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January 2013 Research Report #119 Racial and Ethnic Groups in the Gulf of Mexico Region Introduction ways, commitment to Catholicism small in number, Croatians have had As part of a larger project that and the culture of revelry. considerable influence in the south- examines demographic and com- eastern United States, particularly These eight groups emerged as in the economic life of southern munity-level changes in the Gulf of significant through the existing 1 Louisiana. Commonly known as Mexico region , we reviewed racial literature that details their unique and ethnicity literature for eight key having transformed and substantial- influences in building the culture, ly grown the oyster industry, Croa- groups with significant influence economic stability and political in part, or all, of the region. The tians also have a complex history climate in the region, as well as and culture that has been examined Gulf of MexicoCroatians region is incredibly their ties to the oil and gas industry diverse, with more than 13.5 million extensively by scholars in a variety operating in the Gulf of Mexico. of fields2. residents who trace their origins to For each group, we have focused our scores of places in Europe, Africa, review on common elements such Asia and Latin America (see Table 1). as the culture, history, immigra- tion, ties to the oil and gas industry Of these various groups, we have 1 For the purposes of this project, the Gulf of Mexico region focused our reviews on eight specific and the economic standing of each refers to the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi racial, ethnic and ancestry groups: group. In addition to these com- and Texas. These states were chosen because they have par- mon elements, we examined other ishes/counties within the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Ocean African Americans, Cajuns, Creoles, and Energy Management and they border the Gulf of Mexico. Croatians, Latinos, Native Ameri- prominent themes that emerged 2 cans, Vietnamese and Other Asians for particular groups. For instance, Although many scholars have examined the experiences of early Croatian immigrants, less has been written about (not Vietnamese). Although some the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the Vietnamese fishermen living in the more recent experiences of Croatian-Americans living of these groups may be small in in the region. This study is meant to summarize the existing number, their effects on the region southern Louisiana was widely dis- literature and give readers a better understanding of the his- torical roots that Croatians have in the southeastern United have been substantial (see Table 2). cussed by scholars and thus became a prominent discussion in our review States. With the gap in the existing literature, it should be For instance, although only about understood that Croatians living in the Gulf of Mexico region 7.8 percent of the residents in the of the literature on Vietnamese liv- are dynamic and have made many lifestyle changes in the ing in the region. past 50 years, especially after Hurricane Katrina devastated region identify as Cajun/French, this much of their livelihood. group has had significant effects on Below you will find the fifth in a shaping the cultural and economic series of reviews. This review dis- climate of the region through the cusses the experiences of Croatians tradition of Mardi Gras, ethnic food in the region. although relatively Table 1. Diversity in the Gulf of Mexico Region Table 2. Groups of Interest in the Gulf of Mexico Region Percentage Percentage Racial/Ancestry Group of Total Number Ancestry Category of Total Number Population Population African American 19.14% 2,568,703 British 15.36% 2,147,789 Cajun 7.81% 1,092,377 French 7.81% 1,092,377 Croatian 0.05% 6,422 German 8.71% 1,218,236 Latino 29.72% 3,988,491 Middle Eastern 0.49% 68,544 Native American 0.64% 85,455 Northern/Eastern European 5.24% 733,424 Other Asian 2.95% 396,007 Southern European 3.09% 432,724 Vietnamese 1.15% 154,669 Subsaharan African/West Indian 1.22% 170,670 White 63.72% 8,912,239 Total Population: 13,985,914 Data from ACS 5-Year Estimates and 2010 Decennial Census. Numbers do not add Data from ACS 5-Year Estimates. to 100 percent because individuals can indicate more than one race, ethnicity or ancestry group. “Other Asian” refers to Asian groups other than Vietnamese. 