Friday, May 24, 2013
Copyright and Disclaimer
Since beginning this journey of discovery for my personal family history I have always felt it was important to share as much information with not only my family but to anyone of Cape Verdean descent and non- Cape Verdeans, alike. I feel that our history is so intertwined with the general history of so many people's that we can all learn from what happened on this tiny arquipelago off the coast of Senegal.
That being said, I have spent a lot of my own time, money and resources researching and combing through thousands of documents and additional hours putting all the pieces together. I really feel it is only right that I ask for a bit of recognition when someone decides to use any work that I have researched and produced material for. I have no issues at all with my research being included in anyone's work provided that they at least seek appropriate permissions - and at least a phone call - I'd even settle for an email.
So...© Anna M. Lima Delgado and The Creola Genealogist, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Anna M. Delgado and The Creola Genealogist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The views expressed on this blog belong solely to me, Anna M. Delgado, The Creola Genealogist, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of my spouse, parents, step-parents, grandparents, step-grand-parents, great-grandparents or any of their ancesters directly or indirectly by birth or by marriage, dead or alive, siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings - known or otherwise, cousins - first, second, third, fourth, etc by birth or by marriage and in any combination or their direct and indirect descendants and ancestors, my children, step children, future children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and any of their descendants by birth or by marriage, legal or common-law, my in-laws and their ancestors and descendants, direct and indirect, by birth or by marriage, dead or alive, or of Cape Verdeans, in general.
Except when directly expressed, images contained in the blog belong to the owner and this blog and may not be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the owner, Anna M. Delgado, The Creola Genealogist, especially since they came straight from my own photo albums or those of my personal family members. The contents of this blog are not meant to malign any religion, club, organization, company, or individual, or anyone or thing, any ethnic group, especially those among the pluthera of groups who, at one time or another, contributed to what is now known as "Cabo Verdeanidade" and making me who I am today :)
For anyone who has already used any portion of this blog or research, I am humbled that you have thought my work worthy enough to include in your endeavors but it would still be nice to get my permissions and, in the very least, say "Hi".
That being said, I have spent a lot of my own time, money and resources researching and combing through thousands of documents and additional hours putting all the pieces together. I really feel it is only right that I ask for a bit of recognition when someone decides to use any work that I have researched and produced material for. I have no issues at all with my research being included in anyone's work provided that they at least seek appropriate permissions - and at least a phone call - I'd even settle for an email.
So...© Anna M. Lima Delgado and The Creola Genealogist, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Anna M. Delgado and The Creola Genealogist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The views expressed on this blog belong solely to me, Anna M. Delgado, The Creola Genealogist, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of my spouse, parents, step-parents, grandparents, step-grand-parents, great-grandparents or any of their ancesters directly or indirectly by birth or by marriage, dead or alive, siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings - known or otherwise, cousins - first, second, third, fourth, etc by birth or by marriage and in any combination or their direct and indirect descendants and ancestors, my children, step children, future children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and any of their descendants by birth or by marriage, legal or common-law, my in-laws and their ancestors and descendants, direct and indirect, by birth or by marriage, dead or alive, or of Cape Verdeans, in general.
Except when directly expressed, images contained in the blog belong to the owner and this blog and may not be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the owner, Anna M. Delgado, The Creola Genealogist, especially since they came straight from my own photo albums or those of my personal family members. The contents of this blog are not meant to malign any religion, club, organization, company, or individual, or anyone or thing, any ethnic group, especially those among the pluthera of groups who, at one time or another, contributed to what is now known as "Cabo Verdeanidade" and making me who I am today :)
For anyone who has already used any portion of this blog or research, I am humbled that you have thought my work worthy enough to include in your endeavors but it would still be nice to get my permissions and, in the very least, say "Hi".
Monday, April 1, 2013
The question of slavery in Cape Verde
During my presentation at the Cape Verdean Progressive Center in East Providence two weeks ago, someone asked the question regarding slavery and the status of children born to people who were enslaved. At the time, I responded that from what I could tell from the records I've researched, only the mother was identified as a slave. For example, a child "Jose" was born to "Libania", the slave of Joao das Armas. The child was only identified as being the "natural" or illegitimate child of the enslaved woman who was usually only identified by her first name.
