seen from China
seen from Brazil
seen from Türkiye
seen from Türkiye
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Türkiye
seen from Türkiye
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Türkiye
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from Türkiye
some reading for indigenous people's day
The Native people of Hispaniola were long believed to have died out. But a journalist's search for their descendants turned up surprising re
A leader of the indigenous Caribbeans known as the Taíno describes how his people’s history was erased—and what they’re doing to get it back
Colonialism remains alive and well today, even if it looks different. Stay informed and fight back.
It might be hard to believe… but you’re looking at an apex predator. The Haitian solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) is small yet mighty. Found only on the island of Hispaniola, this mammal weighs just 2.2 lbs (0.9 kg). The solenodon has a secret, too: Its bite is venomous! This critter snacks on prey like spiders, insects, and other invertebrates. Unfortunately, the solenodon is threatened by human activity. The introduction of non-native predators, like domestic dogs and cats, has dramatically affected its population size.
Photo: Amiel Hopkins, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist
Hi! Awhile back I requested some animals endemic to the island of Hispaniola/Quisqueya (thank you very much, btw!), and I'm now there and seeing some myself! I'm going to try to see some more bugs soon, but for now I just want to share:
Hispaniolan Woodpecker/Melanerpes striatus (endemic), West Indian Whistling Duck/Dendrocygna arborea (native but not endemic), Zebra Periwinkle/Echinolittorina ziczac (not endemic, unsure if native), Bark Anole/Anolis distichus (native but not endemic)
Could I request Hispaniolan Solenodon?
Of course! What a charming face!!
Have you seen the Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus)?
I have now
Yes, in photos/videos
Yes, irl
I'm not sure
Catherine Flon was a Haitian nurse and seamstress credited with designing the first Haitian flag on May 18, 1803. She was also the god-daughter of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of the independent republic of Haiti
Sewing from a young age, as an adult Catherine opened a sewing workshop in her birthplace of Arcahaie, training girls as seamstresses to help them support themselves.
She was also trained as a nurse and Catherine employed these skills to treat wounded revolutionaries during the Haitian Revolution which began on 21 August 1791. While her family sought refuge during the war Catherine stayed behind, avoiding active combat and instead treating injured soldiers and providing them with additional support.
In 1803, as Jean-Jacques Dessalines led the Haitian army against France, England and Spain the need for a flag symbolizing Haiti’s new national identity became clear. Cutting apart the French tricolour, Dessalines removed the white centre symbolizing Haiti breaking away from France.
He gave the other pieces to Flon, who stitched them back together. In Haitian lore, the blue and red stripes represented a union between the black and mixed-raced citizens of Haiti. Today, May 18 is celebrated as a Flag Day, a national holiday in Haiti and Catherine is regarded as a symbol of the Haitian Revolution 🇭🇹
Through researching Catherine’s story the theme I connected with the most, is that there are many ways that you can effect change outside of being a leader of a movement. You can bring forth change in a variety of ways, whether it’s becoming more educated on a subject, getting someone to consider a different perspective or like Catherine using your creative skills to create unity & community.
Thinking about the current state of the world, it’s easy to be swallowed up and immobilized by anxiety but when you have those moments where you’re in a doom spiral and feeling out of control, breathe and ground yourself in the fact that their are sooo many ways you can contribute good to the world right now, like Catherine, think about how you can use your own talents or interests to shape the world into a better, more peaceful, stable, unified place. The future is only as hopeless as you allow yourself to feel.
Haiti gained independence from France (National Day) on January 1, 1804.
Haitian Independence Day
Celebrating the triumphant moment when a nation broke free, inspiring hope, courage, and resilience in the face of adversity.
Many people don’t realize the importance of this day for several countries all over the world who celebrate their independence on the first day of each year. One important country to recognize this day as their birthday is the island nation of Haiti. Get ready to join in on celebrating Haitian Independence Day!
History of Haitian Independence Day
Haiti became a free republic on the first day of January in 1804, after a revolution that had occurred over the previous fifteen years, fighting for freedom from France. This important event in the history of the country declared independence for the people of Haiti and ensured freedom from colonial rule.
The story of Haiti’s independence is particularly important because this was the first country to be founded by former slaves, and it was also the first nation in the western hemisphere to abolish slavery!
Taking place on New Year’s Day, Haitian Independence Day, is celebrated throughout the country with various traditions, one of which is a pumpkin soup called soupe joumou. Other celebrations include parties, music and festivities.
How to Celebrate Haitian Independence Day
Show some appreciation for this unique nation located in the Caribbean islands by getting involved with the celebration of Haitian Independence Day! Check out some of these ideas for getting started:
Learn Interesting Facts about Haiti
One excellent way to get involved with and celebrate Haitian Independence Day would be to learn a bit more about the country through some trivia or fun facts. This could also be a great way for teachers or parents to provide some background information and education when helping their children learn about geography, social studies and much more.
Get started by learning and sharing a few of these facts about Haitian Independence Day:
The Republic of Haiti shares an island with the Dominican Republic, and the name of the entire island that the two share is Hispaniola.
Haiti is made up of a series of breathtaking mountainous landscapes, so everyone in the country is either on a mountain or can see one.
Like many Caribbean island nations, the people of Haiti enjoy food that is very spicy, including goat pepper, vinegar, and various locally grown hot, hot, hot spices.
Haiti has two national languages, both French and Haitian Creole. But French is considered to be a “high” language by many, so the commoners usually use Haitian Creole, with more than 95% of people who are fluent in this language.
Visit Haiti
An incredible option for celebrating Haitian Independence Day might be to plan a trip to visit this interesting island country. And even though the day is celebrated in January, the country of Haiti boasts summer weather all year round, so be sure to pack that bathing suit for taking a swim in the ocean.
Other activities to enjoy might include hiking, cave exploration, beach adventures and more. Though tourists should certainly do their homework and travel only in safe places in Haiti, the island offers unique and interesting cultural experiences that cannot be found anywhere else.
Source
There are no salamanders living in the Caribbean today, but one tiny fossil shows that this wasn't always the case.
Palaeoplethodon hispaniolae was discovered in a chunk of amber from the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. The exact age of this type of amber is uncertain, but it most likely dates to the early-to-mid Miocene, about 20-15 million years ago.
The only known specimen is a hatchling, just under 2cm long (0.8"). It's unclear what its full adult size could have been, but based on its modern relatives it may have grown to anywhere between 4.5cm and 20cm long (~2-8").
Its strongly webbed hands and feet suggest it was very closely related to modern tropical climbing salamanders – but Palaeoplethodon had a unique webbing arrangement, with its feet relatively elongated and its hands fully fused into small rounded pads.
———
NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon
