Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica

Written records of Haiti and Jamaica begin in the late 15th century when both islands were invaded and claimed by the Spanish, resulting in the enslavement and death of practically all native inhabitants. As was the case with many other Caribbean islands, the following centuries saw Haiti and Jamaica becoming host to plantations reliant on slave labor. They were subject to harsh colonial rule and exploitation before eventually achieving independence.

Spanish Jamaica was conquered by British forces in 1655 and remained under British rule until 1962. By the early 18th century, it had become one of the busiest hubs in the transatlantic slave trade (See: Index of Terms), and one of the most productive agricultural centers in the British Empire. When slavery was abolished across the British Empire in the 1830s, over 95% of the population of Jamaica was of majority African descent, although power remained concentrated in the hands of the white elite. The island’s economy stagnated without the bolster of enslaved labor, and repressive British rule stifled cultural and social development well into the 20th century.

The western part of the island, once known as “Hispaniola,” was claimed by France soon after its discovery and was the first American nation after the USA to free itself from colonial rule. Following the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), Haiti established itself as the Caribbean’s first “Black Republic,” but remained politically unstable for more than a century. Poverty was widespread; in addition to the lingering devastation caused by plantation agriculture and the colonial regime, Haiti was economically isolated by an international community determined to discourage the spread of slave rebellions or independence movements. In reaction to repeated political violence and humanitarian crises, the island was occupied by American forces from 1915 until 1934 and remained under the USA’s indirect control until 1947.