Five myths about Haitians (in Creole and English)

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Melissa Aridoux and Olguyne Ermilus, Staff Writers

1.) Tout Ayisyen fanmiy (All Haitians Are Related)
Anpil Ayisyen gen menm siyati tankou Pierre, Jean, e Jean-Baptist. Anpil moun panse depi moun gen menm siyati, yo se fanmiy.Anpil fwa,se pa vre. Fanmiy Ayisyen laj, sa pa vle di tout moun fanmiy.
(Many Haitians have similar last names, such as Pierre, Jean, and Jean-Baptist. Many people will assume that since two people have the same last names, they are related. That is not true 95 percent of the time. Haitians have extensive families, but not everyone is related.)

2.) Ayisyen pa santi bon (Haitians Smell like Fish)
Anpil moun toujou di Ayisyen santi pwason. E poutan, anpil Ayisyen pa menm manje pwason. Ayisyen pi renmen poul ak kochon. Ayisyen se moun kip wop e ki konnen sa ijyen ye.
(It is common for people to state that Haitians smell like fish. In all reality, Haitians barely eat fish. They are more of a chicken and pork fans. Haitians are hygienic people who understand the concept of personal hygiene.)

3.) Tout Ayisyen soti nan bato (Haitians All Come “Off of the Boat”)
Preske tout Ayisyen vin isit avek green card yo oubyen visa yo. E poa tout Ayisyen kit e fet an Ayiti. Nou menm Ayisyen, nou renmen fe bagay ki legal, espesyalman le nap rantre yon lot peyi.
(Most Haitians come here on a plane with a green card or visa in hand. Not every Haitian was born in Haiti. We prefer to do things the just and legal way, especially involving our entry into another nation.)

4.) Nou tout fe voodoo (They All Do Voodoo)
Sa se yon bagay anpil moun di de Ayisyen. An verite, 96% Ayisyen se Kretyen. Voudou ekziste e gen anpil moun ki praktikel, men se pa tout moun ki fel
(This is the most highly misunderstood myth about Haitians. In reality, 96 percent of Haitians believe in the Christian faith. There is voodoo, and there are people who practice it, but not every Haitian practices it.)

5.) Ayisyen se menm moun ak nwa Ameriken e Jamayiken (Haitians Are the Same As African-Americans and Jamaicans)
Non, yo pa menm moun. Ayisyen pale kreyol, Jamayiken yo menm pale patwa e Nwa Ameriken pale angle. Nwa Ameriken te fet nan Etazini avek zanset yo, epi Ayisyen te fet an Ayiti. Manje nou diferan. Ayisyen pa manje cole slaw avek pech kodonye . Ayisyen manje diri avek sos pwa avek pikliz.
(No, they are not the same at all. Haitians speak Haitian Creole, whereas Jamaicans speak Patois and African-Americans do not necessarily have any other particular language, except English. African-Americans were born in the United States along with all of their ancestors, whereas the ancestors of Haitians were born in Haiti. Their foods are completely different. Haitians do not eat Cole slaw or peach cobbler or jerk chicken. Haitians eat rice with bean sauce and pikliz.)