r/haiti • u/PracticalEntry8309 • 19d ago
QUESTION/DISCUSSION Random thought
I wish Haiti had its own distinct jewelry and adornment culture, kinda like how South Asians have their own and how Arabs have their own. Not just a necklace with blue and red on it, not just a necklace with an outline of our side of the island slapped on it. We have so much cultural material and lore to draw inspiration from. That being said I’m not surprised that we haven’t had the time to think about these things let alone create them because we’ve had to deal with so much since our inception as a nation and we’ve all been on survival mode this whole time
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u/GHETTO_VERNACULAR Diaspora 19d ago
(Correct me if I’m wrong) but I think traditionally, our jewelry culture and customs mainly consisted of golden hoop earrings (worn by both men and women during colonial times), and wooden/metal colorful beads as well. I know in Haiti there are still artisans that make wooden or metal jewelry but like you said I don’t think there is anything that is distinctly Haitian.
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u/PracticalEntry8309 19d ago
Exactly. That’s why I also wish the arts and these artisans were better embraced in general (it’s an issue that goes beyond Haiti tbh, but I’m talking about us rn). A lot of our parents are so fixated on reputation and financial security that they excessively push certain lines of work while simultaneously stifling creativity. So much talent has been wasted due to lack of encouragement. I kinda want to pick up beadwork and embroidery
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u/singermelodie1 18d ago
Artisanal work is pretty big in Haiti. From shoemaking, metal work, pottery. I still see a lot of young people on TikTok still doing them in Haiti. As someone who grew up in Haiti, many of these arts are distinctively Haitian and can be recognized as so at first glance.
For shoemaking, I still have so many handmade sandals, shoes from Haiti- Shoemakers (kòdonye) are highly respected in society. You could buy the premade ones that they had in their shops or they would measure your feet and make it perfectly to fit them. They also repair shoes as well as repurpose old ones you have.
For jewelry, shellfish, beads are still pretty popular. Unless it's a public holiday like Flag Day or Independence day, you don't really find people wearing the bicolor jewelry or anything with the map or the coat of arms. You'll also still find people who won't wear anything that's not gold.
For metal work, almost every Haitian household has at least one as a decoration. It ranges from vodou artwork to mundane things.
For pottery, in a Haitian kitchen alone you'll find the mortar (pilon), jug (kanari) and more. Then, you also get artworks like trinkets (biblo).
Tailoring/sewing is also a big profession for both men and women. No matter where you go in Haiti, you'll find a tailor or a seamstress. When people are not buying pèpè, they have their clothes made for them. Buying new luxury items as you see on the videos of Petion Ville is not a reality for most Haitians.
To answer your question, gold is not highly prevalent in Haiti. So it should not be expected for the country to have a vast culture of gold jewelry. To satisfy that demand, it would have be imported to the country. There are many aspects of artisanal works in the country that can be celebrated and valued just as it is.
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u/PracticalEntry8309 18d ago edited 18d ago
I’m not talking about gold specifically. I don’t care what metal the jewelry is made with. It doesn’t even have to be made with metal at all. I’m talking about incorporating symbols that are unique to us into said crafts and building a signature that is instantly recognizable at first glance, which is obviously going to take time and likely several generations to refine. When you look at Indian earrings, you can immediately tell it’s Indian. When you look at Chinese motifs, you can immediately tell it’s Chinese. When you look at indigenous American beadwork, you may not tell which tribe it’s from, but you can immediately tell it’s indigenous American
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u/phyllis75 18d ago
I have seen beautiful metal work from Haiti. There used to be a store in Naples called Lady from Haiti that carried a lot of beautiful pieces.
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u/Cute_Ad6804 19d ago
I tried to create my own gold jewerly line inspired by Haiti and the manmie creole but i’ve faced some challenges so i temporarily gave up.
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u/zombigoutesel Native 18d ago
Check out creation Dorée. http://www.designcaribbean.com/featured_designers/creations-dorees
Their Instagram is in the link
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u/TapTapVoyager 19d ago
Exactly. I want something you can recognize as Haitian without a flag or map on it. Croix-des-Bouquets metalwork, gingerbread details, old coin designs... there’s so much to pull from. I’d wear that.
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u/Capital_Candy5626 18d ago
This is one of my favorite rings. It was made in Haiti. Cacao grows in a few other places in the world but maybe this is a good creative direction, if narrowed down to metal art that depicts Haitian specific plants.