Let's try this one - Is Holland's Zwarte Piet racist?

[jah_yout]

ok what i posted before is pretty much close...the legend is of a moorish (black) orphan who was adopted by sinderclaus and trained as a toymaker;
i believe the developments in the crazy-looking costumes are more recent developments once global white supremacist racism took sway--roughly after the trans-atlantic slave trade...before that moors were respected figures in europe

[Tropicana]

Seems there are 2 origins for this story....not sure which is older. am thinking if Santiklaas arrives in a sled from Spain that would seem consistent with a Moor origin.

Tried to find the storybook and came across another website by a Black woman in Europe. I think she is African American.

[Tropicana]

Interesting.

After much anticipation, Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten have arrived in the country this weekend from Spain. As images of Piet’s black face and comically exaggerated features have turned up just about everywhere, and both excitement and rage emerge in discussions of the topic, the Zwarte Piet debate has come to reflect more than just impressions of a children’s character. We’re talking about extreme nationalism and the silencing and oppression of communities of color. Feelings of ‘us’ and ‘them’ are certainly present year-round. Zwarte Piet simply brings much of it to the surfac

I’ve been somewhat obsessively reading and talking about Zwarte Piet for the better part of this year. And I would describe the most common reactions to be defensive and dismissive. “It’s a Dutch tradition. Why should it change?” Or, “you’re looking at this from an American perspective. We don’t have that type of racism here.” And, “you have no right to challenge a Dutch tradition. You’re not even from here.” And of course, “you have offended me for implying that this tradition has anything to do with race. This is your problem, not mine.” What these conversations lack in charm, they certainly make up for in enlightenment.What I find most revealing is that people simply do not know the troubling history of Zwarte Piet. Attributing the tradition to something that happened hundreds of years ago, entirely separate from the practices of blackface and minstrelsy that rose to popularity in other parts of the world in the nineteenth century, the practice of painting one’s face black and playing the role of a servant is seen in the Netherlands as a harmless coincidence of similarity to those racist traditions, at best.But as it turns out, Piet has ancestry in other parts of the world, from a cruel and angry period of the nineteenth century – not as long ago as many believe. Giving people the benefit of the (increasing) doubt, I’d like to think that, with knowledge of Piet’s history, most Dutch people would no longer joyfully embrace an annual tradition that has them celebrate and embody the character who so vividly reminds the rest of us of his hateful roots.

Piet’s Roots
The story of Sinterklaas, or St. Nicholas, dates back to the 16th century. In the earliest renditions of the story, Sinterklaas represented two sides: good and evil, or the saint and the devil, with the contrasted aspect of his persona described as his “dark side.” Some argue that the devil side of Sinterklaas was transformed into a black person in Dutch society following the 16th century, coinciding with the extensive Dutch involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery in the Americas, eventually becoming the character of Sinterklaas’ servant or companion, Zwarte Piet. And many attribute the development of Sinterklaas’ black counterpart to a school teacher and children’s book author, Jan Schenkman, who first portrayed a nameless black man alongside Sinterklaas in his 1845/1850 book, Sinterklaas and his Servant. At that time in the Netherlands, although slavery was not legal, some of the wealthiest people had black “servants,” whom served as status symbols, especially when they were kept well-dressed. Sinterklaas was certainly important enough to warrant having his own dapper servant.

I wonder if this is from the storybook.

From Servant to Minstrel
So when first imagined, the black servant had no name. And from what I can tell, it seems he was portrayed without any exaggerated features. But by the time he was named Pieter, around 1890, his physical appearance and personality began to mirror the comic portrayal of black people in other parts of the world.

Although the display of blackness for the enjoyment of white audiences was not new, minstrelsy rose to new heights of popularity in the U.S. in the nineteenth century, with performances involving crude and hateful stereotyping of black people. Typically their faces were covered with burnt cork to appear very black, their lips were exaggerated with red or white make-up, and they wore wooly, black wigs, tailcoats or tattered clothing, and gloves. Actors in blackface typically behaved comically, with a jolly attitude, frequently dancing, singing, and speaking in broken English. Perhaps because people were curious about blackness and black people, the popularity of American blackface spread throughout Europe and other parts of the world.

So she thinks the minstrel tradition helped shape Zwarte Piet's apperance.

Also at that time, the Dutch empire was a lasting colonial power that had played a prominent role in the slave trade and slavery for centuries. Due to their presence in a global community of dominating white Europeans and Americans, the Dutch inevitably were affected by the globalization of this racist imagery. So although black people may have been uncommon and largely unknown in the Netherlands, for the sake of entertainment, they were imagined just as Americans portrayed them.The early appeal of blackface imagery in the Netherlands wasn’t limited to Piet. It can be seen in the portrayal of black characters in children’s books in the late 19th and well into the 20th century:

Kleine means little or small. The rest needs no translation.



Definitely looks like it was influenced by some of the images in the Americas/

Not much effort is required to see the resemblance between these characters and the beloved Piet. Perhaps the only difference is these characters would no longer be acceptable in Dutch (or any) society.
Not Black. Just…Dirty?Since the beginning of the 20th century, Piet hasn’t evolved much. In spite of movements throughout the world to do away with offensive portrayals of blackness, the Netherlands is one of the few places (though certainly not the only) to resist progressive change. Piet’s subservient role, clownish personality, exaggerated features, and blackness remain the same. In fact, today Piet’s blackness is arguably his most important and unchangeable characteristic.But here’s the tricky part: at some point, Dutch people did become more aware of the offensive nature of Piet’s depiction as a black man (perhaps 30 or 40 years ago). Somewhere around then the explanation of his blackness changed from his race to mere circumstance – chimney soot. You see, nowadays Piet isn’t really a black guy. He’s actually very likely a white guy who has the dirty job of going down chimneys, which covers his face in soot (perhaps this will remind you of the picture above – “N is a EDIT, who is as black as soot”).

