Louisiana Creole refers to native born
people of various racial descent who are descended from the Colonial French and/or Spanish settlers of Colonial French Louisiana, before it became part of the United States in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase with claim to the Creole culture and Creole cuisine. The commonly accepted
definition today is for the community whose members are a mixture of mainly French, Spanish, African, and Native-
American heritage. Some
may not have each ethnic heritage, and some
may have additional ancestries. Contrary to popular belief, a Creole does not exclusively pertain to a person of African and European: French or Spanish descent.
Historically, Creole was used in early generations to refer to colonists of French descent who had been born in Louisiana and were thus native to the territory, compared to new immigrants. It then meant exclusively
people of European descent. It also was used for black slaves who were born in Louisiana as opposed to those born in West Africa and transported from there. French Creole became the term for those of exclusively French descent after there grew a Creole population of mixed ancestry. Many multiracial Creoles of French descent also call themselves French Creole.
People of relatively pure African-
American, French or Spanish descent who have family roots in Louisiana and were raised under the Creole culture also have called themselves Creole. Today Louisiana Creole has come to mean those
people of mixed ancestry.