With this question in mind, I went over some of these records again and found a few very interesting things. The baptism of an enslaved person, whether adult or child, always identified the person as a slave or "escravo". The parents were usually unknown and some noted the place of birth as "Guinea" while others identified them as being naturals of the island.
There are also "justification" records, or records justifying the baptism of someone that was done at a prior time for which a record may not exist or may have been destroyed. Onerecord, in particular, from 1829, identified the person baptised by both her first and last name who was baptised about 34 years prior. She was the "natural" child of an enslaved woman and the record also included the name of her mother's owner. This woman's last name wasn't her enslaved mother's owner's name. It is unclear if her last name came from her mother, as she was only listed by first name, or possibly by an unidentified father. What the record doesn't do is identify her as a slave. Slavery existed well into the 1870's. So if this woman was a slave she would have surely been identified as such.
One very interesting record exists, also in 1829, for a child born legitimately to a man and his wife, who was enslaved, herself. This record even lists her "owner". Here is a legitimate child born to a man and an enslaved woman and the child is not identified as a slave. I should add that there are records of enslaved people marrying within the catholic church to non-enslaved people. This may not have been uncommon.
So - did children inherit their status from enslaved parents or were they free at birth?
I haven't found any actual rules or laws pertaining this very question but we do know that children born to enslaved women and white, Portuguese men were recognized by their fathers and could even inherit from them. They may have also carried their father's names, as well. We know that in some situations, enslaved people were usually freed upon the deatho f their "owners" which would mean that there were free Africans from very early on in Cape Verde's history.
Another very interesting fact is that in the late 1700's, Portugal enacted a law which stated that any African slave brought within Portugal's borders were to freed after six months. I haven't found anything that showed this law was rescinded. Did this law also apply to Cape Verde? I would think that it would since it was still a Portuguese colony and its people were considered its subjects.
Another point worth researching is on the exact nature of slavery within Cape Verde. It's no secret that Cape Verde was once the hub of the slave trade. Slave traders from the America's would travel to the islands and purchase slaves who were "seasoned' or baptised and given christian names. Cape Verdeans participated in the trading and transportation of slaves, as well, mostly to the Caribbean, Central and South America, although there are records of some who transported them to North America.
Lancados, children of Portuguese slave traders were used as middle men on the mainland of Africa and facilitated the capture and trade to Cape Verde. These Africans would have been brought to Santiago or Fogo where they were, presumably, then sold and/or transported to the Americas. Some were, however, kept on the islands for their various skills. Females seemed to kept as slaves within the homes of well-to-do families. Slaves were also initially used on what the Portuguese tried to establish as plantations for growing coffee beans, sugar cane, etc, but didn't prosper due to the unstable and arid conditions on the islands.
On the island of Maio, salt was being mined and sold on the open market. Passport records exist of men traveling to the island with numbers of slaves who were actualy identified by name. Slaves were used in the mining of salt there,primarily, until Manuel Antonio Martins established his salt mines on the island of Sal which included the first rail system in Africa by the early 1800's. This rail system system was also built by enslaved African men owned by him.
It is very clear though that most of the Africans brought to Cape Verde were sold and transported to the Americas while a few were kept on the islands primarily to serve as house slaves with some instances of slave labor on islands that had some kind of industry like salt mining.
Were these slaves kept on the islands or were they later sold elsewhere? If they stayed, were their children born enslaved or free? Were the offspring of African women and European men sold into slavery? Or perhaps, sold into slavery on the different islands of Cape Verde? Its evident in passport records that enslaved Cape Verdeans were transported between the islands and even to Portugal.
By the beginning of the 19th century the transportation of slaves across the Atlantic became illegal and English and American squadrons were put in place to prevent ships from crossing. In 1843, a group of Cape Verdean and British officials established a commssion on the island of Boa Vista aimed to abolish the slave trade in Cape Verde but not necessarily slavery as an institution. Slavery, itself, wasn't abolished until the late 1870's.
The questions are numerous. Were the offspring of enlaved African women and European men born into slavery based on their mother's status like it was here in the US? Were these children - the mixed ancestors of the majority of Cape Verdeans today - granted freedom by their owner/fathers? If so, what was their status in society? Did they own property? Could they vote? Were they seen as equals? Did they live their lives in the same way as the 'European" offspring of their father's? If these children inherited from their fathers, did it also include any slaves their fathers owned? Did they own slaves, themselves?
