Palo drumming and dancing - Vodou - Dominican Republic

[MizzMusicAddict]

OMG !

i love PALO !

i use to be AMAZING when I was younger... now I SUCK !

&& I'm only 12

[Rubiaax3]

AYYYY ! das wus up ^

proud 2 be dominican^

[BhaktaAllisonTucker]

I am an American but always been drawn to Santeria and Voodoo despite trying more traditional forms of religion. A lot of Americans are so insular that they are afraid of anything they do not understand. Thank-you for sharing the wonderful videos.

[mrdominican777]

Excuse me- first of all some hatians are nearly white or mulattoes. My haitian friends look all like puerto ricans. through there bloodlines they are mixed with french, indian, and some spanish creole. Do some research its called "creole".

[carameloxx]

when i was little i seen palo party but the people were shaking real fast and they were faster drum playing

[MoroccanSword]

This is a great culture ! In morocco we have Gnaoua like this !

[earthcds]

Note from earthcds:

Friends, thank you everyone for watching this video and for those that have been participating in the discussion. Generally, I do not like censorship. But, I am 'moderating' this discussion a little bit. Comments made must be 'approved' by me before it is posted. I will not 'approve' any comment that is using profanity, that is hateful in nature or racist. These things are not accepted here. So, if you have something useful to share, share it properly, thank you :)

[matildacet]

June- I agree. I live in US..but not from here. They are threatened by others who have strong spiritual and cultural connections because they lost theirs. They denegrate and rape that which they cannot have, possess or understand.

Blessings. Thanks for this demonstration of courage.

[matildacet]

Americans lost their spiritual connection, it is why they are so fascinated and jealous of the cultural heritage and spiritual connections of other cultures. All they have are the hollow "mega churches" of money grubbing predators. They don't see the evil within, so they project it without. They desecrated female centred spirituality and continue to try and do so. Blessings and love and courage to those who practice with courage those tradtions that bind people through the mother.

[binbolo]

3nyway it was not because they're black, if not because of the invasion of the 1822. they invaded the dominican republic raping women slaughter men and children. they took control of our country for 22 years. so before you post a comment do a little be of research your self. so like that you don't make an *ss out of yourself. ignorant

[3nyway]

dominicans are so ignorant beacause yal fail to realize most of yal are black yourselves either full black and dark skin or, "indio oscuro" whichis black mixed with white and indian but still part black because black slaves were in dominican republic and mixed with all other races...learn your history its very important

[MrDJCASTILLO]

dats rite i agree with you %100 i mean im dominican nd i look no different from a african american and i try to tell them that but they laugh and insult black people but i think the reason for that is because they were brought up to believe dat i just hope that some day they will understand

[JayRocFly]

yo im dominican, u truly have to hear this live to truly understand the power, its like the drum sinks into ur soul

[mykole84]

look like he got da holy ghost.

[babymdr]

IM A PROUDD DOMINICANNAA YOO (:

[tukiereplatano]

trujillo wasnt racist, he just eliminated people that belong there,they had taken over our territory, he didnt kill any black dominicans

[SexyMorenoPaTi]

Hey killed off haitians in dominican republic. One of his tests were to see if they could pornounce "Perejil".. because he knew because of their french influence, they couldn't pronounce r's, but they'd do it as w's... "Pewejil!" , if they said that, he would have them killed.

[tukiereplatano]

which dominicans do u'll hang out with? My mother is very proud to b black, my dad was white and all he liked was black women. Not haitian, but dominican i accept the fact that about 50% of the pop. now is illegal haitians, thanks to Canada, France and the US, because they force us to accept them since they dont want them, we can accept being black but not damn haitian

[yohanny31]

I am a dominican whit green ayes and i am proud of my culture and i have gone to this type of events!!

[GABRIELJACMEL]

This system of 21 division is nothing more than a copy cat system of Vodoo. Voodoo is a system with protocol in their rites and how to invoke the loas (spirits). 21 division does not have any order

[SexyMorenoPaTi]

That's not true. There is some order... It may seem chaotic and it doesn't seem to have the same order that vodou does, but nevertheless, the essence of the lwa is there. Same thing goes for Lucumi vs. Candomble!

[felipin00]

i am dominican and i'm not black at all i'm white, blue eyed and my entire family is white so not all dominicans are black we are a very mixed country like brazil we have all the types of skin colors

[pinktaco646]

Im not dominican but Im cuban...Im black and whenever I tell people that Im Cuban..they look at me and say: Your not cuban your black or your too dark to be spanish..that hurts alot because I feel like Im losing my heritage and it makes me feel brainwash...but your so right when u said DR is a mix country..and I also like how u said your white because alot of spanish people who are white refuses the fact that they really are

[nirbija]

You shouldn't allow yourself to 'hurt a lot' on account of other people's ignorance.

A lot of people are uneducated or under educated, and do not know the demographic make up of Cuba or of many other countries.

[JUNES05]

if u live in the US u'll c that many non hispanic americans wont respect ur cultural background and consider just a color because they're ignorant

[pinktaco646]

yea

[boliquaa]

dats true so true

[netuber12]

ok it depends who dominicans are compared to. There not as black as africans but dominicans are just as black as african-americans. they have some white blood in them like afican-americans dute to slavery. so really african-americans and dominicans are related the most in amperance to each other than anyone else. because there of the same mixture and blood. but there differant only in language and culture. many people don't know or just choose for whatever reason to ingnore the fact

[ImYaPapiChulo]

not all dominicans though, if you've been to the island you would know, sure there's black dominicans, but there's also white dominicans, and then the mulatto mix, then you have some dominicans that look like taino's and then you get other dominicans that have all 3 as a mix, depends on where you're at on the island

[PadillaFaxas]

Why are we struggling about what race we belong to???

That reflects clearly that we (dominicans) still belong to the medieval era (or the cruel north america racist era 40 years ago). Fascism is just Racism. And the world is being ruled by it.

[bruin03]

LOL @ not as black as africans. It's ok I forgive you. Maybe you don't know that Africa has all sorts of colors and appearances. There are africans that look like every sort of Dominicans too. Stop seeing the world in black and white.

[RDpapichulo]

LOL, not even close, not even close my friend. African american depends on where they live cause USA is a big country. and many african americans label themselves as such but really are not. For example you can have someone from jamaica and St thomas label themselves as african american cause their 2nd generation but really are not.

[nirbija]

What are you trying to say?

You must be confused.

If someone indigenous to Africa is born in USA, he becomes African American -- African in America!

First generation, second generation, third generation, whatever generation, doesn't matter!

[BlueHerself]

There are black Dominicans, white Dominicans, Indian Dominicans, etc. Dominicans come from all races, not just black, me I'm mixed with everything, mainly Indian. My parents are both from the Dominican Rep. but my father's side look mostly Indian or Arab..believe it or not, I get confused with it a lot. I have European, Inidan, and African blood flowing through my veins. My ethnicity is Dominican, but I'm from various races and proud of it ;). Dominicans are all mixed with different races

[anoelst]

the point most hipanics act white and say they r. few r white. i'm not just saying that. i've 1 who looks native & said he's white. another from class who is a little lighter than obama but claim to be white. people can be ignorant & not proud of their true race. they've thought unconsciously that white is better or pure. religion is to blame, jesus is white with blond, blue eyes, but everybody accepted but never wonder why we think a certain way

[ter41]

I'm from New York and people get surprised when I tell them my family members are dominican.People thought i was from italy.The problem is Trujillo and people that were with him treated blacks as criminals.He went after anybody that was black.

[florse12]

I am Dominican and I am proud of the mix of races I carry in my blood. The reason why many dominicans prefer to be called triguenos is due to the existing discirminatory and superficial society they live in. Being whiter means u are considered richer, smarter and deserve more respect. I completely disagree/hate this mentality and it is one of the most disapointing things about my country.

[elz9001]

I am Russian, but married to Dominican. Most of Dominicans tell me that their grandmother or grandfather were just like me: white with blue eyes, "good" hair. I feel very bad for them. My husband's grandmother is from Haiti. Nobody like to talk about it in the family, except my husband, who has no problem with it. Even their passports don't say black, they all have skin color - indio lite or dark.

[gregoryp45]

Dominican are ashame TO SAY THEY ARE BLACK ,YOU ALL BLACK .I'M HAITIAN BLACK AND PROUD WAKE UP AND STOP DREAMING .

[cmorales6]

You couldnt be any more ignorant. I'm Dominican and i'm part french, blue eyed, white skin, FRENCH. Also, different parts of DR have different mixes, ther are pure Dominincan Germans, French, Spaniards, etc. And yes we are diversely mixed with African and Taino blood but sa to generalize that ALL Dominicans are Hatians, that's an ignorant misconception. Is like saying all "Americans" are white.

