15392: Benson: note on "Ayiti Toma"

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: LeGrace Benson <legrace@twcny.rr.com>

In Africanisms Haitiens; Compilation et Notes, Dr. J. B. Roumain (also
author
of Gouverneurs de la Rose, inter alia)
discusses patronyms in Haiti, and how rare were those from Africa. Under
King
Henry Christophe there was some revival of rembered names, apparently. He
was
of the opinion that the term Ayiti Toma perhaps referred to an African by
the
name "Toma" who had witnessed "... the tragic death of the founder of the
country.. and the rupture of the North from the South that had given rise
to
compromising the recent independance." This person made a "severe retreat"
vowing not to come out of the interior until the country was re-unified.
People
recognized his symbolic action by glorifying his name.  "Ayiti Toma under
this
rubric would then be all those in the hinterlands who are waiting (still)
for
reunification.  Roumain went on to posit another theory: He noted that
there
was an ethnic group, Toma, from the forested parts of Guinee. "Toma" also
carried a meaning of "sacred forest," and these people aupposedly
practiced a form of Vodou.  Further, Romain had in hand a letter from a
Gineean which
claimed that Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a decendant of this family/ethnic
group.  See p. 65-72 op cit.
This note is paraphrasing or translating from notes taken some time ago in
poor
handwriting.
I presume there is more recent work than that of Roumain, and perhaps more
corrobable evidence than he was able to locate.
 I hope to see some of that in response to Ms. Garoute's inquiry.
In any case the term seems to bear some of the same meaning as the phrase
"natif-natal," a term that also surely can be applied to the art that
emerged at Soissons-la-Montagne with the enthusiastic encouragement and
support
of Tiga.

By the way, does anyone have a copy of Roumains cited book for sale?
Best to all, LeGrace