Creole is, Creole ain't: Diachronic and synchronic attitudes toward Creoleidentity in southern Louisiana

Creole identity in Louisiana acquired diverse meanings for several ethnic g roups during the French and Spanish regimes, before and after the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, and through the last part of the 20th century. In spite of a strong shift toward "Black" identity by many African American s in the state, those who are fluent Creole French speakers now seem to be the repository of Louisiana Creole identity. This article presents a diachr onic study of the different meanings applied to Creole identity which resul ted from dramatic social, political, and economic changes. It also delimits and defines the actual attributes of Creole identity within two representa tive African American communities. Because of the historical and political conditions underlying Creole identity, African Americans who still identify as Creoles insist on linguistic attributes, rather than on the criterion o f race, as essential characteristics of their ethnic identity.