Posted: Mon 27 Mar 2006 16:10 Post subject: Man, I Don't *Get* Zwarte Piet
Man, I Don't *Get* Zwarte Piet
Quote:
Which doesn't mean I can't make fun of him. Look. I've tried, I really have, but I just do NOT GRASP the whole Zwarte Piet thing. Absolutely nothing about Dutch life has so totally befuddled me.
OK, as I understand it--and Lord knows I've asked--the Netherlands' tradition of Santa Claus (Sinter Klaas) includes an African companion Zwarte Piet (black Pete). Now, in history and mythology, a hero's having a sidekick is the rule rather than the exception, so as odd as this might seem to those raised on Coca-Cola Santa Claus (the religion-free, sales-promoting, American standard), a sidekick should be no surprise. Above, note that Cola-Cola has not yet managed strip Dutch Santa Claus of his sainthood. And Saint Nicholas' being the patron saint of sailors only heightens his importance to the Dutch. Now, I have no idea why Sinter Klaas' sidekick is a wealthy African...but that's not the part I don't get.
I wonder what the real history is surrounding this tradition. I can tell you right now that the picture is VERY disturbing, but perhaps it does not have the sinister meaning it appears to have.
During the Middle-ages Zwarte-Piet was a name for the devil. Having triumphed over evil, it was said that on Saint Nicholas eve the devil was shackled and made his slave. Although the character of Black Peter later came to acquire racial connotations, his origins were in the devil figure. This racialization is reflected in the reworking of the character’s mythos. According to the more modern Saint Nicholas legend, Zwarte Piet is a servant who accompanies Saint Nicholas on his holiday travels. In some versions, it is alleged that Saint Nicholas once liberated a young slave named Peter, who decided to serve Nicholas (as a free servant) rather than enjoy liberty alone. Zwarte Piet is today commonly depicted as a black man in the colorful pantaloons, feathered cap and ruffles of a Renaissance European page, a tradition based on a single illustration in a book published in 1850.
Often portrayed as a mischievous or even mean character, parents used to tell their children that if they have been good, Zwarte Piet will bring them gifts and sweets; but if they have been bad, Piet will scoop them up, stuff them in his huge sack and spirit them away to Spain (a logical place of origin for the black assistant from the time of submission of 'heathen' Moors during the Reconquista). Though this is considered increasingly outdated nowadays, he can still carry some type of whip or scourge, especially a martinet as in France, to chastise children who have been too naughty to deserve presents. The character is believed to have been derived from pagan traditions of evil spirits.
The traditions of the Saint Nicholas feast are in part at least of medieval origin, if not much older. St. Nicholas himself, as described in the Dutch tradition shows some similarities to Wuotan/Odin, which suggests that the duo have a pre-Christian origin. Possible precursors to Zwarte Piet can be found in Odin's ravens Hugin and Munin.
History
1845: Jan Schenkman writes Saint Nicholas and his Servant describing Piet more as a junior partner in charge of data acquisition and the execution of reward and punishment, than as an owned slave. Steamboat travel became part of the mythos too. Piet was here depicted as an Indian.
1850: In the latest version of Schenkman's book "Saint Nicholas and his servant" they are depicted looking much as they do today. The servant gets his 16th century Moorish page looks, but still has no standard name.
1891: A book appears which names the servant Pieter, although there were several books giving him other names, and in live appearances the name and looks still varied considerably.
In the early 20th century first the Civilized Standard Celebration for children with Zwarte Piet as the Standard personal servant of the saint spread throughout the country. In the 1930s adults become more involved too and the arrival of Saint Nicholas and Zwarte Piet are staged.
1945: The Second World War disrupted the tradition. After the liberation it was difficult to stage the arrival of St Nicholas and Piet. However,with the much needed assistance of the Canadian Army, four Jeeps were used. Although the idea of having more than one Saint Nicholas was attractive to the helpful Canadian soldiers, that would be an impossible break with the tradition, so instead of multiplying Saint Nicholas his servant was multiplied. The paradigm shift opened possibilities to create (for TV and such) lots of different characters being "Zwarte Piet" at the same time. Unfortunately, most of the time those characters are usually rather simplistic and painted brown.
