The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-30
NO COLOR LINE AMONG THEM,
AN RACES NIX FREELY1N LOT IS
lana SHRIMPERIES.
Cinnamon Are the King Pins, and All Col.
ors, From White 10 Black, Work G..'
Them--M Malay and Pirate Blood Found
There-All Their Trade with Asia.

|
OF races in this country, no more pccrfiar
combinations are presented than in the
shrimp region of Louisiana. Here is a
tumble Of races from all the continents that
cannot be met on any other ground, and
bome'ersement or topsy-turvy condition
| OF affairs, not existing anywhere else in
the country, with the colored races Oh
top as the employers, and the whites as
employees; condition far worse than
I anything existing in Chinat own San Fran
CISCO 1t is mingling of Europe, Asia,
| Africa and America.
! In 1892, 1858 persons were drowned in a
Gulf hurricane, and the principal fishing
settlement, Nheniere CGrminacla, was de-
stroyei. The worst sufferers, however
by that storm were the fishermen, although
many shrimpers were also drowned ....
The shrimpers lie to the north and west
OF Cheniere Carminada. in whet is known
rs the Bara'Grii country, he old heunis Of
linfitte the pirate, and in the parishes of
JEFFERSON and Lafourche. There were
settlements there even in Lafitte's day, and
it is not impossible that some OF The pirates,
blood still survives, for not all Of l.afittes
men followed him to Galveston island
when the United States got too hot TO hold
him.
Pirates il is needless 10 say are n very
mixed race, getting recruits from all M
tions- white, black and yellow; and afound
the port OF LATTE grew up II mixed settle
ment Of whites, ycllows and blacks II
is possible indeed probable, that the
first Chinese and Malays i'll that region
came in at that time and assisted in dis
posing of the piratical or struggled goods
brought into the country by Lltitte.
Tradition says that the Malays, who are
mainly filpinos, came as the result of the
shipwreck of a Spanish vessel on tn" ccas
and that the wrecked crew. finding he
country rich in fish, remained there, chang
ing from sailors TO fishermen, and recruit
ing their numbers by fresh arrivals from
year TO year.
1t is peculiar however, that immigrant ion
stats ;c; give no record OF the arrival Of
the more recent Mslays. The probability
is that they are deserters from British and
Spanish ships, which are often manned bv
Lascars Certain it is that the Malay, or
Filipino. element in Louisiana Manila men,
they are called-is steadily increasing in
numbers. As there are no women of Their
own race among them, IL is impossible 10
account for the Increase in any way, except
by secret or hidden immigration
AZ for the shrimp country il is so NJ
American, so utterly unconnected with the
United States, its people being foreignc'-
in race and ideas. and its business toreil n.
that the rest of the country knows little or
nothing OF what goes on there,
The Shrimperies are situated along
into the Gulf Of Mexico and Barat ari and
1mbaber Bay. You will find none Of
them on the map, although some of tn en-,
like Cabinage and Dufond. are big enougd
10 entitle them 10 this honor. The geog-
raphers probably think the palmetto
matched huts, rising on poles four or fiv'
feet above the surrounding desoiate ex-
posture OF salt marsh in order to avoid tho
tides, are not sufficiently substantial to
deserve place on the map, no matter what
their population may be.
The former character of the shrimp towns
may be imagined from the fact that the
population consists OF Chinese, Austrisns
$50 called, Malays, or Filipinos Acadiars,
creoles and negroes; that the bulk of tn"
trade is in the hands Of Chinese merchants
and that the product lin the form of dried
shrimp paste or -FOUR is shipped almo-
exclusively to Asia and forms a staple foo
on the tables of wealthy Cinnamon, Japan
ese, Malays and other Orientals, none of
il being consumed in this country.
The Chinese are the employers and me-
chants. They buy the product Of tho
Shrimpers and ship it TO Asia. They are
generally men OF wealth some of them have
Offices in New Orleans They handle the
mass that no other people are able to CON-
pete with them.
Next in importance TO the Chinese COM
the so-called Austrians. They are DaI-
matians, with Slavic names and features,
but speaking Italian, n fact which has cause |
great confusion among the people, In
language they are classed with the Ital-
ans, but in spite OF this fact they have
not a single Italian characteristic, and do
not associate with the SclianS and Ne1-
politans They have preserved separat"
race identity
The Malays, or Fihpinos, Of Louisiana
attracted attention al the lime Of tie Span
several thousand natives Of The Filipinos IN
this country They are all TagaIs, anu
while most of them speak Spanish, they
drop readily into the Iagal tongue. Tfeir
status in Louisiana has been peculiar, th"
whites not knowing whether TO class thcrl
with the negroes or tho Chinese. ThOs"
who marry usually have white wives. ard
the racial prejudice against them is no.
a strong as against the negro,
In the shrimping settlement, however,
this racial prejudice does not show its"l
and these several races live tog' Their IN
absolute harmony. The life is of the mos
primitive character and although during
the fishing season the men will make So
a day they will have little or nothing 40
show for ii at the end of the season YET
they wear few clothes. and these of th"
cheapest character, and their food IL a
very small item, a mixture Of the CrCoI"
and Chinese menu.
For breakfast which is served ~ 20 cOc';
they have hlnck creole cofFfe ard hnrr
tack for dinner which is AZ neon, wh,n
tho days work IL done, hey have fish and
rice CChneSr m6uul and Clart Ca crcOlN
addition.
Tho Chinese Of the shimpcrios, who
do little of tho work and are the husinra1
managers OF the colony live much b"'ir'
than the rest OF the population. keeping
pigs and chickens and importing preserved
ginger ard other Chinese GCIiCaoi'g
The Shrimping business il a C0G1orujiy'
one Tn" "crnw" b composed ur abo,'
and all on equal terms There j., a cap
tain, hut h" gets no more than III. other,
there is n cook. who does not 90 Shrimr-
ing, hut stays al home, look after ihr
house keeping and cooks the meals, b,l,
ho gets his fun shar' OF the procccCS
of the catch, and just aS mucn o. ~" cap
tain
Two extra shares are also allowed, ore
for tive owner of the boat and TN" oti.r
for tho owner of the sine, so thai wi 4
he cooks, Loaf X AID seine r Hhar OH
eaten must he divided IN 1--WE nty-Onc pans
A single catch will average 500 or s3cr
and :, nntimcG much mcrr Property
the seine is 40 ful of shrimp and fis,
hat the crew cannot rai>n il md have ~
signal Tor rCeniOFCCmenjs TIE bulk =, {
The catches are shrimp, of which tlcIn
will be several tons Mixed with the"
however are fish Of all tIr varieI les kncv 4
IN III" Gulf coast which mo caught II. e