Haitian Culture Research Paper

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Haiti is an island nation located between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. I myself am a black American of Haitian decent. The article of “Treating Haitian Patients” was right; the Haitian community is growing and making up the majority of the cities. Just like any culture out there the Haitian culture does have their own beliefs in health and spirit practices. To better understand the culture we have to learn and gain an understanding of their beliefs. When people hear about Haitians the first thing that come to their minds is, Voodoo. Yes, many Haitians do practice and actually do voodoo. Voodoo are an important religious component, an African spirit religion closely related to Catholicism because majority of Haitians are catholic…show more content…
I believe the majority of Haitians do not like going to the hospital because they believe if they pray to God their sickness will go away. Many Haitians believe that God is the ultimate decider of their health, illness, life and death. That is the reason why some of them refuse to take medications because they believe it will make them even sicker and die. Haitians are self- diagnosticians: they have their own home remedies herbs and teas. Haitians believe in both natural and supernatural causes of illness (513). The invisible world is made up of good and evil spirits of the deceased and deities (509). The good about practicing Voodoo is when the believer must worship the spirits to be relieved of illness. Also, maintain that relationship in order for them to be protected from harm. The evil spirits in practicing Voodoo is when the enemy may want to attempt to use the supernatural to cause harm to…show more content…
Creole is the national language spoken by an entire population of Haitian descent. Some of the greeting includes: informal embrace and kiss as a sign of affection and acceptance, friends address each other by first name and family by nicknames, and healthcare providers should address patients or their family by “Mr.” “Mrs.” “Ms.” Or “Dr.” Haitians are very expressive and tend to be loud. Especially when talking on the phone with relatives and friends. When seriously ill, they look old, pale, and weak. Expressed as, “I am very sick” (Moin malad anpil). Haitians inform the designated family member first before doing any treatment and that family member informs the patient whether he/she think it is necessary. About 80% of Haitians cannot read or write and so when the health provider is asking for consent they may not want to know about the procedure and just trust the experts. On the other hand, find an interpreter to translate it to them about what the doctor is going to do. Haitians do keep their personal space to themselves. They are very interacting with close family and friends, but keep a comfortable distance from the healthcare providers. It takes time for Haitians to develop a trust between their healthcare

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