Present and Future
The tradition of Zwarte Piet has been criticized for racism and promoting offensive stereotypical views of black people. Such criticism has not led to permanent or widespread changes in the tradition and Zwarte Piet remains a popular character.
In modern times, there have been efforts to defuse criticism of the tradition as racist. A revisionist explanation for Zwarte Piet's complexion is that he is a chimney sweep, or that he goes down chimneys to deliver presents, and his face has been blackened by soot. However, this does not explain how he got large red lips, an afro hair-do and a Surinamese accent. Sometimes Zwarte Piet figures are even painted in life-like shades of brown, for instance. When the legend recently was re-enacted on television, the narrative was changed so that Saint Nicholas was depicted as a well-meaning, but unworldly, old gentleman, protected from the realities of life by his more practical servant, a topos as old as Menander. Some Zwarte Piet impersonators have experimented with facepaint in colours such as blue or purple, especially in areas with large ethnic minorities. Such variations on the Zwarte Piet tradition, however, are relatively rare exceptions to the general rule.
There is little indication that the Benelux countries will abandon Zwarte Piet and he remains a cherished holiday tradition, particularly because he functions as a useful foil for St. Nicholas, producing a juxtaposition of attributes — for example, stealth-majesty, black-white, evil-good, strength-faith, disciple-master, human-saint, mischievousness-discipine, justice-mercy, virtue-deviousness. It is also likely, however, that attempts at making Zwarte Piet more politically correct will continue as a consequence of ongoing public debate in the face of outside scrutiny and complaints made by or on the part of ethnic minorities within the Benelux nations.
Joined: 30 Mar 2005 {Posts: 1044 } Location: New Jersey
Posted: Mon 27 Mar 2006 19:18 Post subject:
According to my mother, who grew up in Kikinda, Yugoslavia, and had German-speaking parents, there is an equivalent in some German cultures, called "Schwarze Peter" (Black Peter). His duty in the folklore was to punish the bad kids by giving them coal. I will see what I can find on the Dutch version. I do believe I saw something on it in a book I have at home.
Last edited by William on Tue 28 Mar 2006 18:44; edited 2 times in total
Joined: 04 May 2005 {Posts: 2021 } Location: santiago, chile
Posted: Mon 27 Mar 2006 19:32 Post subject: Pictures
sweetsister wrote:
I wonder what the real history is surrounding this tradition. I can tell you right now that the picture is VERY disturbing, but perhaps it does not have the sinister meaning it appears to have.
Hi,
In Western Europe of the Middle Ages the Muslims (Arabs, Moors, Turks) were shown like that. Very dark and with turbants. You can see something similar in the image of Balthasar, the King of Saba, of the Three Wise Kings.
According to my mother, who grew up in Kikinda, Yugoslavia, and had German-speaking parents, there is an equivalent in some German cultures, called "Schwarze Peter" (Black Peter). His duty in the folklore was to punish the bad kids by giving them coal.
My husband who is from Viernheim which is in Southern Germany is also familiar with Schwarze Peter. Indeed his duty is to punish naughty children. I did not know however, it's supposedly with coal. I suppose this harkens back to the revisionist chimney sweep idea?
Interesting... Like sweetsister said, VERY disturbing indeed (especially considering the outright racist connotations and painful memories associated with blackface here in the states) yet fascinating all the same.
An interesting article regarding Zwarte Piet I came across...
