Research on African influence
in the Dominican Republic307with the aboriginal inhabitants of the island. At the same time, by so doing,
he denied his origins as he placed his ancestral memory in the hands of a new
type of colonizer who subjected him to a rather less rigid form of slavery.
In addition, owing to the fact that the Dominican Republic achieved
its independence in a struggle against the Haitian occupation, the problem of
racial prejudice and, consequently, a more pronounced repudiation of African
origins was considerably accentuated.
Hence our ruling classes largely identified themselves as a national entity
negatively with respect to Haiti, creating from then onwards a strong anti-
Haitian feeling and, through this feeling, bringing about an anti-African
psychological projection. Thus of all the cultural contributions which go to
make up Dominican national identity today least is known about the African,
and it is the one about which Dominicans in general feel a certain shame.
Such an attitude, as we know, merely helps to strengthen the bonds of
social domination over a people which, being for the most part mulatto, is
discriminated against on account of the colour of its skin and, in its rush to
acquire Spanish characteristics, has succeded in creating a new colour—that
of the 'Indian', which is what all Dominican mulattos call themselves. This
is a way of solving the problem of origins by eliminating the black and recuper-
ating the autochthonous population element only.
That is why when we visit Dominican museums African history is shown
as something incidental and in history textbooks the part played by Africans
is not mentioned except with reference to their backwardness.Concrete suggestions for a study in depth of African influence
in the Dominican RepublicAn exhaustive study of the national archives is necessary to select the docu-
ments to be found in them—work of great importance but difficult to carry out
owing to the present state of our archives. However, it is possible to do so
if the necessary institutional support and material resources are forthcoming.
Little study has been made of the archives of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo,
which are likely to provide much information on the religion of the slaves,
parish registers, freeing of slaves, purchase and sale of slaves, wills, etc.
Among municipal archives, we have those of Bayaguana which have been
consulted sporadically; up to now information has been found on purchase and
sale of slaves, day labourers' wages, etc.
The Archivo General de Indias in Seville (Spain) also requires to be
visited. Here most of the documentation on the problem of the black people
of Santo Domingo in colonial times is to be found, also documents dealing
with the economic, political and social activities of the colony in which the
relations with the slaves and freedmen of African origin are necessarily relevant.