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The Isleños of Louisiana are an ethnic group living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting in people of basically Canarian Spanish descent. Most of its members are descendants of settlers from the Canary Islands who settled in Spanish Louisiana during the 18th century, between 1778 and 1783. The term can also informally be applied to anyone of Canarian descent or to a Canarian immigrant living in Louisiana. This term is to be distinguished from the term "Isleños", which refers to people of Canarian descent now living in any country of the Americas. The Isleños in Louisiana make up several communities formed by thousands of people. These communities constitute a distinct group within the American population, having preserved the culture of their ancestors to the present date. There are four Isleño communities in Louisiana: one in Saint Bernard Parish, one in Valenzuela, and two others in Galveztown. However, each community speaks a different language: English in Saint Bernard (although some them also speak Spanish), French in Valenzuela, and Nahuatl in Galveztown. Furthermore, some members of the Isleño communities of Saint Bernard and Galveztown have not only managed to preserve their culture (as have the Isleños of San Antonio, Texas), but had also retained until recently the Spanish Canarian dialect used in the 18th century. The success of the Isleños in Louisiana and Texas in preserving their culture has led some historians and anthropologists, such as Jose Manuel Balbuena Castellano, to consider the Isleño American community a national heritage of both of the United States and the Canary Islands. == General history (1778 -1814) == Until the 1870s, international wine export was very important for the Canaries; however, due to a commercial crisis there was an increase of poverty. Most of the affected people were farmers and laborers who had lost their jobs and whose only sustenance was in marginal activities like selling coal, mining, begging, etc. Lack of resources and a policy of inadequate land distribution led to popular uprisings. In addition, the mobilization of the army for service in Europe and America impinged negatively on the islands. Army troops from Louisiana recruited soldiers in the Canary islands, offering them, in this situation, an opportunity to seek their fortune in other lands, which explains the high number of families that left for that destination. It was the Spanish military leader Bernardo de Gálvez who recruited the Canarians who would be directed to Louisiana.〔Santana Pérez, Juan Manuel; Sánchez Suárez, José Antonio. Emigración por Reclutamientos canarios en Luisiana (Emigration by Canarian recruitments in Louisiana). Servicio de Publicaciones, 1992. Page 133〕 In 1778, a boat left the Canary Islands for Louisiana with more than 4,000 people on board. However, during the journey, the ship made stops in Venezuela and Havana, Cuba, where half the people disembarked (300 established themselves in Venezuela). In the end, between 2,100〔G. Armistead, Samuel. La Tradición Hispano - Canaria en Luisiana (Hispanic Tradition - Canary in Louisiana). Pages 26 (Prologue of the Spanish edition), 51 - 61 (History and languages) and 65 - 165 (Culture). Anrart Ediciones. Ed: First Edition, March 2007.〕 and 2,736〔 people arrived in Louisiana and settled near New Orleans in what are today St. Bernard Parish and Barataria. However, many of the settlers were relocated in Louisiana for different reasons: Barataria suffered two hurricanes in 1779 and in 1780, so it was abandoned and its population was distributed in other areas of Louisiana (although some of its settlers migrated to West Florida).〔Hernández González, Manuel. La emigración canaria a América (Canarian Emigration to the Americas). Page 51. First Edition January, 2007.〕 and in 1782, a splinter group of the Canarian settlers of Saint Bernard emigrated to Valenzuela and intermarried with Cajuns already living there. Later, in 1790 another group of settlers of Canarian and Mexican origin from Galveston, Texas settled in Galveztown, Louisiana, escaping of the fast floods and prolonged droughts of this area. In 1782, during the American Revolution, Bernardo de Gálvez recruited Isleños from the three Canarian settlements of Louisiana and Galveztown to join the revolution. They participated in the three major military campaigns: (Baton Rouge, Mobile and Pensacola), that expelled the British from the Gulf Coast. In September 1814, the Isleños heard of a possible British invasion, leading them to organize three companies of a regiment, and on December 16, 1814, they fought against the British in one of the battles of the War of 1812 (which actually was fought 1812–15). Since then, different Isleño communities have had separate histories.〔(St. Bernard Isleños. LOUISIANA'S SPANISH TREASURE: Los Islenos ). Retrieved December 22, 2011, to 19:28 pm.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Isleños in Louisiana」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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