Culture Assignment                        Jane Wong

                                                                                                        May 28, 2002

My definition of culture :

 

“Culture is the learned and shared behavior of a community that interacts with each other through daily living.”

 

                                                The Cubans

 

Summary Fact Sheet

 

The official name of today’s Cuba  is called the Republic of Cuba under the rule of Socialist. The population is around 11 million with an area of 110,860 sq. km. The major ethnic groups are Spanish, Black, mixed ancestry, and Chinese. The official language is Spanish. The religions of Cuba are Christianity and Santeria , a blend of African and Catholic beliefs. The unit of currency is Cuban peso. The national flag has five horizontal stripes of blue and white with a red triangle on the left side containing a white star. It became independence from foreign rule on May 20, 1920.

 

Critical Demographic of Cubans

 

Cuba has a population of about 10.8 million, 70% of whom live in the cities. Because of the political situation over the centuries, this population is a mixture of Caucasian descendants of the original settlers from Spain and black descendants of the slave population imported from Africa over the 18th and 19th centuries. During the 19th century, there are quite a large number of Chinese laborers who immigrated to Cuba. Over many centuries of mixed intermarriage, there are white, black, Asian, and some mixed Cubans in

today’s Cuba.

 

Social and Historical Information of Cubans

 

There are several periods in Cuban’s history:

 

European Discovery: 1492

 

When Christopher Columbus landed on Cuba on October 27th, 1492, he found about 50,000 of themthe Ciboney and Guanahatabey in the West and the Taina elsewhere. He thought he was in India and renamed the island Juan in honor of Prince Juan of Portugal

and sailed on, leaving the island undisturbed. He then sailed to Hispaniola, it is now called Haiti and Dominican Republic and founded the first Spanish settlement in the New World.

 

 

The Colonial Period: 1511-1895

 

Diego Velasquez and 300 men were sent from Hispaniola in 1511 to establish a colony in Cuba. There was resistant from the Tainos but soon was conquered by the Spanish military strength and established a feudal-like system called encomienda. This system was not successful due the disease, mistreatment, and dislocation, many settlers left for other countries such as Mexico and Peru for riches. Those that stayed on the island needed laborers to help raise cattle and tobacco; therefore slaves were imported from Africa. Cuba became the transit point for Spanish expeditions of the New World from the Atlantic to transport gold and riches back to Spain. Pirate activity was supported by the European powers to prohibit the American colonies from trading with one another and with other European countries.

 

At the colonial society in 1492, it was divided along color and class lines. There were white Spanish descent called criollos (Cuban born) or peninsulares (Spanish born) and blacks that were either slaves or free. The unfair treatment to the Cuban born and blacks among the classes formed the impetus for the beginning of Cuban nationalism and resistance to Spanish control. The prosperity in 19th century led to its independence from Spain and the abolition of slavery. Sugar became the basis of the Cuban economy toward the end of the 18th century.

 

The War of Independence and U.S. Occupation: 1895-1902

 

Jose Marti was the most important figure in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain with the United Stated in the picture. The Platt Amendment were attached to the draft of the constitution, gave the United States to purchase or lease land for naval stations and remained as Cuban legal guardian.

 

The Republic: 1902-1959

 

The republic years were characterized by prosperity and government corruption. U.S.-Cuban relations were cordial during the war. Batista re-emerged before the elections of 1952 after losing the presidential election to Ramon Grau and established a military dictatorship.

 

The Revolutionary Government: 1959-1963

 

The revolutionary government had the common people’s interest at heart, but antagonized much of the upper and middle classes.

 

The Mid –1960s and 1970s

 

The conflict between Krushchev and Kennedy on the missile crisis in the 60’s and Cuba strengthened its ties with the Soviet Union.

 

 

The 1980s and the 1990s

 

Castro opened the Mariel port, placing tremendous strain on U.S. facilities in the 80’s.

The Cuban economy shrank drastically with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 90’s.

 

The present political system is based on centralization of power. It is centralized in Castro and the top party leadership and carried through all levels of organization down to the local level; only at the lower community levels are there possibilities for democratic participation. Censorship is of American publications, but also of Soviet and Eastern European publications. The government controls all media.

 

Expectations that Students and Parents Have About Schooling and Community

 

In general, Cubans are found to be able to finish high school than other Hispanic immigrant groups. They will overcome hardship in order to achieve academic success.

Cubans are close-knit family unit traditionally, but the Communist regime requires the young people to participate in outside activities. Thus it took away the traditional authority that parents had over their children.

 

In 1974, the family code was passed. It set out equal responsibilities among married couples. They had to share household chores as well as in the work force and political arena. This created some mix feeling for the men to accept this new challenge. Also the divorce rate in Cuba is high. This may due to the overcrowded living condition, which caused the newly wed to live with their in-laws. The decreasing influence of the Catholic Church, and the changing role of women are also the cause of the divorce rate.

 

The Cubans’ cultural identity are very strong. The three different waves of Cubans that

immigrated to the U.S. tend to have different opinions and values. Therefore their acculturation experiences are also different. The revolution brought major social change in almost every aspect of Cuban life. But the Cuban brand of socialism has been tailored somewhat to complement, or at least not to confront directly, the traditional values. The influence of its black community is the pride of the socialist government in fulfillment of its aim to equalize the citizenry of Cuba.