As more research is done, we may begin to understand Cape Verde's history of slavery and gain better insight into its society of today. I don't believe we should look at Cape Verdean history and culture only in terms of its slave history but as an important part of its past. And by gaining insight into our pasts we can ensure we don't make the same mistakes in our future.
With this question in mind, I went over some of these records again and found a few very interesting things. The baptism of an enslaved person, whether adult or child, always identified the person as a slave or "escravo". The parents were usually unknown and some noted the place of birth as "Guinea" while others identified them as being naturals of the island.
There are also "justification" records, or records justifying the baptism of someone that was done at a prior time for which a record may not exist or may have been destroyed. Onerecord, in particular, from 1829, identified the person baptised by both her first and last name who was baptised about 34 years prior. She was the "natural" child of an enslaved woman and the record also included the name of her mother's owner. This woman's last name wasn't her enslaved mother's owner's name. It is unclear if her last name came from her mother, as she was only listed by first name, or possibly by an unidentified father. What the record doesn't do is identify her as a slave. Slavery existed well into the 1870's. So if this woman was a slave she would have surely been identified as such.
One very interesting record exists, also in 1829, for a child born legitimately to a man and his wife, who was enslaved, herself. This record even lists her "owner". Here is a legitimate child born to a man and an enslaved woman and the child is not identified as a slave. I should add that there are records of enslaved people marrying within the catholic church to non-enslaved people. This may not have been uncommon.
So - did children inherit their status from enslaved parents or were they free at birth?
I haven't found any actual rules or laws pertaining this very question but we do know that children born to enslaved women and white, Portuguese men were recognized by their fathers and could even inherit from them. They may have also carried their father's names, as well. We know that in some situations, enslaved people were usually freed upon the deatho f their "owners" which would mean that there were free Africans from very early on in Cape Verde's history.
Another very interesting fact is that in the late 1700's, Portugal enacted a law which stated that any African slave brought within Portugal's borders were to freed after six months. I haven't found anything that showed this law was rescinded. Did this law also apply to Cape Verde? I would think that it would since it was still a Portuguese colony and its people were considered its subjects.
Another point worth researching is on the exact nature of slavery within Cape Verde. It's no secret that Cape Verde was once the hub of the slave trade. Slave traders from the America's would travel to the islands and purchase slaves who were "seasoned' or baptised and given christian names. Cape Verdeans participated in the trading and transportation of slaves, as well, mostly to the Caribbean, Central and South America, although there are records of some who transported them to North America.
Lancados, children of Portuguese slave traders were used as middle men on the mainland of Africa and facilitated the capture and trade to Cape Verde. These Africans would have been brought to Santiago or Fogo where they were, presumably, then sold and/or transported to the Americas. Some were, however, kept on the islands for their various skills. Females seemed to kept as slaves within the homes of well-to-do families. Slaves were also initially used on what the Portuguese tried to establish as plantations for growing coffee beans, sugar cane, etc, but didn't prosper due to the unstable and arid conditions on the islands.
On the island of Maio, salt was being mined and sold on the open market. Passport records exist of men traveling to the island with numbers of slaves who were actualy identified by name. Slaves were used in the mining of salt there,primarily, until Manuel Antonio Martins established his salt mines on the island of Sal which included the first rail system in Africa by the early 1800's. This rail system system was also built by enslaved African men owned by him.
It is very clear though that most of the Africans brought to Cape Verde were sold and transported to the Americas while a few were kept on the islands primarily to serve as house slaves with some instances of slave labor on islands that had some kind of industry like salt mining.
Were these slaves kept on the islands or were they later sold elsewhere? If they stayed, were their children born enslaved or free? Were the offspring of African women and European men sold into slavery? Or perhaps, sold into slavery on the different islands of Cape Verde? Its evident in passport records that enslaved Cape Verdeans were transported between the islands and even to Portugal.