It has taken me years to come to terms with my feelings about the Dutch Christmas tradition of Zwarte Piet (Black Pete). I am an African-American living with my husband and 3-year-old son in the Netherlands, which is considered a liberal country as far as race is concerned. So imagine my shock when, during my first Christmas here, I was treated to the sight of a White man in blackface with shining beet-red lips accented by a dark purple line that made them appear round and thick. He wore make-up to give the appearance of bulging eyes and sported a huge jet-black curly Afro wig that had seen better days. And that's not all: He was intentionally acting like a buffoon, clowning around and giving candy to eager Dutch children while assuring them that "Sinterklaas" would be coming soon.
Sinterklaas is, of course, the Dutch version of the American Santa Claus. But instead of traveling with reindeer and elves, he has an advance team of befuddled Zwarte Piets who run around while awaiting the arrival of their fearless leader, the wise White man who always comes to save the day. The Moorish-descended Zwarte Piet carries a sack full of treats to give good children, but once the bag is empty he gathers up all the "bad" children and takes them to his homeland, Spain. All the good children remain to meet the saintly Sinterklaas, who is capable of granting their every wish.
Based on a centuries-old fable and staged for the first time in 1852, the Feast of Sinterklaas is held every December 5, kicking off the holiday season for thousands of families. But this annual pageant also introduces a troubling minstrel-show stereotype to young Dutch children, whose exposure to Blacks is often limited to the Zwarte Piet character. As a result, many can't tell the difference between a made-up Zwarte Piet and a person of African descent. Ask any Black person living in Holland if they have ever been mistaken for Zwarte Piet and they will invariably respond "Yes, but the child didn't mean any harm." That's probably true, but imagine the thoughts spinning in the heads of local children when they walk into a Black doctor's office. In my small village there is a doctor who comes from the former. Dutch colony of Surinam, and I know children give him the once-over: They believe that any Black person is a potential Zwarte Piet and expect us to act accordingly. Unfortunately, the story of Zwarte Piet has also taught them that Blacks do the legwork and are threatening, while Whites lead the main event and are godlike.
When these children grow up, such expectations persist because they mostly go unchallenged. In fact, Zwarte Piet grows in popularity each year. You can buy Zwarte Piet dolls, cassettes, books, CDs and wrapping paper. More Dutch children attend the Feast of Sinterklaas than celebrate the actual religious holiday of Christmas three weeks later. Even in Surinam, Zwarte Piet is alive and well, albeit with some alterations: Zwarte Piet can be played by anyone, White or Black, and Sinterklaas has a Black counterpart, de Goede Pa (the Good Father). But the traditional Sinterklaas character is always White.
This will be my fourth Christmas in Holland, and as the Zwarte Piet wigs are being pulled out of closets all over the country, I'm bracing myself for yet another assault of the Petes. But how do I help my son--who cries every time he sees one--understand that Zwarte Piet is not out to get him, that he has nothing to fear? On second thought, he has everything to fear because stereotypes can influence how he sees himself and how others see him.
When I've tried to talk to Dutch people about the implications of the Zwarte Piet character, they either look at me blankly or become angry. "Don't mess with our holiday rituals," the angry ones tell me. So I go to see Annie, a family friend from Surinam. I rant and rave, and she smiles gently and lets me blow off steam. And then in her soft, wise voice, she says, "Zwarte Piet is not you." She tells me to teach my son the truth about his history, and to nurture his self-esteem so that he'll find within himself the strength to overcome such stereotypes. I listen without saying a word, because I am not convinced.
I make my way home, thinking: Annie just doesn't understand the harm caused by stereotypes, the lives lost became of them. That's why in America, we got rid of those stereotypes in the sixties. Suddenly I realize that although some stereotypes have indeed been vanquished, others are stronger than ever, and some brand-new ones have cropped up as well. I see that I've spent so much energy fighting Zwarte Piet that I've had little left for more productive responses. Kwanzaa has come and gone three times without my lighting it single candle, and I've missed a valuable opportunity by not sharing this celebration with my new Dutch family.
As I vow to make this year different, I begin to accept the fact that stereotypes will be with us always. We must learn to look beyond them, for as Annie understands, the stereotype is not us but someone else's image of us. This knowledge can free us to get on with the business of being ourselves--and creating our own rituals.
