What Is Creole?

     Creole in its broadest sense can refer to a variety of combinations of French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, and Native Indian cultures in colonial Louisiana and throughout the south. The word Creole coming from the Spanish “criollo” meaning “created race” was a description given from a Spanish priest to describe the offspring of Spanish, French and Africans from the era of slavery. In early 19th century New Orleans and much of south Louisiana, the term Creole was a way that those “ in and of the colony or “ born differentiated a cultural group blending the rich heritage of African, French, Spanish, Caribbean, and Native Indians.