By the beginning of the 19th century the transportation of slaves across the Atlantic became illegal and English and American squadrons were put in place to prevent ships from crossing. In 1843, a group of Cape Verdean and British officials established a commssion on the island of Boa Vista aimed to abolish the slave trade in Cape Verde but not necessarily slavery as an institution. Slavery, itself, wasn't abolished until the late 1870's.
The questions are numerous. Were the offspring of enlaved African women and European men born into slavery based on their mother's status like it was here in the US? Were these children - the mixed ancestors of the majority of Cape Verdeans today - granted freedom by their owner/fathers? If so, what was their status in society? Did they own property? Could they vote? Were they seen as equals? Did they live their lives in the same way as the 'European" offspring of their father's? If these children inherited from their fathers, did it also include any slaves their fathers owned? Did they own slaves, themselves?
As more research is done, we may begin to understand Cape Verde's history of slavery and gain better insight into its society of today. I don't believe we should look at Cape Verdean history and culture only in terms of its slave history but as an important part of its past. And by gaining insight into our pasts we can ensure we don't make the same mistakes in our future.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Catholic, Jewish or "CaJu"?
On my first trip to Cape Verde, I discovered the Cashew fruit. I had always known the cashew, which is pronounced "Caju" in Portuguese, to be a nut. But it's actually a fruit AND a nut. All these years, I believed the cashew was only a nut - Who knew?!?!? It was during this same trip that I first realized my own Jewish ancestry - Who knew?!?!? All this time I believed my family was Catholic but, as I learned more of my ancestry, I realized that many of our traditions were, in fact, based in the Jewish faith.
So, if you're born and raised in the Catholic Church but practiced Jewish traditions, are you Catholic or Jewish? This is a questions that many Cape Verdeans may begin asking themselves as we begin to seriously consider the impact of Jewish ancestry in Cape Verde. I jokingly referred to being a "CaJu" with a friend of mine, who also recently found out about his Jewish roots. Is it possible to be Catholic AND Jewish - basically, a "Ca-Ju"?
I was baptized in the Church, confirmed in the Church, and went to Catholic schools all the way through high school. But when it came to certain practices, what my family practiced differed a bit from what I was being taught in school. The starkest difference was the practice of the Nodjadu, or mourning period, which closely resembles the Jewish practice of sitting Shiva. As with many traditions passed down through my family, I cannot imagine doing things any differently.
Last week, I was honored to participate in the Annual Cape Verdean Jewish Sedar in Boston and was struck by the truth of this reality. I am a descendant of two groups of very strong people who survived a history of indescribable horrors for merely being who they were. So it was with great pride that I spoke to this group of Jews and Cape Verdeans about our shared history. Because of our ancestors, we all have the freedom to be and to live how we'd like to. We are free to worship how we'd like. And I am free to be a Catholic or a Jew and even a "CaJu" if I please.
So, if you're born and raised in the Catholic Church but practiced Jewish traditions, are you Catholic or Jewish? This is a questions that many Cape Verdeans may begin asking themselves as we begin to seriously consider the impact of Jewish ancestry in Cape Verde. I jokingly referred to being a "CaJu" with a friend of mine, who also recently found out about his Jewish roots. Is it possible to be Catholic AND Jewish - basically, a "Ca-Ju"?
I was baptized in the Church, confirmed in the Church, and went to Catholic schools all the way through high school. But when it came to certain practices, what my family practiced differed a bit from what I was being taught in school. The starkest difference was the practice of the Nodjadu, or mourning period, which closely resembles the Jewish practice of sitting Shiva. As with many traditions passed down through my family, I cannot imagine doing things any differently.
Last week, I was honored to participate in the Annual Cape Verdean Jewish Sedar in Boston and was struck by the truth of this reality. I am a descendant of two groups of very strong people who survived a history of indescribable horrors for merely being who they were. So it was with great pride that I spoke to this group of Jews and Cape Verdeans about our shared history. Because of our ancestors, we all have the freedom to be and to live how we'd like to. We are free to worship how we'd like. And I am free to be a Catholic or a Jew and even a "CaJu" if I please.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Press Release- Creola Genealogist will speak at the Cape Verde Progressive Center March 23,2013
March 6, 2013
East Providence, RI - The Creola Genealogist, Anna Lima Delgado, will speak about Cape Verdean History and Genealogy at the Cape Verde Progressive Center at 329 Grosvenor Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island on March 23, 2013. This event will take place from 1-4pm.
"I have been interested in my family history since as long as I can remember. I was that pesky kid constantly asking questions of anyone who would answer me. Countless hours were spent listening to my grandmother and great grandmother talking about the "old country". After a while, I could basically tell you anything about the island of Brava, Cape Verde as if I had actually been there!"
Ms. Lima Delgado will speak about tracing her family history from Massachusetts and Rhode Island back to the islands of Brava and Fogo, Cape Verde. Her path to discovery not only uncovered names and birth dates of her ancestors but also an unexpected discovery of her family's Jewish roots. She will speak about having genealogical DNA testing that revealed Tuscan Italian lineage and a connection to distant genetic cousin who was adopted at birth and was able to finally meet her biological siblings.
This will also be an opportunity for people to learn about resources available in the US and Cape Verde and begin their own family trees, as well, as have access to extensive research and records of Cape Verdean families from the islands of Brava, Fogo, and Boa Vista.
Anna Lima Delgado is a second-generation Cape Verdean - American from Brockton, Ma who currently resides in Bowie, Md. She received her Masters degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Massachusetts- Amherst and began doctoral work in Linguistics at Boston University. She has been a Speech and Language Pathologist for the last 15 years and currently has a private-practice in Maryland. She has been researching Cape Verdean Crioulo linguistics, history and genealogy for several years.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Adding more branches to my family tree; How genealogy helped solve an 80 year old family mystery and helped another find her roots.
Genealogy isn't just about tracing one's family back as many generations as possible. It can reunite lost family members and even help people find a heritage they never knew about. Since starting my research I have found and connected with family members all over the country. It got to be that, at one point, whenever my aunt took a call from me, she would immediately ask, "Who did you find today?"! I have become known as the family detective.
I want to share just two of the many stories that have really made the hours of research so worth it.
~
Since I could remember, Bibi, my great grandmother, spoke about her brother, Julio, who she never saw again after he boarded a ship for America in the late 1920's. By 1918, Bibi (age 14)her brother, Julio(age 10), and sister, Carolina(age 6) were orphaned when their parents died during the global Spanish Flu epidemic. With only each other to rely on and with the help of their aged great-grandmother, Angelica, the siblings managed to survive their losses but life was permanently changed from the comfortable lives their parents had given them.
During this time, many Cape Verdeans, mostly men, risked everything in search for a better life and means to care for their families in Cape Verde. By the time Julio was in his twenties, he followed in the footsteps of family before him and boarded a ship for America. Bibi periodically heard about her brother through letters sent from America by other family members but they had completely lost touch with Julio until 1965, when a letter arrived from California. This letter included a picture of Julio, his wife, Rovilla, two daughters and two granddaughters.
Time went on and by 1971, Bibi finally arrived in the US - a month after Julio passed away. Bibi never let any of us forget that she had this brother and that somewhere in California we had family.
Fast forward 41 years and after years of researching my family history, I decided, last year (2011) to try again to look for information about Julio. I found an obituary for him from 1971 that listed his remaining survivors. Eventually, I found a tree on ancestry.com that included some of these same names and decided to send this person an email. Later that day, I received a response and by the end of the day, I was on the phone with Julio's two daughter's!!! The best part of this is that it was my birthday and I could never have asked for a better gift than to put closure to a family journey that spanned 83 years and 3000 miles.
~
In 2010, I had autosomal DNA testing called Family Finder through FamilytreeDNA. Among my first matches was a woman named Linda who showed to be a 3rd cousin- we apparently shared a common great-grandparent. When we first spoke I learned that not only did she live in the same state as me but she was also adopted at birth and was trying connect with her birth family. Her mother was an American and she only knew that her father was a black Portuguese man from Falmouth. She had found records of people with her father's name but they were from the Azores. She was never convinced her biological father was Azorean but rather a Cape Verdean. I assured her that if we were that closely related then he was Cape Verdean since all my great-grandparents were born on the islands.