Pamela Armstrong-de Vreeze is writing a book about her experiences as a Black mother in the Netherlands.
COPYRIGHT 1997 Essence Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
According to my mother, who grew up in Kikinda, Yugoslavia, and had German-speaking parents, there is an equivalent in some German cultures, called "Schwarze Peter" (Black Peter). His duty in the folklore was to punish the bad kids by giving them coal. I will see what I can find on the Dutch version. I do believe I saw something on it in a book I have at home.
Yes, just as I thought. "Schwarze Peter" is a negative figure for the most part and very sinister and offensive. By the way, the Yiddish word "schwarze" or "shvartze" is the functional equivalent of "N--GGER"!!
According to my mother, who grew up in Kikinda, Yugoslavia, and had German-speaking parents, there is an equivalent in some German cultures, called "Schwarze Peter" (Black Peter). His duty in the folklore was to punish the bad kids by giving them coal. I will see what I can find on the Dutch version. I do believe I saw something on it in a book I have at home.
Yes, just as I thought. "Schwarze Peter" is a negative figure for the most part and very sinister and offensive. By the way, the Yiddish word "schwarze" or "shvartze" is the functional equivalent of "N--GGER"!!
Is it the functional equivalent of n*gger in German or Yiddish culture or the functional equivalent of n*gger by immigrants and their progeny from those cultures who reside here in the U.S.? I'm asking because the connotation of the word might have changed once these people arrived in the U.S.
According to my mother, who grew up in Kikinda, Yugoslavia, and had German-speaking parents, there is an equivalent in some German cultures, called "Schwarze Peter" (Black Peter). His duty in the folklore was to punish the bad kids by giving them coal. I will see what I can find on the Dutch version. I do believe I saw something on it in a book I have at home.
Yes, just as I thought. "Schwarze Peter" is a negative figure for the most part and very sinister and offensive. By the way, the Yiddish word "schwarze" or "shvartze" is the functional equivalent of "N--GGER"!!
Is it the functional equivalent of n*gger in German or Yiddish culture or the functional equivalent of n*gger by immigrants and their progeny from those cultures who reside here in the U.S.? I'm asking because the connotation of the word might have changed once these people arrived in the U.S.
Let's see: the most I can tell you is that I first heard the word used in a perjorative way while having a conversation with a German Jewish Holocaust survivor (obviously not American-born, but a long-time resident & naturalized citizen of the United States). I then heard it years later during a conference and it was uttered by a Russian Jewish woman who was visiting the United States. So, is the word "the functional equivalent of n*gger in German or Yiddish culture or the functional equivalent of n*gger by immigrants and their progeny from those cultures who reside here in the U.S.?"? You be the judge. Perhaps it's BOTH.
Joined: 30 Mar 2005 {Posts: 1044 } Location: New Jersey
Posted: Tue 28 Mar 2006 20:35 Post subject:
Zsana wrote:
My husband who is from Viernheim which is in Southern Germany is also familiar with Schwarze Peter.
My ancestors, before they migrated to Hungary and Yugoslavia (still retaining their German identity and language) mostly came from Southern Germany (Black Forest, Swabia, Bavaria). Some came from Austria, and others from Alsace.
Zsana wrote:
Indeed his duty is to punish naughty children. I did not know however, it's supposedly with coal. I suppose this harkens back to the revisionist chimney sweep idea?
This is an interesting idea. I'll see if I can make a connection. Perhaps my mom knows.
Zsana wrote:
Interesting... Like sweetsister said, VERY disturbing indeed (especially considering the outright racist connotations and painful memories associated with blackface here in the states) yet fascinating all the same.
Yes, indeed.
Pamela Armstrong-de Vreese in Zsana's quoted article wrote:
As I vow to make this year different, I begin to accept the fact that stereotypes will be with us always. We must learn to look beyond them, for as Annie understands, the stereotype is not us but someone else's image of us. This knowledge can free us to get on with the business of being ourselves--and creating our own rituals.
