Now how about we all contribute some updates everybody?
quote:Who is this dark stranger?
Depending on the commentator's disposition towards the character, Zwarte Piet is either an Ethiopian orphan who was saved by slavery by Sinterklaas, a chimney sweep (who presumably hasn't had time to have a bath) or a "Moorish assistant" who really enjoys doing all the work for his white friend.
Or according to website zoz.nl, Zwarte Piet could be a modern version of a "wizard that helped the community stay in contact with the Gods".
"And like a shaman who appears as a little devil, Piet has attired himself in the clothes of the hated Spanish soldiers (who occupied the south of the Netherlands in the 16th century). An optimal contrast to the good Saint Nicholas."
Many of his supporters insist that far from being a slave to the white man, Piet was a little black devil Sinterklaas had to protect us from.
. . . .
Pro-Piet
Contributors to Expatica have been divided on the issue over the years.
"It's a great tradition. Every year, children's eyes are full of fright when the old, white, bearded man comes back into the country with his black helpers," argued one Dutch Expatica columnist.
"Sinterklaas comes from Madrid, the Spanish capital, and, for all these children know, Madrid is very far away. The colour of these helpers has a lot in common with the colour of the chimneys they have to climb down in. That's why they are the colour that they are."
But then he explained that "the helpers are there to check on the behaviour of the children over the past year. If the kids have behaved badly, they are given no presents. And there is a chance that they will get slapped on their buttocks with the "roede" or, even worse, put into the helper's bag and taken back to that faraway country."
Anti-Piet
Zwarte Piet remains unfazed by criticism.
Humbug, countered fiery Canadian expat columnist Kevin Lowe.
"My first reaction to Zwarte Piet was one of absolute horror. Fresh from a politically correct university career in North America, the idea of what is essentially a black face struck me as an abhorrent anachronism, bizarre in a modern, 'progressive' country," Lowe wrote.
"The Dutch will go to great lengths to explain that Zwarte Piet is not a caricature of a black servant, that he is not a racist stereotype playing step-n-fetch-it for his master
"But that is exactly what he is. If the application of black make-up weren't enough to convince you, the "Moorish" outfit of earrings, kinky hair and pantaloons should cinch it.
"To understand the endurance of an icon like Zwarte Piet is to know the gaping divide between tolerance and acceptance, between a multi-cultural society and one which is Dutch with buitenlanders on the begrudging periphery. It is one of the subtle paradoxes of Dutch culture, but one I believe illustrates perfectly the hypocrisy and passive aggressiveness of the Dutch character. "
Posts: 8014 | From: the Tekrur in the Western Sahel | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
So why should the Dutch give up an Iconic symbol of their culture. Its sad that some Canadian who would never Dream of living in Africa has the nerve to critisize some thing as Mindless as this.
Posts: 8804 | From: The fear of his majesty had entered their hearts, they were powerless | Registered: Nov 2007
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Now how about we all contribute some updates everybody?
quote:Who is this dark stranger?
Depending on the commentator's disposition towards the character, Zwarte Piet is either an Ethiopian orphan who was saved by slavery by Sinterklaas, a chimney sweep (who presumably hasn't had time to have a bath) or a "Moorish assistant" who really enjoys doing all the work for his white friend.
Or according to website zoz.nl, Zwarte Piet could be a modern version of a "wizard that helped the community stay in contact with the Gods".
"And like a shaman who appears as a little devil, Piet has attired himself in the clothes of the hated Spanish soldiers (who occupied the south of the Netherlands in the 16th century). An optimal contrast to the good Saint Nicholas."
Many of his supporters insist that far from being a slave to the white man, Piet was a little black devil Sinterklaas had to protect us from.
. . . .
Pro-Piet
Contributors to Expatica have been divided on the issue over the years.
"It's a great tradition. Every year, children's eyes are full of fright when the old, white, bearded man comes back into the country with his black helpers," argued one Dutch Expatica columnist.
"Sinterklaas comes from Madrid, the Spanish capital, and, for all these children know, Madrid is very far away. The colour of these helpers has a lot in common with the colour of the chimneys they have to climb down in. That's why they are the colour that they are."
But then he explained that "the helpers are there to check on the behaviour of the children over the past year. If the kids have behaved badly, they are given no presents. And there is a chance that they will get slapped on their buttocks with the "roede" or, even worse, put into the helper's bag and taken back to that faraway country."