[G30rg1aPeaches]

All Dominicans aren't haitians. He said many dominicans are ashamed to call themeselves black. Believe it or not many haitians are part french, spaniard, taino, and maybe more but the majority of the country is black. wheter mixed or not we accept the fact that we are black. Many Dominicans I've met, darker than I (a light skinned haitian) will argue with me if I call them black. Seriously wake up, It's in your blood, ur skin tone and hair spell it out. Just speaking from experience.

[ImYaPapiChulo]

yeah i confuse some lightskin haitians as dominicans, or even puerto ricans at times lol

[trove101]

celnaz because many dominicans also have indian and spanish blood, but at the end of the day dominicans probably have more african blood than any latino, and that's something to embrace.

[muaja]

We are also taught to be ashamed of where we come from, our native languages, religions, traditions, and our skin, and where we come from. Don't be ashamed of who you are, we've been bamboozled far too long! Be proud of who you are!

[muaja]

African slaves sent everywhere were indeed gathered from different regions of Africa to prevent communication, and thus possible revolts. Here in america we weren't even allowed to practice any signs of African traditions, religions, languages, etc. Except, minorly in New Orleans, and the Gullah peoples in the Carolinas, and parts of Georgia. We were forced to believe that their way of life is right, their language, religion, and culture.

[kendra052992]

i dont get why some dominicans try n say there not black n this video will till u u r this type of music n dace comes from africa

[ThePeaceSeekerMaria]

Not ALL, but many Dominicans do have Haitian in them and Hatians obviously have African descent. However, some Dominicans feel ashamed of that because in the country is considered an honor to be "light-skinned" and "pure" Dominican.

I know this because I am half Dominican and half Puerto Rican. When I visit, people are jealous of my complexion and hair texture and call me a white girl. I think it is ridiculous. Be proud of where you are from, wherever it is.

[ultimatechorus]

ThePeaceSeekerMaria many Dominicans have Black/African blood and they are not part Hatian. Many Dominicans are light skinned and have some African Blood. A slave owner called Willie Lynch came up with the idea of treating the lighter skinned slaves better than the darker ones. He used this as a way to keep Blacks and Mulattos fighting among themselves instead of trying to fight the slave owners Even today light skinned Blacks think they are better; and get treated better than darker ones

[armando1381]

I love going to this type of ceremonies.

[Jahsknowledge]

It really shows the connection to Mother Africa. Voodoo,Palo,Santeria is found in Brazil,Cuba,Jamaica,Trinidad,a­ll british west indian islands. South and central america which ALL link back to west africa. They all pratice these religions Nigeria,SierreaLeone,Ghana,Sen­egal,Camoroon etc... smae exact religions. Don`t laugh at them, it`s proud African Traditions. Just Spanish,French,British and Portugese needed something to control us. Christian Religion.

[Jahsknowledge]

LOL we pratice same dance rital in Jamaica called Kumina,Obeah. When the british colonised us giving us there religion. They didn`t know they couldn`t break our spirit. Some people feel ashame. It`s all our african culture that we all as Caribbean should be very,very proud of even if people laugh and don`t understand. We`re an highly spirital people. I just didn`t know Dominican share same palo and santeria as us lol,lol it`s all african love.

[quisqueyatv]

omgg o.o what part of the country is this in, near the border??

en que parte del pais??

[smithtk]

todos los partes, hay muchas santerias en Haina, Santo Domingo santiago san pedro de macoris.........Dominicanos are Afican

[celnaz]

why do we look quite a bit different from the Haitians and Africans then?

[morenoh149]

That's exactly it, you only look a BIT different. We're all the same it's fine to be african let be proud! :)

[jballinakamelo15]

i tell ya african slaves broguth that to the whole isalnd of hispanola wich is dr nd haiti 2day...i dominican and i look black buts dats just cus i got african descnt in me nd all dat palo shyt comes from africa and the same thing they sayin while they dancing see african voodoo almost the same

[MARIELA610]

love santa marta esa es mi santa con esa me monto

[soymerengueroo]

voodoo dominicano!!! viva le radici!!! quando metto un cd di musica voodoo e sento un brano dedicato a san antonio, a anaysa pye, a santa marta mi si accende il sangue!!!nonriesco piu a fermarmi !!!!!! bonswa a la societe

[soymerengueroo]

voodoo dominicano !!! papa legba, candelo , santa marta ,viva le radici, orgoglio della terra piu bella del mondo, quando metto un cd di musica vodou e sento canzoni dedicate a san antonio, a anaysa pye o a santa marta mi si accende il sangue !!!!!!very good!!! bonswa a la societe

[pinktaco646]

anyone knows the title of the song they play in the beginning?