Amen!
Interestingly, my mom told me of an old German card game called "Schwarze Peter" in which the loser gets smudged with black ink on his face. Whoever's face becomes completely black after a whole round of games is declared "Schwarze Peter" and loses. Again, very negative. I'd be interested in knowing if your husband is aware of this game.
Sweetsister wrote:
Yes, just as I thought. "Schwarze Peter" is a negative figure for the most part and very sinister and offensive. By the way, the Yiddish word "schwarze" or "shvartze" is the functional equivalent of "N--GGER"!!
Gordon wrote:
Is it the functional equivalent of n*gger in German or Yiddish culture or the functional equivalent of n*gger by immigrants and their progeny from those cultures who reside here in the U.S.? I'm asking because the connotation of the word might have changed once these people arrived in the U.S.
Yes, in Yiddish (which is heavily based on an older form of German), "Schwarze" is a pejorative. However, in standard German, which I can speak (although I can speak certain dialects better), it is not. Categorizing someone as a "Schwarze" in German, to my knowledge, is just saying that they're Black.
Interestingly, my mom told me of an old German card game called "Schwarze Peter" in which the loser gets smudged with black ink on his face. Whoever's face becomes completely black after a whole round of games is declared "Schwarze Peter" and loses. Again, very negative. I'd be interested in knowing if your husband is aware of this game.
I asked my husband about this game last night. He was aware of it, however the version he knows is purely a card game minus the face smudging. Indeed, it's very old. He said the object of the game is to pass on the card with the Black Peter on it. Whoever is holding it at the end of the game, is indeed the loser. I asked him what the Black Peter character looked like and he had to really think back. He remembers this card game from childhood, and believes he saw a chimney sweeper.
The game was created in 1812 by a thief named Johann Peter Petri who was called the Black Peter. He was from the Odenwald which is a vast forest region in Southern Germany. It's about an hour from my husbands hometown, and we love to go there when we can. Very lush, serene, and beautiful...
There is a German expression "to slip someone the Black Peter" which is in usuage to this day. It means to put the blame on someone else. Again, it all harkins backs to this shady dude...
More information can be found below... (The only information found on the web regarding the game and inventor is in Deutsch)
Printed in Germany. Traditional German card game known as "Schwarzer Peter" or Black Peter which is a similar game to Old Maid.
Obviously the character has gone through many physical changes over the years and there are probablly a variety of versions still out there. I'm sure my husband would have distinctly rememberd such an obviously racially stereotypical depiction.
Kinda sticks out in ones mind...
And isn't it interesting how the white Johann Peter Petri - who was probably labeled "black" because he commited a "dark deed" and/or perhaps had black hair and a swarthy complexion - has been transformed into either a black man or a white man with soot on his face (which I believe is meant to subliminally represent a black man) in the card game.
Notice both the white and black Peter are holding a staff. A racial transformation has clearly taken place.
Joined: 30 Mar 2005 {Posts: 1044 } Location: New Jersey
Posted: Wed 29 Mar 2006 18:38 Post subject:
Zsana wrote:
I asked my husband about this game last night. He was aware of it, however the version he knows is purely a card game minus the face smudging. Indeed, it's very old.
My mom said that my grandmother mentioned playing it without the face smudging, too.
Zsana wrote:
He said the object of the game is to pass on the card with the Black Peter on it. Whoever is holding it at the end of the game, is indeed the loser.
Yes, that is exactly how my mom described it. In the face-smudging version, the one holding the Black Peter card would get smudged. After a night of playing (often nonstop), the one with the most ink on their face lost the entire series. Good Grief!
Zsana wrote:
I asked him what the Black Peter character looked like and he had to really think back. He remembers this card game from childhood, and believes he saw a chimney sweeper.