1 LSU AgCenter Research Report #116 Racial and Ethnic Groups in the Gulf of Mexico Region: Croatians Introduction & Terminology the Croatians living in the Gulf of large number of people. The earli- Mexico region, the term Dalmatian est mass migration began in 1715 For our purposes, the term Croa- often has been used, since many of as some 1,200 Croatian and Slove- tian refers to any immigrants who the early Croatian settlers in New nian Protestants arrived in Georgia self-identify as Croatian that are Orleans were from the Dalmatian seeking freedom of worship (Prpic from a variety of nations (Prpic coast (Vujnovich 1974). Thus, the 1971). This mass migration has no 1971, Kraljuc 1978). Many scholars people once known as Slavonians credible documentation, however, al- consider Croatians to be a “race;” or Yugoslavs now are commonly though it is widely discussed among but Croatians themselves rarely use known as Croatians (Ware 1996). In American writers. this term and more often refer to contrast, Dalmatian is used to refer themselves as a people, a national- to a specific group of Croatians from Despite the presence of Croatians ity or a nation. Most often they the region of Dalmatia. For the throughout the United States, their refer to themselves as an ethnic purposes of this paper, the terms presence in Louisiana remains par- group (Prpic 1971). In addition to Yugoslavian, Slavonian and Croa- ticularly notable due to their long the various countries of origin and tian are used interchangeably. history in the region and consider- the reference to the group as both a able influence on the economy and race and an ethnicity, there also has Origins, History and Migration culture of south Louisiana (see been a variety of terms that refer Legend places the earliest Croa- map). With Louisiana becoming to the group that we now know as tian immigrants in the United an official U.S. territory in 1803, Croatians. States during the 1500s. This story contact with Europe increased, and boats began arriving more frequent- During their early immigration in originated because there were sev- ly from France, Spain, Austria- the 19th century, this group often eral Dalmatian ships that sailed Hungary and Italy to the port in referred to themselves as “Slavo- toward America and never returned. New Orleans (Lovrich 1967). The nian.” This was a purposeful label Some believe the ships sank off the first South Slavs to come to Louisi- meant to encompass all South coast of North Carolina, leaving ana were Dalmatian sailors primar- Slavs (Lovrich 1967, Vujnovich those on board to intermingle with ily from Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik was 1974). At the time, the idea of a the Native Americans residing in a maritime republic that depended unified Yugoslavia was developing, the region (Prpic 1971). The only on the sea and maritime trade for so Croatian seemed too narrow a evidence to support this legend, economic stability, resulting in the term and Austrian was abhorrent, however, is a tree discovered in 1590 development of a large and effective leaving Slav as the preferable term with the word “Croatoan” carved maritime industry and workforce. (Prpic 1971). Onian was added to it into it, eerily similar to “Croata” During the 1820s and 1830s, how- and meant to encompass all South (Prpic 1971). Despite this specula- ever, with an oppressive Austrian Slavs. In general, Slavs are broken tion, the legend has been largely government, many of the sailors into three groups: the eastern Slavs refuted and is no longer accepted as saw the maritime trade and their (Russians, Ukrainians and Bjelo- credible among scholars. travel to ports such as New Orleans russians), the western Slavs (Poles, The earliest documentation of as a means to move on and start a Czechs and Slovaks) and the south- Croatian immigration to the United better life in America (Vujnovich ern Slavs (Serbs, Croats, Slovenes States is found in the early 18th cen- 1974). New Orleans was particularly and Bulgarians) (Vujnovich 1974). tury records of Dubrovnik, a city on appealing to Croatian immigrants The southern Slavs are those we’ve the coast of present day Croatia in for its mild climate and flourishing come to know as “Croatians” in the region of Dalmatia, suggesting work on the ships coming in and out America. As a result of this early the Dalmatians were the first Croa- of the port (Prpic 1971, Vujnov- terminology, many Croatians still tians to arrive in the United States ich 1974). Many of the new trade refer to themselves as Slavonian (Prpic 1971, Shapiro 1989). Al- ships coming into New Orleans were even though there is neither a geo- though Croatians eventually settled manned by Dalmatian seamen, and graphical entity nor nationality that across much of the United States, by 1820, when ships would dock in corresponds to the term (Lovrich common early destinations included the New Orleans port, it was not 1967). Similarly, many early schol- Cuba, San Domingo, Philadelphia, uncommon for the maritime workers ars writing about Croatians referred New York and California (Roucek to fail to return to their ships – de- to the group as Yugoslavians since 1935, Prpic 1971). These instances ciding instead to settle permanently in 1918 Yugoslavia became an of- of the earliest documented immigra- in New Orleans (Kane 1944, Lovrich ficial country, uniting Serbs, Croats tion from Dubrovnik typically were 1967, Prpic 1971).

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