When European colonization began in Haiti during the 15th century, the inhabitants of the land were called Tainos. Within a few decades, ill treatment of the Tainos by the Spanish colonizers and European diseases killed off the Taino population.
The island was soon highly populated with black Africans brought there as slaves by the French. This marked the beginning of the population that would make up the nation of Haiti.
In the French-controlled colony, Saint Domingue, there were more than 500,000 black slaves, two-thirds of which were born in different areas of Africa--of different tribes, languages and cultures. In 1791, they banded together, revolting and defeating slavery in 1804.
The military generals, of whom many were former slaves, forced the French out and took over Saint Domingue. The vast majority of people left were the African people of different African cultures. This led to a rich cultural heritage that continues today.
Ninety-five percent of the people in Haiti today are of African descent, and the remaining is mixed and white. Some wealthy citizens consider themselves French, but the majority of the population considers themselves Haitian, identifying with an African heritage.
Haiti has been named as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80 percent of the population living under the poverty line--and 54 percent in abject poverty (see Reference 3). This situation is said to be caused by deforestation in the country, where only 1.5 percent of its original tree cover is still intact and its resulting loss of habitat.