[dolcerockie]

nosotros tenemos que unirnos pa'delante. que mostramos nuestras raices y ser mas orgullos de quienes somos!!

[negroporley]

que viva dominicana y todos los afrolatinos k se siente orgullo de ser africano decendiente cono eto es real respeto para todo

[javiperz]

estoy de acuerdo contigo, aunque soy Puertorriqueno de desendencia Catalan yo me siento Afro-indigena. Es la cultura mas sabrosa del mundo, con un blend de Espanol. Caribenos y Brazilenos venimos de las misma tribus, debemos unirnos mas en vez de pelear. Los blancos se unen, Porque no los negros. Que viva la raza NEGRA

[OGbloodyfire]

no palomo vudoo es una religion en haiti per ello hay palomos que disen que una burjeria pero no es . y esto no es vudoo. (PALO)

[helga1967]

Saludos es hermosos su video. le felicito

[dieudonneMC]

I am glad to see enlightened afro latinos stand up and be proud for who we are! Keep on teaching and hopefully the truth will spread and catch on.

[azukita18]

what does vodou mean??

Que quiere decir vodou?

[estefany4507]

un tipo de brujeria

[budgiebudgielover]

The word Vodou in Fon language (from western Africa) means 'Sacred Object' or a type of God. Since it is a polotheistic religon.

[ambreginny]

budgielover:

I'd like to say that most people (since i'm Haitian, I'll say Haitians) who do vodou don't see it as a religion, but part of their culture and who they are. They tend to label it "practice".

Secondly, I don't know what you mean by "polytheistic", since the lwas are not considered "gods", but spirits. There is only one God in vodou, and that is the Almighty. The lwas are the only ones able to communicate with Him, but there's no mistaking that there is only one God.

[ethnicgroup1]

that is false. Alot of haitians reject voodoo is looked down upon, since their catholic, they think it is some diabolic practice. Its an African religion though. but some ppl in the country side practice it.

[valeryj]

As a voduisan, I have to correct you. Vodou is monotheistic. Lwas serve as intermediaries to God, go-betweens between humanity and the divine.

[armando1381]

I agree with you, I'm a voduisan too, y soy dominicano and I love it

[bubaluba9]

yea its funn but at the same time is scary because when i listen to that music i star dancing and its not even me i dont know wa happends to my body

[ZoKlo7]

Each of the 21 Nations of spirits not only correspond to various rites in Haitian Vodou but also various tribes throughout Africa. Some of the names of the nations in Haitian Vodou are: Ibo, Kongo, Senego (referring to Senegal), Wangol (referring to Angola) and much more.

[sheryllinda1]

Me encanta toda musica afrocentrica. El Palo me acuerda del Mapale colombiano.

[Tambourineur12]

Haitians do have congolese and yoruban roots like the cubans. you should have a talk with Francisco Aguabella and you'll find out that the cubans also have roots from the Dahomey region africa. the ethnicities in the Caribbean are more alike than you think.

[CF201]

This is very very true. CF from a Boricua

[mofbro]

Not exactly - the two have different African geographical origins.

Palo is primarily derivative of Congolese and Central African rites brought to Cuba by Bantu speaking peoples.

Voodoo as practices in Haiti is primarily derivative from Fon speaking peoples from Dahomey / Benin in West Africa.

Note this is a very simplified description.

[SuperConejo]

Yes thats partly true, but Haiti also had many Kongo slaves too just like D.R. Of Course Dahomey predominates in Haiti, but the kongo is right after it. Check my profile for the video excerpt of Kongo Vodoun. Tam bourineur is right in Cuba the Dahomey descendants are called Arara, and in Brazil they are called Jeje or Mina. And th ere are many more ethnic groups.

