Where did the word Creole come from?

“Creole” is a famously complex word whose meaning varies along the lines of time, place, context, and audience. It derives from criollo, a variation of the Spanish verb criar, meaning to raise, or bring up. The term originally referred to the New World-born offspring of Old World-born parents.

Did the Creoles work on plantations?

The family did most of their entertaining at their home in New Orleans during the social season (January to March) where furnishings were more elaborate. Unlike their Anglo neighbors, Creoles had a long tradition of women managing plantations, and Laura Plantation was run by a series of strong-willed matriarchs.

Where did Creole people migrate to?

Indeed, more than half of the refugee population of Saint-Domingue settled in Louisiana, and the majority remained in New Orleans where they left strong influences on the city and its culture. Later 19th-century immigrants to New Orleans, such as Irish, Germans and Italians, also married into the Creole group.

Are Creoles white or black?

Today, common understanding holds that Cajuns are white and Creoles are Black or mixed race; Creoles are from New Orleans, while Cajuns populate the rural parts of South Louisiana. In fact, the two cultures are far more related—historically, geographically, and genealogically—than most people realize.

What heritage is Creole?

In present Louisiana, Creole generally means a person or people of mixed colonial French, African American and Native American ancestry. The term Black Creole refers to freed slaves from Haiti and their descendants.

What are the Creoles known for?

Today, as in the past, Creole transcends racial boundaries. It connects people to their colonial roots, be they descendants of European settlers, enslaved Africans, or those of mixed heritage, which may include African, French, Spanish, and American Indian influences.

What did the Creoles do?

The Creoles led the revolutions that effected the expulsion of the colonial regime from Spanish America in the early 19th century. After independence in Mexico, Peru, and elsewhere, Creoles entered the ruling class.