One year later, I'm excited to say that Linda has made contact with her biological siblings in Massachusetts and speaks with one of her sisters on the phone at least a few times a day! Her father, unfortunately, passed away in 1995 but she now has a much larger family that includes many brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews - and one distant cousin :)
~
In my family, growing up, we were raised to understand that family wasn't just a set of parents and siblings. Family meant aunts, uncles and so many cousins that after a while you considered and treated everyone like cousins- like family (whether we were sure or not). We laugh sometimes because there are people in our lives that we know as "cousins" but no one had ever explained exactly how we were related. It's actually fun,now,to be able to explain, for example, that cousins I grew up with and saw everyday, were actually related because their great-grandmother was my great-grandmother's aunt! That's how it is in many families, especially Cape Verdean ones. In recent years I have added many, many, many additional lines to my extended family tree and look forward to adding more.
I want to share just two of the many stories that have really made the hours of research so worth it.
~
Since I could remember, Bibi, my great grandmother, spoke about her brother, Julio, who she never saw again after he boarded a ship for America in the late 1920's. By 1918, Bibi (age 14)her brother, Julio(age 10), and sister, Carolina(age 6) were orphaned when their parents died during the global Spanish Flu epidemic. With only each other to rely on and with the help of their aged great-grandmother, Angelica, the siblings managed to survive their losses but life was permanently changed from the comfortable lives their parents had given them.
During this time, many Cape Verdeans, mostly men, risked everything in search for a better life and means to care for their families in Cape Verde. By the time Julio was in his twenties, he followed in the footsteps of family before him and boarded a ship for America. Bibi periodically heard about her brother through letters sent from America by other family members but they had completely lost touch with Julio until 1965, when a letter arrived from California. This letter included a picture of Julio, his wife, Rovilla, two daughters and two granddaughters.
Time went on and by 1971, Bibi finally arrived in the US - a month after Julio passed away. Bibi never let any of us forget that she had this brother and that somewhere in California we had family.
Fast forward 41 years and after years of researching my family history, I decided, last year (2011) to try again to look for information about Julio. I found an obituary for him from 1971 that listed his remaining survivors. Eventually, I found a tree on ancestry.com that included some of these same names and decided to send this person an email. Later that day, I received a response and by the end of the day, I was on the phone with Julio's two daughter's!!! The best part of this is that it was my birthday and I could never have asked for a better gift than to put closure to a family journey that spanned 83 years and 3000 miles.
~
In 2010, I had autosomal DNA testing called Family Finder through FamilytreeDNA. Among my first matches was a woman named Linda who showed to be a 3rd cousin- we apparently shared a common great-grandparent. When we first spoke I learned that not only did she live in the same state as me but she was also adopted at birth and was trying connect with her birth family. Her mother was an American and she only knew that her father was a black Portuguese man from Falmouth. She had found records of people with her father's name but they were from the Azores. She was never convinced her biological father was Azorean but rather a Cape Verdean. I assured her that if we were that closely related then he was Cape Verdean since all my great-grandparents were born on the islands.
One year later, I'm excited to say that Linda has made contact with her biological siblings in Massachusetts and speaks with one of her sisters on the phone at least a few times a day! Her father, unfortunately, passed away in 1995 but she now has a much larger family that includes many brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews - and one distant cousin :)
~
In my family, growing up, we were raised to understand that family wasn't just a set of parents and siblings. Family meant aunts, uncles and so many cousins that after a while you considered and treated everyone like cousins- like family (whether we were sure or not). We laugh sometimes because there are people in our lives that we know as "cousins" but no one had ever explained exactly how we were related. It's actually fun,now,to be able to explain, for example, that cousins I grew up with and saw everyday, were actually related because their great-grandmother was my great-grandmother's aunt! That's how it is in many families, especially Cape Verdean ones. In recent years I have added many, many, many additional lines to my extended family tree and look forward to adding more.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Origins of Cape Verdean Criolo
Is it possible to learn more about the origins of the Creole spoken in Cape Verde today by studying its history and, more specifically, it's genealogy? Is it possible that the people who eventually settled on the islands, besides the Portuguese, also brought their languages? Cape Verdeans are not just descendants of Portuguese slave traders and African slaves. In fact, among the white population found throughout its history, we find Spaniards, Italians, French, English and Dutch people, among others and to consider the African impact as a singular influence is incorrect. Among them were Mandigo, Jalofa, and Fulani, to name a few. Each of the above had their own cultures and languages that is inarguably evidenced in Cape Verde, today.
