Haitian Voodoo is primarily derived from the deity and ancestor veneration that was practiced in western Africa during the height of the Atlantic slave trade. There are spirits that exist in Haitian Voodoo that do not exist in voodoo practiced in Africa during this time period. Slaves living on Caribbean islands under the control of France were forbidden from practicing religions other than Catholicism. In Haiti, a process known as syncretisation took place which saw Catholic saints become identified with voodoo loa (spirits). Some Catholic saints even became loa in their own right. As it pertains to Polish culture in particular, it is the Black Madonna of Czestochowska (Czarna Madonna, Czestochowska in Polish) that connects the two communities.

The voodoo loa Erzulie Dantor bears a remarkable resemblance to the Black Madonna. In Poland, the Black Madonna is housed at the monastery at Jasna Gora. Legend states that the painting was created by St. Luke on a tabletop that belonged to Mary and Joseph. In the image, a woman with a scarred face is protecting an infant. In the Catholic faith, the image is interpreted as a mother fiercely protecting the child she carries. In a literal sense, many Poles view the child as Jesus. Even in the 21st century, many Polish Catholics keep images of the Black Madonna in their homes. In Haitian Voodoo, Dantor is said to have been present at a voodoo ritual in 1791 that sparked the slave rebellion. It is said that Dantor took over the body of a voodoo worshiper and told Haitians to “kill the stranger.” This is believed to have sparked the revolution that led to independence, and the slaughter of all remaining Frenchmen on the island. The image of Dantor features a woman with scars on her face.

Voodoo lore states that Erzulie Dantor loved knives and received her scars in a fight with her sister, Erzulie Freda. Haitians view those scars as a sign of strength. Dantor is wounded, but she continues the fight to protect her child. It is not precisely known how these two pieces of art came to be connected. Many believe that the dark skin of the Black Madonna made her more easily acceptable to Haitians. Others believe it was simply a matter of multiple copies of the image circulating on the island following the revolution. The 5,200 Polish legionnair es that came to Haiti in 1802 to quash a mythical rebellion are believed to have brought with them countless images of the Black Madonna. Today, it remains as one of the few reminders of the connection between Poland and Haiti, and a source of identity for the Polish Haitians inhabiting the community of Cazales.



www.kreolmagazine.com/arts-culture/history-and-culture/la-pologne-the-story-of-haitis-polish-community/#.WIy2uTisQng