Anti-Piet
Zwarte Piet remains unfazed by criticism.
Humbug, countered fiery Canadian expat columnist Kevin Lowe.
"My first reaction to Zwarte Piet was one of absolute horror. Fresh from a politically correct university career in North America, the idea of what is essentially a black face struck me as an abhorrent anachronism, bizarre in a modern, 'progressive' country," Lowe wrote.
"The Dutch will go to great lengths to explain that Zwarte Piet is not a caricature of a black servant, that he is not a racist stereotype playing step-n-fetch-it for his master
"But that is exactly what he is. If the application of black make-up weren't enough to convince you, the "Moorish" outfit of earrings, kinky hair and pantaloons should cinch it.
"To understand the endurance of an icon like Zwarte Piet is to know the gaping divide between tolerance and acceptance, between a multi-cultural society and one which is Dutch with buitenlanders on the begrudging periphery. It is one of the subtle paradoxes of Dutch culture, but one I believe illustrates perfectly the hypocrisy and passive aggressiveness of the Dutch character. "
From an article "Who are Santa's helpers?" Publication: The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, MA) Date: Saturday, December 12 2009
"Children in Holland used to worry about visits from Zwart Piet (Black Peter), the Moorish servant who accompanied Sinterklaas, threatening to whip the naughtiest Dutch children with switches and cart them off to Spain.
Austrian folklore is thick with stories about Krampus, a demon-like figure with a long red tongue who spent winter nights looking for bad children to punish. The winter threatener in Switzerland was the black-faced gnome Schmutzli. In Germany, the switch-toting "helper" was known variously as Pelzebock, Hans Muff, Pelznickel, Stappklos and, most commonly, Knecht Ruprecht. After St. Nick's banishment during the Reformation, these dwarf-like characters traveled solo or in the company of the Christ Child. Some incarnations of Santa's "dark helper" remain in business even today. In the Czech Republic, Black Peter appears as the devil himself - threatening to take really, really bad kids to hell. Luckily for the terrified Czech tots, St. Nicholas also travels with an interceding angel, who invariably prevents such abductions....
According to Dutch legend, Black Peter is a Moor – one of the dark-skinned Muslims from North Africa who had ruled Spain during much of the Middle Ages. The legend likely springs from the abiding Dutch misapprehension – gleaned from Dutch sailors – that Nicholas was a Spanish saint."
Apparently Dutch legend for the most part thinks of him as a Moor from Spain. Elsewhere I found -
"...the original legend has St Nicolas travelling to Spain where he meets and befriends a moor by the name of Peter who accompanies him on his travels through Europe."
In Dutch society particularly centuries ago being a "Moor" meant a literally black person.
Here's a little of a Dutch children's jingle known for centuries:
Entitled: Little Moor as Black as Soot (Mooriantje al Zwart als Roet)
"Little Moor as black as soot Once went strolling without a hood The sun shone on his noggin And so he carried a parasol ...
Little Moor Jan as black as Jet Went out walking without a hat And the sun shown on her head and so she carried a parasol..."
From the book, Blacks in the Dutch World: The Evolution of Racial Imagery in Modern Society, by Allison Blakely, 2001, pp. 66-67
Posts: 4226 | From: New Jersey, USA | Registered: Mar 2007
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posted
Staying focused on our target Black Pete, here are some observations about him being known elsewhere in Europe and originating in Turkey.
quote:Originally posted by swam: Black Peter is represented black in many European countries: representations of black Pete Schwarze Peter, Pierre le Noir, also named –le More-. are black, France, Switzerland, Ostrich, Netherlands, Pierre Fouettard, various names and meanings depending on the religion history culture and language . They are many hypotheses about why Black Peter became trendy:
fear of the strangers bringing pest in the harbours
mourning after deaths (all dressed in black)
threats and blackmail to influence children into good behaviour, (for political and educational purposes)
some say it is a Charles Quint personification,
St NiKlaus needed a helper, in Turkey around the fourth century he found a black assistant, (is that why the church is more open to blacks then it is to women?)
it’s a good opposition black/white with Christmas Father good/bad representation.
Maybe all of those reasons together, or others. A popular game with a penitence card is still called Pierre le Noir, even though this last decade the decks with the black representation of Peter have been replaced with other symbols, same as "Negerkopfs", "têtes de nègres", the popular cream stuffed chocolates have been renamed.
