First, let
me tell you a little about me so that you know that I’m not just any Joe giving
an opinion. I am from Louisiana. I speak French. I’m from a heavily French
culture area. Where French speaking is still common today as opposed to New
Orleans. It’s a small town called “Ville Platte”. Yes, even the name
of the town is French. In fact, I am the first one in my family to speak English
as a first language. My family is ALL of French lineage from Louisiana and has
been here for over 300 years. Magazine and other reporters from France and the
US have come and interviewed my Grandfather. My Family on both my mothers and fathers
sides, all the way up are French. I can trace my family all the way back to
some of the earliest settlers in Louisiana. My last name is Soileau which is
among some of the oldest Surnames, even in France. My mother’s side is the
Billeaudeau’s and my fathers of course is the Soileau’s. Both names ending in
“eau” that denotes the 1000 year plus Surname. I have studied a bit
of French history and a great deal of Louisiana history/culture.

OK, all
that being said. Now, about Creoles. What hasn’t been mentioned is that there
were French people in Louisiana as early as 1609. “That’s before the Plymouth
Rock Pilgrims in the 1630’s” Since Louisiana and New Orleans with it “Vieux
Carre’” (French Quarter or square) was originally colonized by the French and
the first families were all French. Hence the name of the oldest part of the
city, the “Vieux Carre’”, by default the “original” Creoles would
have been French and French only people directly descended from France but born
in Louisiana. Even if the term may have not have yet been applied by proof in
any written account; I know passed down by generations through the families it
was verbally applied. We all know the term is now applied differently and has
even evolved its meaning over the years, but I’m speaking from the roots. Secondly
would have come the Spanish and Italians, then the African & Haitian slaves
in about 1730. So, from this, one can conclude that original Creoles were
French but few decades (almost a century) down the road their was some cultural
mixing and so the name “Creole” would subsequently be applied to a mixed
culture.

P.S.
Related to all this but is another discussion is Creole food, Cajun food, and Cajun
Culture. I have in depth knowledge of this as well for anyone that is interested.

First, let
me tell you a little about me so that you know that I’m not just any Joe giving
an opinion. I am from Louisiana. I speak French. I’m from a heavily French
culture area. Where French speaking is still common today as opposed to New
Orleans. It’s a small town called “Ville Platte”. Yes, even the name
of the town is French. In fact, I am the first one in my family to speak English
as a first language. My family is ALL of French lineage from Louisiana and has
been here for over 300 years. Magazine and other reporters from France and the
US have come and interviewed my Grandfather. My Family on both my mothers and fathers
sides, all the way up are French. I can trace my family all the way back to
some of the earliest settlers in Louisiana. My last name is Soileau which is
among some of the oldest Surnames, even in France. My mother’s side is the
Billeaudeau’s and my fathers of course is the Soileau’s. Both names ending in
“eau” that denotes the 1000 year plus Surname. I have studied a bit
of French history and a great deal of Louisiana history/culture.

OK, all
that being said. Now, about Creoles. What hasn’t been mentioned is that there
were French people in Louisiana as early as 1609. “That’s before the Plymouth
Rock Pilgrims in the 1630’s” Since Louisiana and New Orleans with it “Vieux
Carre’” (French Quarter or square) was originally colonized by the French and
the first families were all French. Hence the name of the oldest part of the
city, the “Vieux Carre’”, by default the “original” Creoles would
have been French and French only people directly descended from France but born
in Louisiana. Even if the term may have not have yet been applied by proof in
any written account; I know passed down by generations through the families it
was verbally applied. We all know the term is now applied differently and has
even evolved its meaning over the years, but I’m speaking from the roots. Secondly
would have come the Spanish and Italians, then the African & Haitian slaves
in about 1730. So, from this, one can conclude that original Creoles were
French but few decades (almost a century) down the road their was some cultural
mixing and so the name “Creole” would subsequently be applied to a mixed
culture.

P.S.
Related to all this but is another discussion is Creole food, Cajun food, and Cajun
Culture. I have in depth knowledge of this as well for anyone that is interested.

Ok, everyone
wants to talk about Creole huh? I agree with most of what has been said in the
post here. I agree that A Creole (now) is of mixed heritage or culture. But I
want to bring to light a piece of information that has not been mentioned in
this website or ANY website that I have found so far speaking about Creoles.