Creole languages are believed to be the result of the convergence of two languages resulting in a pidgin. One theory is that our Crioulo is a simplified Portuguese used to communicate with African speakers. A second theory is that it is an example of the innate language sense and universal grammar we are all born with as described by Bickerton (1981) and Chomsky (1965). Antonio Carreira (1983) describes the origin of our Crioulo as derived from a Portuguese pidgin spoken in mainland Portugal in the late 1400's by black slaves brought over from Africa citing "lingua dos pretos" (language of the blacks) in early writings that contain some linguistic features found in Crioulo. Some have also written that early Crioulo is derived from Galician Portguese which is very different for modern Prtuguese. Dr. Marlyse Baptista, a Cape Verdean linguist, calls the above "proto-Kriolu" that eventually traveled to Santiago with the first settlers.
Linguists have then postulated that this "pidgin" was deliberately taught to these black slaves in order to use them as translators on the Guinea coast during the beginnings of the Atlantic Slave trade. For this to have been the beginnings of Cape Verdean Crioulo spoken today would have meant that every early Portuguese (and Spanish, Dutch, Italian, and English) settler spoke the same pidgin and taught this to every black slave brought to Cape Verde.
When you look at the early population of Cape Verde within the first 100 years, we know that among the white population existed a large number of Jews who were either "enticed" to leave Portugal with promise of a part in the settlement of Cape Verde or were exhiled during the Portuguese Inquisitions of the 1490's onward. There were Conversos, as well as non-conversos, who may have found a place to practice their faith in relative anonymity and isolation. Many were relegated to "ghettos" and not fully accepted into the elite circles. These Jews, mostly men, freely intermingled with the black and mixed populations of the islands.
We also know that at the same time there was disdain among the Portuguese royals of the growing "Crioulo" culture and language resulting in more women (including female Jewish exhiles) sent to Cape Verde and they discouraged the use Crioulo being spoken. They were clearly not proponents of using and teaching Portuguese Pidgin to the population in its reign during the Atlantic Slave Trade. It's very likely that the Crioulo language that emerged among the mixed people was hugely influenced by the Judeo-Portuguese speakers who were involved in every aspect of Cape Verdean culture.
Take, for example, Papiamento spoken in the "ABC" islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. Speakers of Crioulo easily understand Papiamento and, indeed, it has been documented that Papiamento has its origins based in the creole languages of Cape Verde and the guinea coast. It is also widely written of its Ladino, or more correctly, Judeo-Portuguese origins, as well. The people who settled these islands were the same people in Cape Verde and there are many passport records documenting Cape Verdeans traveling to these islands, among others, during this time period. If Papiamento is based in Judeo-Portuguese then it has to also be assumed that Cape Verdean Crioulo is, as well.
Judeo-Portuguese, just like its Spanish counterpart, Ladino, was spoken by Sephardic Jews in Portugal and Spain. Traces of Ladino is found in most Latino countries, including Mexico, where many Sephardic Jews and conversos were found. Ladino is still spoken but its speakers is dwindling in numbers.Judeo-Portuguese is thought to have died out in the 19th century. It was spoken by Morranos or conversos in Portugal and spread to other countries like Holland, Italy and Northern Germany where these Morranos "re-assumed Judaism" according to www.jewish-languages.org. In many places, Judeo-Portuguese speakers were absorbed into the larger Spanish - Ladino or "judezmo" speaking communities. There is nothing to suggest that Judeo-Portuguese was not spoken in Cape Verde.
We have evidence of Jewish ancestry in our traditions of Nodjadu, cemeteries and even towns called Synagogue. Couldn't it then also be possible to study words used in Crioulu such as "fijo" (son/daughter) which is "filho" in Portuguese and "hijo" in Spanish to show evidence of Judeo influence? Words like "fijo" is used in Ladino where the /h/ is replaced by /f/. I think there is a very good case to be made for the study of Judeo-Portuguese roots in Cape Verdean Crioulo. If this proves to be true then it may open more conversation as to the impact on Cape Verdean culture by Jews from the beginning of Cape Verdean history and not just the influence of those found on the islands from Gibraltar and Morocco since the mid-1800's.