There again, shoved in the black concept, all fears: of unknown, of evil, of diseases, seing this resistance to the idea of blacks bringing progress, one prefers to imagine anything sort of bad is black, blackmagic blackmarket blackmail and so on, no doubt in many langages black has this connotation.
I recall paintings seen in various museums, from 12 century onwards, with black-Maure-Moresque-maronesque-more-maron-marron type characters. Maures stayed around after the Spanish occupation, no doubt some became rich and powerful, settled and mixed.
People travel, those traveling whether black Not Maures only) or white, rich or poor, are hired for their skills to work, to teach, to study, to bring their knowledge abroad and these people, by sharing it in different fields of sciences, have brought our civilization to where it is now.
Most scenes with the three Kings leaving to Bethleem, or Nativity scenes show one or two of them as "blacks" marons, marrons whatever, and those European paintings date of many centuries.
On another note, we had many migrations in Europe, i wonder how many are 100% pure!
Mixed here,,,, European-ly obviously mixed with specks of Africa & doubt Evil here is from Europe.
Posts: 8014 | From: the Tekrur in the Western Sahel | Registered: Feb 2006
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quote:Originally posted by alTakruri: Staying focused on our target Black Pete, here are some observations about him being known elsewhere in Europe and originating in Turkey.
quote:Originally posted by swam: Black Peter is represented black in many European countries: representations of black Pete Schwarze Peter, Pierre le Noir, also named –le More-. are black, France, Switzerland, Ostrich, Netherlands, Pierre Fouettard, various names and meanings depending on the religion history culture and language . They are many hypotheses about why Black Peter became trendy:
fear of the strangers bringing pest in the harbours
mourning after deaths (all dressed in black)
threats and blackmail to influence children into good behaviour, (for political and educational purposes)
some say it is a Charles Quint personification,
St NiKlaus needed a helper, in Turkey around the fourth century he found a black assistant, (is that why the church is more open to blacks then it is to women?)
it’s a good opposition black/white with Christmas Father good/bad representation.
Maybe all of those reasons together, or others. A popular game with a penitence card is still called Pierre le Noir, even though this last decade the decks with the black representation of Peter have been replaced with other symbols, same as "Negerkopfs", "têtes de nègres", the popular cream stuffed chocolates have been renamed.
There again, shoved in the black concept, all fears: of unknown, of evil, of diseases, seing this resistance to the idea of blacks bringing progress, one prefers to imagine anything sort of bad is black, blackmagic blackmarket blackmail and so on, no doubt in many langages black has this connotation.
I recall paintings seen in various museums, from 12 century onwards, with black-Maure-Moresque-maronesque-more-maron-marron type characters. Maures stayed around after the Spanish occupation, no doubt some became rich and powerful, settled and mixed.
People travel, those traveling whether black Not Maures only) or white, rich or poor, are hired for their skills to work, to teach, to study, to bring their knowledge abroad and these people, by sharing it in different fields of sciences, have brought our civilization to where it is now.
Most scenes with the three Kings leaving to Bethleem, or Nativity scenes show one or two of them as "blacks" marons, marrons whatever, and those European paintings date of many centuries.
On another note, we had many migrations in Europe, i wonder how many are 100% pure!
Mixed here,,,, European-ly obviously mixed with specks of Africa & doubt Evil here is from Europe.
^^^^
First off the fact that Black Pete is a Moor who takes bad Children to "Spain" means he originated with the Moorish Occupation...
Also we know countless White Victims were carried off into Slavery to North Africa..
So its not Racism, it was a reaction to the Fear Europeans lived in with Muslim(Typical) Slave Pirates stealing and kidnapping young Children. Just like most European Folk Tales like "Little Red Riding Hood" "The Brothers Grim" and the 7 Dwarfs all has a more sinister tale....its a cultural thing and I hope they don't give into so called Foreigners and Bleeding Heart Sensitive Crybaby Race Card Pullers occupying a Land that is not culturally theirs, after if it offends them so much they can always leave the Netherlands for your Native Homeland.
Its funny the Same people who Bitch and whine about The Dutch Dawning Black Face for Black Pete are the same people Glamorizing the Slaughter, Enslavment, Rape, Pillaging and Murder by Moorish Armies in Spain, calling it "Civilization"(When almost everything scholarly the Muslims did originated in Byzantium(Hell Even Greece, Rome and A. Egypt)... )...
Posts: 8804 | From: The fear of his majesty had entered their hearts, they were powerless | Registered: Nov 2007
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