First, let
me tell you a little about me so that you know that I’m not just any Joe giving
an opinion. I am from Louisiana. I speak French. I’m from a heavily French
culture area. Where French speaking is still common today as opposed to New
Orleans. It’s a small town called “Ville Platte”. Yes, even the name
of the town is French. In fact, I am the first one in my family to speak English
as a first language. My family is ALL of French lineage from Louisiana and has
been here for over 300 years. Magazine and other reporters from France and the
US have come and interviewed my Grandfather. My Family on both my mothers and fathers
sides, all the way up are French. I can trace my family all the way back to
some of the earliest settlers in Louisiana. My last name is Soileau which is
among some of the oldest Surnames, even in France. My mother’s side is the
Billeaudeau’s and my fathers of course is the Soileau’s. Both names ending in
“eau” that denotes the 1000 year plus Surname. I have studied a bit
of French history and a great deal of Louisiana history/culture.

OK, all
that being said. Now, about Creoles. What hasn’t been mentioned is that there
were French people in Louisiana as early as 1609. “That’s before the Plymouth
Rock Pilgrims in the 1630’s” Since Louisiana and New Orleans with it “Vieux
Carre’” (French Quarter or square) was originally colonized by the French and
the first families were all French. Hence the name of the oldest part of the
city, the “Vieux Carre’”, by default the “original” Creoles would
have been French and French only people directly descended from France but born
in Louisiana. Even if the term may have not have yet been applied by proof in
any written account; I know passed down by generations through the families it
was verbally applied. We all know the term is now applied differently and has
even evolved its meaning over the years, but I’m speaking from the roots. Secondly
would have come the Spanish and Italians, then the African & Haitian slaves
in about 1730. So, from this, one can conclude that original Creoles were
French but few decades (almost a century) down the road their was some cultural
mixing and so the name “Creole” would subsequently be applied to a mixed
culture.

P.S.
Related to all this but is another discussion is Creole food, Cajun food, and Cajun
Culture. I have in depth knowledge of this as well for anyone that is interested.

Many creoles of color are from Red River area of Louisiana, descendants of Louis Metoyer, born of a wealthy white father with great influence and an African mother.

Enclaves of race sensitive creoles of color are found in Frilot Cove, Louisiana near Opelousas, and Lucy, Louisiana across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. These race sensitive enclaves had exclusive restrictions relegated to persons able to “pasa blanc,” pass for whites.

Now some creoles are striving for special designations as “Creoles” in the United States Census. Most efforts have been denied.

The European Colonizers adopted this word to also include their first born off springs as well…For More than 300 years this word has been abused by every tom Dick and Harry that thought it convenient to be called so..How Can You People define a Culture that Predates America and existed long before America…Creole is Our language and Language defines Culture ..Haitians Are Creoles and Louisiana Creoles whether they are White or Black are Creoles along with Our Caribbean and Indian Ocean Cousins and those first Born in their Colonies..Here We are talking about the Louisiana Creoles not anybody else ..

The original White Creoles disavowed this name , they adopted ,as it inferred Black Ancestry..Let’s get it straight and stop this nonsense about using this word so loosely..We do exist and not everyone that say’s He’s Creole is Creole..You all need to read up a bit more on the subject and stop reading what non Creole People suppose ..It’s like a Black Person trying to define what an Asian is

But yes, the contemporary usage has shifted. Ethnically, as you say, it now refers primarily to black creoles. (Black creoles are still a significant ethnic/class group in New Orleans, playing a prominent role in local politics and business. White creoles have, to a large degree, assimilated into mainstream local white culture and don’t retain such an obviously distinct identity.) And of course, as you say, in various contexts it just means anything New Orleans-ish or South Louisiana-ish.

Note following up on Walter’s comment regarding Creole vs. Cajun cooking: Indeed, the cuisines and the cultures are certainly distinct. And yes, Creole cuisine has Spanish influences that Cajun lacks, though they are both deeply rooted in French cuisine (and both make extensive use or rouxs). More fundamentally, they’re two very distinct populations, Creoles residing primarily in the city of New Orleans and again descended from its orignal French, Spanish, African, etc. settlers dating back to the early 18th century. The Cajuns are descended from French speaking Acadian exiles who came down from Canada and present day Maine and settled in rural South Louisiana later in the 18th century. Though there are some shared roots (and in in subsequent centuries, there’s been plenty of cross-pollination), their cuisines and cultures reflect their distinct histories and locales.

I grew up using many racial slurs and it seems pikinini/pikanini was one of them. I do know that that word features in Fanagalo, a mining pidgin language.

And then I asked an Afrikaner friend about it and he confirmed that pikinin/pikanin = little black boy. But he and I have also heard the term applied to white children. So I’m confused. Especially when I see images such as this.