What's the significance of a rooster "coq" in Haiti. Does it have any religious or historical significances?

I'm asking because I think in the 50s - 60s the Duvaliers put a rooster on the flag and on the flag pole. Then in the 1990s, Lavalas, I think used it briefly as their icon.

I'm asking because a student of mine wrote a story about lions in China and symbolic animals of Haiti came up. Please help.

Ti-Joe Gro Nen - 14 May 2008 07:00 PM

What's the significance of a rooster "coq" in Haiti. Does it have any religious or historical significances?

I'm asking because I think in the 50s - 60s the Duvaliers put a rooster on the flag and on the flag pole. Then in the 1990s, Lavalas, I think used it briefly as their icon.

I'm asking because a student of mine wrote a story about lions in China and symbolic animals of Haiti came up. Please help.

Look at this
http://www.grassrootshaiti.org/Analysis/wuckerbookreview.htm

Also a friend of mine side the "cop" mean being the biggest and baddest or the bully. In other words top dog

Ti-Joe Gro Nen - 14 May 2008 07:00 PM

What's the significance of a rooster "coq" in Haiti. Does it have any religious or historical significances?

I'm asking because I think in the 50s - 60s the Duvaliers put a rooster on the flag and on the flag pole. Then in the 1990s, Lavalas, I think used it briefly as their icon.

I'm asking because a student of mine wrote a story about lions in China and symbolic animals of Haiti came up. Please help.

Ti-Joe, I think Duvalier's bird was the "pintade". It was Aristide (actually the FNCD) who came first with the "coq" in 1990.
Roosters are used very often in "vodou" as sacrificial animals. I think MamboRacine could say more about that.

Thanks for the info Haitian101.

Oh and your right. My mom did say it was a "pintad" but for whatever reason, I called it a rooster. LOL

I would appreciate more information if anyone else can help out.

The various significances of roosters in Haitian culture and in Vodou specifically would take about twenty pages! Aristide's bird was a specific type of rooster, a "kok kalite", meaning a rooster of some specific type or breeding, in this case a fighting rooster.

Female chickens also have significance, remember this song?

Ezile fanm Ti Jean prete m poule, poul nwa la,
Pou m fe maji a mache...

Different lwa, different colors. Different social symbols, different folklore and jokes, different chickens. There's lots of examples.

Peace and love,

Mambo Racine

In my research, I found some info about the gallic rooster. Is there any link between the Haitian and French Rooster? See below.

http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/en/acteurs/symbols_of_the_republic_185/the_gallic_rooster_50226.html

http://www.haitiantreasures.com/index.htm