That's exactly what my mom said when I asked her yesterday. It looks like we've indeed made the chimney sweeper connection to Schwarze Peter!
Zsana wrote:
The game was created in 1812 by a thief named Johann Peter Petri who was called the Black Peter. He was from the Odenwald which is a vast forest region in Southern Germany. It's about an hour from my husbands hometown, and we love to go there when we can. Very lush, serene, and beautiful...
I absolutely love that region! We visited there in 1984. Some of my ancestors came from that very region before the exodus to Hungary and Yugoslavia. Actually, I should say the exodus to Austrian Hapsburg lands, since in the the 1700's, both of these areas didn't exist as such, and were under the Austrian umbrella, and German-speakers were invited to settle in uninhabited areas. Some of them later moved to the cities.
A few of my relatives returned to southern Germany after they were expelled from their homes by the Soviets after 1945. I have a second cousin who has a house in the Odenwald region. She grew up in Ladenburg, a town with Roman ruins. Have you ever been there? When she got married, she moved to Brensbach.
Zsana wrote:
There is a German expression "to slip someone the Black Peter" which is in usuage to this day. It means to put the blame on someone else. Again, it all harkins backs to this shady dude...
I'll have to ask my mom if she knows that one. I personally haven't heard it.
Thanks for the links and great pics!
Zsana wrote:
I did find an antique dealer on the net selling an old children's version of the game. Notice the unmistakable Darkie figure...
Obviously the character has gone through many physical changes over the years and there are probablly a variety of versions still out there. I'm sure my husband would have distinctly rememberd such an obviously racially stereotypical depiction.
Kinda sticks out in ones mind...
Yeah, that would be kind of hard to forget. I can recall seeing a poster with a blackface character on it as a small child. It was disturbing to me, even though I was too young to really know why.
Incidentally, did you know there was a restaurant chain on the west coast called the "Coon Chicken Inn," where the doors of the restaurant were surrounded by (or at least near) the mouth and face of a stereotypical-type Black person, or perhaps a person in blackface? This blackface-looking character was also the restaurant's symbol. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this on the History Channel! Apparently, many white people of the day didn't view this as racist. The existence of such a place is truly unbelievable.
And isn't it interesting how the white Johann Peter Petri - who was probably labeled "black" because he commited a "dark deed" and/or perhaps had black hair and a swarthy complexion - has been transformed into either a black man or a white man with soot on his face (which I believe is meant to subliminally represent a black man) in the card game.
Yes, "black" and "dark" are all too often synonymous with "bad" or "evil." In this regard, I fully agree with Amoja Three Rivers, who says people should stop associating "dark" with "negative."
Zsana wrote:
Notice both the white and black Peter are holding a staff. A racial transformation has clearly taken place.
Joined: 05 Apr 2006 {Posts: 6 } Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Wed 05 Apr 2006 16:13 Post subject:
sweetsister wrote:
William wrote:
According to my mother, who grew up in Kikinda, Yugoslavia, and had German-speaking parents, there is an equivalent in some German cultures, called "Schwarze Peter" (Black Peter). His duty in the folklore was to punish the bad kids by giving them coal. I will see what I can find on the Dutch version. I do believe I saw something on it in a book I have at home.
Yes, just as I thought. "Schwarze Peter" is a negative figure for the most part and very sinister and offensive. By the way, the Yiddish word "schwarze" or "shvartze" is the functional equivalent of "N--GGER"!!
""Shvartze" is the neutral Yiddish term for "black", including the
person. There are other derogatory terms--some borrowed from English.
But there are Jews who can make "shvartze" offensive. However, even
though the meaning of the term isn't offensive, that doesn't mean that
the word hasn't acquired an offensive connotation over time. This is
the case with "shvartze". Historically, it was used in a nonneutral
way, regardless of its neutral meaning. In general, the term should be
avoided. Note that "shvartze" is also used to describe strict
observance. [From the black clothing often worn by the very
observance."
'
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