Creole languages are believed to be the result of the convergence of two languages resulting in a pidgin. One theory is that our Crioulo is a simplified Portuguese used to communicate with African speakers. A second theory is that it is an example of the innate language sense and universal grammar we are all born with as described by Bickerton (1981) and Chomsky (1965). Antonio Carreira (1983) describes the origin of our Crioulo as derived from a Portuguese pidgin spoken in mainland Portugal in the late 1400's by black slaves brought over from Africa citing "lingua dos pretos" (language of the blacks) in early writings that contain some linguistic features found in Crioulo. Some have also written that early Crioulo is derived from Galician Portguese which is very different for modern Prtuguese. Dr. Marlyse Baptista, a Cape Verdean linguist, calls the above "proto-Kriolu" that eventually traveled to Santiago with the first settlers.
Linguists have then postulated that this "pidgin" was deliberately taught to these black slaves in order to use them as translators on the Guinea coast during the beginnings of the Atlantic Slave trade. For this to have been the beginnings of Cape Verdean Crioulo spoken today would have meant that every early Portuguese (and Spanish, Dutch, Italian, and English) settler spoke the same pidgin and taught this to every black slave brought to Cape Verde.
When you look at the early population of Cape Verde within the first 100 years, we know that among the white population existed a large number of Jews who were either "enticed" to leave Portugal with promise of a part in the settlement of Cape Verde or were exhiled during the Portuguese Inquisitions of the 1490's onward. There were Conversos, as well as non-conversos, who may have found a place to practice their faith in relative anonymity and isolation. Many were relegated to "ghettos" and not fully accepted into the elite circles. These Jews, mostly men, freely intermingled with the black and mixed populations of the islands.
We also know that at the same time there was disdain among the Portuguese royals of the growing "Crioulo" culture and language resulting in more women (including female Jewish exhiles) sent to Cape Verde and they discouraged the use Crioulo being spoken. They were clearly not proponents of using and teaching Portuguese Pidgin to the population in its reign during the Atlantic Slave Trade. It's very likely that the Crioulo language that emerged among the mixed people was hugely influenced by the Judeo-Portuguese speakers who were involved in every aspect of Cape Verdean culture.
Take, for example, Papiamento spoken in the "ABC" islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. Speakers of Crioulo easily understand Papiamento and, indeed, it has been documented that Papiamento has its origins based in the creole languages of Cape Verde and the guinea coast. It is also widely written of its Ladino, or more correctly, Judeo-Portuguese origins, as well. The people who settled these islands were the same people in Cape Verde and there are many passport records documenting Cape Verdeans traveling to these islands, among others, during this time period. If Papiamento is based in Judeo-Portuguese then it has to also be assumed that Cape Verdean Crioulo is, as well.
Judeo-Portuguese, just like its Spanish counterpart, Ladino, was spoken by Sephardic Jews in Portugal and Spain. Traces of Ladino is found in most Latino countries, including Mexico, where many Sephardic Jews and conversos were found. Ladino is still spoken but its speakers is dwindling in numbers.Judeo-Portuguese is thought to have died out in the 19th century. It was spoken by Morranos or conversos in Portugal and spread to other countries like Holland, Italy and Northern Germany where these Morranos "re-assumed Judaism" according to www.jewish-languages.org. In many places, Judeo-Portuguese speakers were absorbed into the larger Spanish - Ladino or "judezmo" speaking communities. There is nothing to suggest that Judeo-Portuguese was not spoken in Cape Verde.
We have evidence of Jewish ancestry in our traditions of Nodjadu, cemeteries and even towns called Synagogue. Couldn't it then also be possible to study words used in Crioulu such as "fijo" (son/daughter) which is "filho" in Portuguese and "hijo" in Spanish to show evidence of Judeo influence? Words like "fijo" is used in Ladino where the /h/ is replaced by /f/. I think there is a very good case to be made for the study of Judeo-Portuguese roots in Cape Verdean Crioulo. If this proves to be true then it may open more conversation as to the impact on Cape Verdean culture by Jews from the beginning of Cape Verdean history and not just the influence of those found on the islands from Gibraltar and Morocco since the mid-1800's.
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