Gina Ulysse was born in Haiti in 1966. When she was twelve, her family migrated to the East Coast of the United States. In 1991, she earned a B.A. in English and Anthropology at Upsala College in New Jersey. She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1999. She is currently assistant professor of African-American Studies at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, as well as a committed social activist and spoken- word artist.
Katia Ulysse lives in Washington, D.C. 'Mashe Petyon' is part of a book manuscript inspired by her collection of Haitian art.
Babette Wainwright is a licensed psychotherapist and a painter. She has lived in Madison, Wisconsin, since 1985.
GLOSSARY
Aba Ouvalier Down with Duvalier!
akra malanga fritter (malanga: edible root)
andeyo/peyi andeyo the Haitian provinces, the countryside, home of the Haitian peasantry
bal dance party
bannann peze sliced and pressed fried plantains
blan white person, but also used to refer to foreigners in general
bonnanj soul, basic life source
Bouki/Malis opposite characters in Haitian folktales-(Bouki the fool and Malis the shrewd)
Bwa chech dry wood, also used as a reply in riddles to the interjection (Tim, tim!)
boulet meatballs
diri kole rice and beans cooked together
djondjon black mushrooms primarily used in a rice dish
dous sweet confection, often with the consistency of fudge
egare lost, dumb, confused
granme grandmother
griyo fried pork
gwayabel light embroidered shirt worn primarily by men
kremas a sweet coconut and milk-based liqueur
kenep Spanish limes
ki jan ou ye? how are you?
kivet washbasin
kolon colonist
konpe friend, pal, also godfather of someone's child
konpa variety of modern popular dance music
kouzen cousin
I ap mode ou It will bite you
lavil the city, downtown
leve mo raising the dead
lougawou woman who is human by day and vampire by night
lwa spirit of the
madansara tradeswoman, vendor, merchant
manman mother
mapou large tree with magic powers according to popular belief
marenn godmother.
marasa twins, also
matant aunt
matinet a whip constructed with a piece of wood at the end of which are attached thin leather strips
mayi moulen cornmeal dish
mesye sara a male variation of madansara. Not very commonly used, but used here to indicate that some males now do participate in the intricate trade and travel network of local and international madansaras
mesi thank you
mizik rasin modern music influenced by
monnonk uncle
moun person, human being
m pa pi mal I am fine, literally 'not doing so bad'
mwen menm I, as for myself, as far as I am concerned
parenn
