Travels in Louisiana
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2004 Travels in Louisiana: journeys into ethnicity and heritage by two Hispanic groups Dominica Dominguez Ramirez Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Ramirez, Dominica Dominguez, "Travels in Louisiana: journeys into ethnicity and heritage by two Hispanic groups" (2004). LSU Master's Theses. 1799. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/1799 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TRAVELS IN LOUISIANA: JOURNEYS INTO ETHNICITY AND HERITAGE BY TWO HISPANIC GROUPS A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts In The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Dominica Dominguez Ramirez B.A., Louisiana State University, 2000 May, 2004 “As we ourselves are telling others about our experience, we sometimes realize, even as we speak, that our account does not fully encompass all that we thought and felt during that experience” (Bruner 1990: 7) ii Para Marcionila y Julia López López, dos robles en el bosque de mi vida. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Heartfelt and endless thanks to Miles Richardson, who is absolutely the coolest guy out there. I will treasure all the years you have worked with me and will always value your teachings. To Jill Brody and Kent Mathewson, I also want you both to know how much I have appreciated your feedback and comments. I have had wonderful courses with the both of you. Much of my research for this thesis was funded by the West Grant and I am grateful for the help it gave me. I wish to thank all the individuals in Zwolle, Robeline, and the Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana that sat down with me to share their thoughts. I would especially like to thank those members of the Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana that made me feel part of their family. To my own family, my parents and my sister, gracias por todo. Somos pocos, pero siempre estaremos juntos. To Mary and Jen, I miss the Agnes Morris House and I want to say that my time there was an amazing experience. Jen, here’s to daily revolutions. I also want to thank several of my friends. Steve and Jolie, thank you for being there and for being such fun co-workers, roommates, and buddies. Corey, a part- time renegade, thanks for being my partner in crime. Angela, you’ve always been there for me and you always find a way to make me laugh. Never last and never least, Dorrell. Gracias por todos nuestros viajes y aventuras. A dónde iremos mañana? iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………..................iv LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………....................vi ABSTRACT…..........………………………………………………………...................viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION: OF MAPS, MEMORY, AND MOVEMENT..............1 1.1 The State(s) we Live in …………………………………………………...1 1.2 Travel Stories ……………………………………………………………..8 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………...11 2.1 Faces of Ethnicity: From the Melting Pot into the Frying Pan………….11 2.2 Displaying Ethnicity and Heritage……………………………………….16 2.3 I Once was Cajun, but Now I’m Hispanic: Ethnic Identity Shifting and Name-Calling………………………………………………………..22 CHAPTER 3. ZWOLLE…………………………………………………………………27 3.1 Land of the Mission and the Tamales……………………………………27 3.2 Here Come the Anthros: Native Americans and Zwolle………………...35 3.3 All in the Family: Thoughts Across Generations………………………..42 3.4 Super Saturday…………………………………………………………...49 3.5 Conclusion……………………………………………………………….66 CHAPTER 4. CANARY ISLANDERS HERITAGE SOCIETY OF LOUISIANA ……69 4.1 From the Islands to the Brules to Baton Rouge…………................…….69 4.2 The Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana……….............……75 4.3 Heritage Festivals that Were and the One that Was Not..……............…..81 4.4 Conclusion……………………………………………....……............….90 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION: TRAVEL LOG…………………………….………….95 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………101 VITA……………………………………………………………………………………111 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Map from Armistead 1992...........................................................................3 Figure 2.1 Pin from the Tamale Fiesta in Zwolle, Louisiana......................................18 Figure 2.2 Display of Canary Islander heritage at The Historic Donaldsonville Museum......................................................................................................20 Figure 3.1 Region of Texas and Louisiana from 1700-1800.......................................29 Figure 3.2 Map of El Camino Real.............................................................................30 . Figure 3.3 Map showing Robeline and Zwolle...........................................................31 Figure 3.4 Zwolle Train Depot....................................................................................32 Figure 3.5 Sign on Highway 6 near Robeline.............................................................34 Figure 3.6 Louisiana Native American license plate..................................................37 Figure 3.7 Railroad tracks in Zwolle...........................................................................39 Figure 3.8 The Zwolle Tamale Inc. Store...................................................................45 Figure 3.9 Banner from Lady of Pilar Program at Los Adaes.....................................53 Figure 3.10 Another banner from Lady of Pilar Program—Spanish Flag.....................54 Figure 3.11 Sign for Zwolle Tamale Fiesta...................................................................55 Figure 3.12 Ferris wheel and lumber at Tamale Festival..............................................56 Figure 3.13 Front of pamphlet for Tamale Fiesta.........................................................56 Figure 3.14 First Tamale Fiesta poster..........................................................................57 Figure 3.15 Poster for 1986...........................................................................................58 Figure 3.16 Poster for 1987...........................................................................................58 Figure 3.17 Poster for 1988...........................................................................................59 Figure 3.18 Poster for 1990...........................................................................................59 Figure 3.19 Poster for 1993…………………………………………………….……..60 vi Figure 3.20 Poster for 1996………………………………………….………………..61 Figure 3.21 Poster for 1998…………………………………………….……………..61 Figure 3.22 Poster for 1999…………………………………………….……………..62 . Figure 3.23 Poster for 2000…………………………………………….……………..63 Figure 3.24 Poster for 2001………………………………………….………………..63 Figure 3.25 Poster for 2002……………………………………………….…………..65 Figure 4.1 Map showing the Canary Islands……………………………….………..69 Figure 4.2 The Canary Islands…………………………………………….…………70 Figure 4.3 Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana logo…………………....75 Figure 4.4 Sample newsletter for the Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana....................................................................................................77 Figure 4.5 Front of card for members of the Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana…………………………………………………………………77 Figure 4.6 Back of card……………………………………………………………...78 Figure 4.7 Photo from the Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana 2002 Christmas party…………………………………….…………………….79 Figure 4.8 Historic Donaldsonville Museum………………………………………..81 Figure 4.9 Mural of photos for Isleño Festival………………………………………83 Figure 4.10 Society member talking to children at festival…………………………..85 Figure 4.11 Display at Isleño Festival………………………………………………...86 Figure 4.12 Society member and with St. Bernard Isleño descendent and boy at Festival…………………………………………………………………...87 Figure 4.13 Canary Islander marker in Donaldsonville cemetery……….……………88 Table 5.1 Comparison chart of the two Hispanic communities………….…………96 vii ABSTRACT This thesis addresses how the notions of ethnicity and heritage are experienced, negotiated, and displayed by two Hispanic groups in Louisiana. Hispanic identity is a nebulous term anywhere and Louisiana is no exception. In this investigation the two groups- a heritage foundation of descendants of Canary Islanders and descendants of the of the Los Adaes communities- both profess Hispanic heritage, display it, and promote this heritage in divergent ways, with significant differences in the meaning of their heritages. Differences between groups are also reflected in the historical spatial representations of the two groups, with Isleños connecting with a far- away but set of islands which they visit, and the Los Adaes peoples connecting with a long gone Spanish mission and fort that can only be reached through historical recreation and storytelling. Conceptions of ethnicity can remain powerful even while the common understanding of the meaning of “Spanish” is vaguely conceived. These two groups expressing an historic Louisiana Spanish heritage are, in fact, exceedingly dissimilar. viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION: