Human world
Christopher Colombus landed on the Caribbean island, named Hispaniola by the Spanish, in 1492. Within a few decades the indigenous Amerindian population was virtually wiped out. The French gained control of the territory of Haiti, the western portion of the island, in 1664 and built a wealthy colonial plantation economy with the labour of slaves transported from Africa.
The Vodou religion is still practiced by the majority of Haitians today. It developed in opposition to European oppression and provided slaves from many different ethnic backgrounds with a common cultural language and allowed them to assert an independent African identity. The many Vodou spirits are divided to two main groups or 'nations'. The dominant ‘cool’ spirits, called Rada after Alladah, a town in the Republic of Benin, are considered helpful and wise. Petro spirits, on the other hand, are considered ‘hot’ and dangerous but respond to the demands of a devotee if given the right offerings. They are often associated with Kongo peoples of Central Africa.
A Vodou high priest, called Boukman, led a ceremony in 1791 that launched the slave revolution and eventually led, in 1804, to the creation of the Haitian Republic, the first independent republic in the Caribbean.