Still don't understand how going down the chimney made his lips get big and red and his hair get kinky. How come tha tdidn't happen to Sintaklaas who went down the same chimney?

But now I just think you’re telling me that a black man’s appearance is equivalent to that of a dirty white man, whose lips have turned red, and whose hair has grown curly, and whose clothes remain clean. And you’re telling me you think I’m stupid. While the chimney soot story allows Dutch people to feel comfortable with the depiction of the character as black, his actual black ancestry remains undeniable.

And Now…Well, I think globalization should work both ways. If you adopt the practices of another culture, you must also inherent the meaning and history of those practices. Although challenging the tradition of Zwarte Piet appears to many as a threat to a Dutch identity and culture, perhaps the real fear is of an awareness that Dutch society is indeed deeply immersed in the same history of racism and discrimination that has plagued the rest of the world. And that admission would mean bursting a post-racial bubble.The claims of ignorance can’t last forever. At some point marginalized voices must be heard. But whether the education will be worthwhile over emphatic cries of a national identity remains to be seen. My personal hope is that those of us who object to Zwarte Piet will not lower our expectations of Dutch people, and persist in efforts to question, educate, and eventually eradicate the troubling tradition.

http://blackgirlgone.com/2011/11/13/zwarte-piet/

She says more about it here:

http://blackgirlgone.com/2011/12/23/sinterklaas-survival/

I think this woman has nailed it. Makes send to me. What do you think?

[Tropicana]

With Christmas around the corner..check this out.

Dutch use social media to push back against critics who say “Black Pete” is racist

A Facebook page seeking to preserve the “Black Pete” clowns in blackface who accompany St. Nicholas to the Netherlands during the holidays has become the fastest-growing Dutch-language page ever, receiving 1 million “likes” in a single day.
The mushrooming popularity of the “Pete-ition” page reflects the depth of emotional attachment most Dutch people — 90 percent of whom have European ancestry — feel to a figure that helped launch the tradition of Santa Claus.

It also reflects their anger at critics who call it racist. Those critics include foreigners who they feel don’t understand the tradition. They also include many of the country’s most prominent blacks.
“Don’t let the Netherlands’ most beautiful tradition disappear,” the page says.
On Tuesday, the chairwoman of a U.N. Human Rights Commission panel looking into the festival condemned it flatly.
“The working group does not understand why it is that people in the Netherlands cannot see that this is a throwback to slavery, and that in the 21st century this practice should stop,” Verene Shepherd told television program EenVandaag.
In stories told to children, St. Nicholas — Sinterklaas in Dutch — arrives by steamboat from Spain in mid-November accompanied by a horde of helpers: “Zwarte Pieten,” or Black Petes, who have black faces, red lips and curly hair.
A public broadcaster produces a daily fictional news program about the doings of Sinterklaas and the Petes that is shown in public elementary schools for several weeks. On the evening of Dec. 5, families read poems and exchange presents to cap the Dutch-Belgian festival that is one of the main sources of the Santa Claus traditions.
Opponents of the tradition say Pete is an offensive caricature of black people. Supporters say Pete is a positive figure whose appearance is harmless.
The traditional song refers to Pete as a “servant” to the elderly saint, but in recent years those references have largely been replaced with the idea that he is black from chimney soot as he scrambles down to deliver toys and sweets for children who leave their shoes out overnight.
Discussion about Zwarte Piet has escalated since 2011, when a prominent opponent was thrown to the ground, handcuffed by police and dragged away for wearing a T-shirt reading “Black Pete is Racism” where children might see.
Opposition has been centered in Amsterdam, home to the Netherlands’ largest black community. Mayor Eberhard van der Laan this month said he would support changing Pete’s appearance — but only gradually, as it has changed over time in the past.
“If it appears that Amsterdammers feel pain as a result of this tradition, that’s a good reason for new development,” he said.
Organizers of the festival and the broadcaster also said they would be open to changes if people want them.
The latest public figure to speak out against the tradition was none other than the (white) man who has played the part of “Head Pete” on the Sinterklaas news program for more than a decade. His commentary appeared in a top Dutch newspaper Tuesday, entitled “Make me less black and less a servant.”
Others to question the tradition include Victoria’s Secret model Doutzen Kroes and many of the country’s prominent thinkers and black celebrities.
But their campaign has failed to draw widespread support and the overwhelming majority of Dutch people don’t want change.
“Message for the U.N.: Isn’t there a war somewhere, starvation or genocide going on that you could better be concerned about?” Dutchman Peter Udo commented on the Facebook page, drawing more than 2,000 likes.
Asked about the issue at his weekly press conference, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said it isn’t his place to intervene in a folk tradition.
“Black Pete: The name says it already. He’s black,” he said. “I can’t change much about it.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/dutch-use-facebook-page-to-push-back-against-critics-of-black-pete-holiday-tradition/2013/10/23/c550f526-3bd5-11e3-b0e7-716179a2c2c7_story.html

[Tropicana]

Wow they are serious about this. They have a website and even have done a documentary.

http://blackpetethedocumentary.com