 

It is common to say good-bye with a handshake and exchange a hug and a kiss with friends and family as a sign of affection.

 

Factors that Have Influenced Its Immigration to the U.S.

 

There are “push” and “pull” factors that cause the Cubans to immigrate to the U.S. The “push” factor is due to the revolutionary government’s inflexible attitude toward dissent.

Another push factor for the recent wave of newcomers is the economic situation and lack of medicine and other necessary goods. The “pull “ factor has been the U.S. policy which

 

 allows Cubans refugee special privileges to become permanent residency after residing a year in the States.

 

 

 

There are three basic waves of Cubans coming to the United States. The first wave is soon after the revolution. (1959 to early 1960s) This group of Cubans came as undocumented

immigrants. They were welcome by the Americans because of their belief in capitalism. They were well-educated, white middle class that disagreed with the goals and methods of the revolution of the Castro government. The second wave was the mid-revolution. (Mid-1960s to mid-1980s) They came for both political and economic reasons. This group was

less educated and less well off as the first wave. Some were criminals, homosexuals, and mentally ill persons that Castro had taken advantage of the situation to expel from Cuba.

This period was also known as the Mariel boatlift. The fear of the arrival of the

“undesirables” was later clarified by the study of the Marielitos that this group’s educational background and job skills were similar to the first wave immigrants. Only 1% of the population turned out to be criminals. The third wave was the post-USSR dissolution. It peaked in the summer of 1994. There were around 33,000 Cubans entered the U.S. as parolees which were eligible for refugee benefits and services not available to immigrants. This group was absorbed in to the community in Miami with minimum of problems.

 

Variability Within the Group

 

The Cuban population speaks Spanish as their official language. It is close to Puerto Rican and Dominican Republic Spanish, but it is very easy to identify because of its special characteristic nature. There are also some internal differences among the group. The northwest Havana Spanish spoken is quite different from the Spanish spoken in the east Santiago. There are also different formal and informal Cuban Spanish. In formal Spanish, the s’s in the phrase Hasta la vista (So long’) are pronounced, but it will not be pronounced in informal Cuban Spanish. The formal written Spanish and educated spoken Spanish is parallel to the same relationship in American English. The correct way may vary widely. Cubans speak informally with close friends and family members. When speaking with first acquaintance and elderly people, they tend to use formal Spanish to show respect.

 

Characterization of their Language Structure and Discourse Rules

 

Cuban Spanish has different pronunciation than other Spanish-speaking group. In Spanish, the “j” is pronounced like “h” in hot. The double “ll” is pronounced like the “y” in youth.

One should emphasize the accented syllable when speaking Spanish. Cubans tend to speak rapidly and omit the final consonant of certain words. This makes it difficult for nova Spanish learners to understand. Many Taino words  have entered the language, such as tobacco (tobacco) and canoa (canoe). Cubans address women as companera and men as companero, which means comrade. It is different from the Spanish way of addressing women as senora and men as senor.

 

There are some Cuban Spanish pronunciations that need to pay particular attention. (Note all Spanish spellings are in italics and all sounds are in square brackets.)

 

a [a] as in English song.

 

b [b] or [v] or [w]. Does not occur at the ends of words.

 

e Like English, it is pronounced [s] before I and e, (centavo, hacienda) and [k] before a, o, or u (Cuba, Castro)

 

ch [ch] as in chin. Does not occur at the ends of words.

 

d [d] or [th] as in English either. Does not occur at the ends of words.

 

e [e] as in English bed.

 

f [f]. Some  Cubans will pronounce f as [h], or drop it entirely, at the ends of syllables or words.

 

g [g] or [gh] ( a sound which doesn’t occur in English). Does not occur at ends of words.

 

h [h]. Sometimes written h is not pronounced.

 

i [i] as in English read.

 

j a sound like a strong [h] that does not occur in English. It’s like the [ch] in German ach or dich.

 

k [k]. Does not occur at the ends of words, and is pronounces slightly differently from English [k] (it might sometimes sound like [g])

 

l [l]

 

m [m]. Some Cubans will pronounce m a [ng] (as in English sing) before another consonant or at the end of a word.

 

n [n]. Some Cubans will pronounce n as [ng] (as in English sing) before another consonant or at the end of a word.

 

n [ny] as in English canyon.

 

o [o] as in English boat.

 

p [p]. Does not occur at the ends of words, and is pronounced slightly differently from English [p] (it might sometimes sound like [b].

 

q [k].

 

r exactly the sound in American English ladder, Technically called a ‘flap r’. Some Cubans pronounce r as [l] before another consonant or at the end of a word.

 

rr a trilled sound.

 

s [s]. Some Cubans will pronounce s as [h], or drop it entirely, before another consonant or at the end of a word.

 

t [t]. Does not occur at the ends of words, and is pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the front teeth, rather than the ridge behind it where English [t] is pronounced. It might sometimes sound like [d].

 

u [u] as in English boot.

 

v [v] or [w].

 

w [w].

 

x [ks].

 

y [y], or [j] as in English judge, or [zh] as in English pleasure.

 

z [z].

 

(Source is taken from htttp://www.culturalorientaion.net/cubans/CUBANS.HTM pp.29-30 on Cuban Spanish Letter Sound)

 

Sources: http://cwr.utoronto.ca/cultural/english/cuba/holidays.html

              http://www.culturalorientaion.net/cubans/CUBANS.HTM