Just Historic?

There are around 3.5 million Filipino Americans in the U.S. according to 2010 U.S.Census. This estimate include those who identified themselves as Filipino alone or in combination with another race. The total number is believed to be much higher than the census count. There are an estimated one million undocumented Filipinos in the United States.

Filipinos are now the second largest Asian group in the United States next to the Chinese and have the largest population in the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Washington, Wyoming, Montana  and South Dakota. That translates to 22% out of  all the 50 states. a pretty impressive figure indeed.

Here in Los Angeles, California where the founding "Nosteelgians" are based, there are an estimated half a million  Pinoys who call the city (or more accurately the County of L.A. and its environs) home. However unlike other Asian ethnicities, only Filipinos have  "historic" attached to its officially recognized enclave. It was officially designated as one of the city's historic geographic areas on August 2, 2002.  However it's not a well known fact that Filipinos have established communities way long before it's 20th century western counterpart.

Saint Malo was a small fishing village that existed in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana on the shore of Lake Borgne from the mid 18th century into the early 20th century, when it was destroyed by the New Orleans Hurricane of 1915. It was the first settlement of  Filipinos in the United States.

The Saint Malo settlement was established, by some accounts, as early as 1763 by Filipinos who deserted from Spanish ships during the Manila Galleon Trade. Other accounts suggest that the community was established sometime after 1812. Reasons for their desertion from the ships varied; however their desire to escape the Spanish brutalities is generally regarded as the main reason. They settled in the marshlands of Louisiana where no Spaniards could reach them. The people who settled in the bayous were called Manilamen and later on as Tagalas. They governed themselves and kept their existence a secret from mainstream society for over a hundred years. It wasn't until journalist Lafcadio Hearn published an article in Harper's Weekly in 1883 that their existence was finally exposed to the American people. Hearn's article is the first known written article about the Filipinos in the United States.
Saint Malo was only one of the Filipino settlements in the Southern United States. The other settlements were Manila Village on Barataria Bay in the Mississippi Delta by the Gulf of Mexico; Alombro Canal and Camp Dewey in Plaquemines Parish; and Leon Rojas, Bayou Cholas, and Bassa Bassa in Jefferson Parish, all in Louisiana. Manila Village on Barataria Bay was considered to be the largest and most popular, Saint Malo, however, was the oldest. Houses in Manila Village were built on stilts on a 50-acre (200,000 m²) marshland; this community survived until 1965, when Hurricane Betsy destroyed it. Among the legacy introduced by the Filipinos was the production of dried shrimp, known as "sea bob" from the French term "six barbe". Dried shrimp is still produced by the Cajuns of Louisiana. Some of the descendants of the original settlers continue to live in Louisiana to this day as Multiracial Americans.

It's therefore both quite sad and promising to assess the Fil-Am situation in the U.S. Sad because although we have had a long and colorful presence here in the U.S., Filipinos are still considered to have the most "diluted" cultural identity among the major ethnicities. Case in point, our cuisine has yet to be recognized as being a part of the "american mainstream" diet such as Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai. It's also promising since a near 4 million population is hard to ignore by both federal and local government officials wanting to tap this massive number of potential constituents. The tricky and challenging part is to harness this demographic as one cohesive and united entity.

Rizal, our great patriot (among many of course) once wrote to the young women of malolos regarding  "Youth as a flower-bed that is to bear rich fruit and must accumulate wealth for its descendants."

 Perhaps it's high time for us Pinoys, especially to the parents, to ask ourselves if we are contributing to the "dilution" of our culture and identities abroad. True there is much to be desired and the task of "rescuing" the Philippines seem insurmountable. But which nation is perfect where no ills of any shape and form exists? The adage that the grass is always greener on the other side rings eternally true. If all pinoys worldwide can make a collective remittance of US$20 billion per year  that's keeping the economy afloat, surely we can afford to break the "chain" of negativity and denial of our roots by merely starting with our own children. It might be very difficult indeed to look at a glass as half full, but we see things which we focus on. So let's all focus on the beauty of the Philippines, our motherland no matter what our current citizenship may now be. Let's focus on the positive attributes, customs and traditions that we have. Let's choose to speak positively about our people, diversity, language and culture in every opportunity especially among the young in our families and to our non-pinoy friends, in laws and acquaintances. It will be difficult and even uncomfortable. It will surely take a lot of practice and conscious effort. Some will say all this is an unattainable pipe dream, but isn't it everything worthwhile we have now and are enjoying (yes our beloved iPhone & iPad included)  started as somebody's dream? Let's all think about it.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas. Mabuhay ang Pilipino.



Sources: 2010 U.S. Census, Wikipedia, Kim/flickstr (photo)