[ZoKlo7]

I would suggest you speak to someone raised in the tradition to verify information. Haitian Vodou does not primarily consist of the rites of the peoples of Dahomey. There is a lot of misinformation on Haitian Vodou. The truth is Haitian Vodou consists of 21 nations of Lwa (spirits) whose roots are in Gine (code in the tradition for Africa).

[firulaybimbinisio]

vet!!!!

[carapo66]

The Africa that has survived in the Caribbean, hypnotic.

[leni1991]

candelo candelo

[Tuprincipepeke]

Africanisme !!! dom The best !!!!

[happythoughts4me]

i can't stop dancin to dis i'm dominican dat's why!!

[MrOshun]

CANDELO CANDELO

[ChantelToronto]

anybody who knows anything about their history knows that this music and all types similar to it derives from Africa... not from Indians.

[klott23]

I truly concur with you. As a light skin Dominican I'm proud to say that I have African blood running through my veins. Many Dominicans in my shoes refuse to admit it. Like I always say be proud of what you are and never forget where you came from.

[earitrianmaniac]

i solute u for sayin that, im a brown skinned panamanian and people refuse to say that i have african blood in me, AFRO LATINOS

[trevycoley83]

truth is, this was our first religion before the spaniards dominated.The media makes it out to be so vile and grotesque but it's not, no offense to other religious practices but this was our foundation in the beginning, but who's right and who's wrong.

[SuperConejo]

I think its very alike Haitian Vodou, but its more Kongo influenced. So in a sense its like Haitian Vodou Kongo. Be aware that Haitian vodou has 4 brances, Vodou Nago(Yoruba), Vodou Rada(Fon-Dahomey), Vodou Mandinga(Senegalese-Muslim),Vo­dou Kongo(Congo/Angola)

[mambopopola]

actually no ... its dominican palo purely ... this piece sounds more indian influenced above all but it is purely a creole mix ... and also this is DOMINICAN VODOU aka the 21 DiViSiOn ... ALL VODOU BE IT HAITIAN OR DOMINICAN HAS 21 "branches" or divisions

[SuperConejo]

LOL, Indian influenced? Maybe some parts of Dominican and Haitian vodou, but not these pieces. And no Vodou has 21 divisiones, thats just a divine number. By divisiones i meant as in different origins. Because Each african ethnic group has a form of vodou more akin to their beliefs.

[oromuisca]

Dear Superconejo, Which vodou branch influenced Colombian music? I get chills when I hear the drums calling me as in Mapale,Currulao,and some "real"Cumbia songs.

[antonioj1]

you are very verse and knows about both culture in the island I wonder may be when we start undertanding each other we will have a more balance point of view

[JuciShockwave]

Thanks for sharing this video. I'm at the moment studying religions particularly from the Caribbean region. I've seen quite a few amounts of Botánicas where I live and was curious on studying them and got into the various types of religions that they serve to. Again thanks for the video.

[tammy403]

strange how most people from the Dominican Republic like to ignore their african ancestry. Most merengue songs use these african centred folk songs. Merengue nacío de eso

[lares360]

la regla ocha

[Angrygumballl]

That was beautiful thanks :-)

[jadabug]

asi es - casi igual de la punta - un baile de los Garifunas de Honduras - me encanta!!

[juanjt154]

ayy padre...

[SuperConejo]

Lokozino, the Dominican Republic retained alot of African culture, some of which came directly from africa and some from Haiti. Our Vodou is both direct and indirect. We have more in common with haiti then with any other country.

[Lokozino]

I never thoudht the Dominican Republic do vodou

[7caesar7]

Loko you only stop to see the skin Color Bro' we have African ancestry all the way

[Therion131]

Well that true its called the 21 divisions its very interesting, it has alot of similarities to hatian vodou, but then again the differences are notable, also cachita is said to be ochun or atleast a camino of ochun, ochun of course is a yoruba orisha, also nago(ogou.) batala exist, who shares similarities to a camino of obatala.

[JuciShockwave]

I have heard of it but thought of it as rumor. I do know for sure that Cuba also have it's fair shares of African influenced religions and culture.

[aguantamelo]

So does PuertoRico. Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico have a lot of African influece in their culture, even if their main language is Spanish, they got that from Spain. Taino Indian culture is also part of their culture for all three countries.

[miguelfenton]

afro dominican palo santeria

[gmoore914]

pura musica tipica dominicana!! i love it Cant wait to be there in June dancing palo y merengue tipico with migente.