Samaná Americans
Encyclopedia
The Samaná Americans are a cultural sub-group of descendants of African American
freed people
who, beginning in 1824, immigrated to the Samaná Peninsula
in Hispaniola
—then under Haiti
an administration—benefiting from the favorable pro-African immigration policy of president Jean Pierre Boyer
. They constitute the most sizable group of native English speakers
in the Dominican Republic
. Aware of its distinctive heritage, the community, whose singular culture distinguishes them from the rest of Dominicans, refers to itself as Samaná Americans, and is referred to by fellow Dominicans as "los americanos de Samaná."
Crucially, they maintain many elements of 19th century African American culture—such as their variety of African American English
, cuisine, games, and community services associations— that have since disappeared in the United States
. This is due to the relative isolation of the community, which until the 20th century was accessible only by boat due to the lack of roads connecting them to the rest of the island. Most follow the African Methodist Episcopal
and Wesleyan
denominations that their ancestors brought with them to the island.
While it is difficult to estimate the number of Samaná Americans today due to exogamy
and emigration from the peninsula, the number of Samaná English
speakers is estimated to be around 8,000. No monolingual English speakers remain; all Samaná Americans are bilingual in English and Spanish. As a result of the influence of mainstream Dominican culture (including compulsory Spanish-language education), many markers of their culture appear to be in decline.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
freed people
Free Negro
A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not slaves. Almost all African Americans came to the United States as slaves, but from the earliest days of American slavery, slaveholders set men and women free...
who, beginning in 1824, immigrated to the Samaná Peninsula
Samaná Peninsula
The Samaná Península is a peninsula in Dominican Republic situated in the province of Samaná. The Samaná Peninsula is connected to the rest of the state by the isthmus of Samaná. The Peninsula contains many beaches, especially in the city of Santa Bárbara de Samaná. It contains 3 rivers. The main...
in Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
—then under Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an administration—benefiting from the favorable pro-African immigration policy of president Jean Pierre Boyer
Jean Pierre Boyer
Jean-Pierre Boyer , a native of Saint-Domingue, was a soldier, one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution, and President of Haiti from 1818 to 1843. He reunited the north and south of Haiti in 1820 and also invaded and took control of Santo Domingo, which brought all of Hispaniola under one...
. They constitute the most sizable group of native English speakers
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. Aware of its distinctive heritage, the community, whose singular culture distinguishes them from the rest of Dominicans, refers to itself as Samaná Americans, and is referred to by fellow Dominicans as "los americanos de Samaná."
Crucially, they maintain many elements of 19th century African American culture—such as their variety of African American English
Samaná English
Samaná English is a variety of the English language spoken by about 8,000 people in the Samaná Peninsula, Dominican Republic. The speakers of Samaná English are the descendants of African freed persons, who came from West Africa beginning in 1824 when they were forced to learn the forms of the...
, cuisine, games, and community services associations— that have since disappeared in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This is due to the relative isolation of the community, which until the 20th century was accessible only by boat due to the lack of roads connecting them to the rest of the island. Most follow the African Methodist Episcopal
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
and Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
denominations that their ancestors brought with them to the island.
While it is difficult to estimate the number of Samaná Americans today due to exogamy
Exogamy
Exogamy is a social arrangement where marriage is allowed only outside of a social group. The social groups define the scope and extent of exogamy, and the rules and enforcement mechanisms that ensure its continuity. In social studies, exogamy is viewed as a combination of two related aspects:...
and emigration from the peninsula, the number of Samaná English
Samaná English
Samaná English is a variety of the English language spoken by about 8,000 people in the Samaná Peninsula, Dominican Republic. The speakers of Samaná English are the descendants of African freed persons, who came from West Africa beginning in 1824 when they were forced to learn the forms of the...
speakers is estimated to be around 8,000. No monolingual English speakers remain; all Samaná Americans are bilingual in English and Spanish. As a result of the influence of mainstream Dominican culture (including compulsory Spanish-language education), many markers of their culture appear to be in decline.
See also
- Free black
- Samaná Province
- Colonization SocietiesColonization SocietiesA number of Colonization Societies which promoted the return of Negroes to Africa have existed in the history of the United States. Thomas Jefferson was a Founding Father who promoted the racial separation of American Indians and the colonization of Negroes to places far away from Virginia. ...
- American Colonization SocietyAmerican Colonization SocietyThe American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
- Americo-Liberians
External links
- http://robbinsbecher.com/RBworks.htmlThe website of photographers Andrea Robbins and Max BecherAndrea Robbins and Max BecherAndrea Robbins and Max Becher are U.S.-based visual artists. They have worked collaboratively since they met at the Cooper Union in New York in 1984. They married in 1988.-Education:...
contains a wonderful collection of portraits of present-day Samaná Americans. Scroll down to "Samaná" on the left-hand menu.]