Saint Malo, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saint Malo
San Maló (Spanish)
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The settlement as it appeared in Harper's Weekly, 1883.
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 Saint Malo, Louisiana
Location in Louisiana
Saint Malo, Louisiana
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | St. Bernard Parish |
| Establishment | likely 18th century |
| Destruction | September 29, 1915 |
| Named for | Juan San Maló |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (Central) |
Saint Malo (Spanish: San Maló) was a small fishing village that existed along the shore of Lake Borgne in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana as early as the mid-eighteenth century until it was destroyed by the 1915 New Orleans hurricane. Located along Bayou Saint Malo, about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of the Isleño fishing village of Shell Beach, it was the first permanent settlement of Filipinos and perhaps the first Asian-American settlement in the United States.
The exact date of the establishment of Saint Malo is disputed. The settlement may have been formed as early as 1763 or 1765 by Filipino deserters and escaped slaves of the Spanish Manila galleon trade. The members of the community were commonly referred to as Manila men, or Manilamen, and later Tagalas.
Filipino-Americans residing in the region (referred to as "Manilamen" on the account of Manila being the capital of the Philippines) were recruited by local pirate Jean Lafitte to join his "Baratarians", a group of privately-recruited soldiers serving under the American forces under the command of Andrew Jackson, in the defense of New Orleans. They played a decisive role in securing the American victory, firing barrage after barrage of well-aimed artillery fire.
Contents
Etymology
The area of St. Malo is named after the leader of a group of maroons. In 1784 a group of enslaved Africans led by Jean Saint Malo escaped to a marshy area of Lake Borgne, with weapons obtained from free people of color and plantation slaves. Jean Saint Malo was captured by Spanish forces. On June 19, 1784, he was hanged in front of St. Louis Cathedral in what is now called Jackson Square, New Orleans.
Location
St. Malo was on a waterway called Saint Malo Bayou, about 5 miles (8.0 km) east of the fishing village of Shell Beach.
Origin
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 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 published article about the Filipinos in the United States.
Dwellings
Hearn was able to visit the village, and his account provided very detailed information regarding their dwellings. The Manilamen lived in small houses which were supported above the water by stilts. The palmetto and woven cane did not have the durability to withstand the violent climate of the bayous. Much of the wood needed to build the houses had to be shipped from various parts of Louisiana, as wood strong enough to support dwellings could not be easily found in the swamps. Since many creatures of all kinds lived in the swamps, the dwellers found it necessary to improvise their houses. They had every window closed with wire netting to protect themselves from mosquitos and other insects and also had to be vigilant for reptiles and other animals abound in the swamps. There was no furniture, no table, no chair and no bed in any of the dwellings. What could have been considered as mattresses were filled with what Hearn called “dry Spanish-beard.” These were laid upon “tiers” of shelves faced against the walls. According to Hearn the fishermen slept at night “among barrels of flour and folded sails and smoked fish.”
Way of life
Diet
The diet in the village was mainly fish. They rarely ate rice, even though it is a staple food of Filipinos.
Religion
The predominant religion of the Manilamen was Roman Catholicism, although it was not known if a priest actually visited the settlement from nearby New Orleans to minister or perform any Christian rites and sacraments.
Government
The Manilamen paid no taxes and had no policemen. They had set their own rules and laws that all those living in the village were bound to obey. In case of disputes, it was usually left to the oldest man currently living in the settlement to mediate the situation. If a man refused a given verdict or likewise became a problem, he was jailed in what was called a “fish-car”, a makeshift jail cell. Due to the harsh conditions and lack of food, the offender would usually change his mind and obey any rule or decision. The village was never visited by any Louisiana government official or tax man even though it was within the jurisdiction of St. Bernard Parish.
Family
Rarely did women live in the village. In fact there were no women in the village during Hearn's visit. Those fishermen who did have families had them live in New Orleans or in other localities. The reason for this can be attributed to the isolated and harsh conditions of the settlement. Since there were no Filipino women, the Manilamen often courted and married Cajun women, Indians, and others. Some of them enrolled their children in schools in New Orleans.
Whenever possible, if there were still the means of re-connecting with their families back in the Philippines, the Manilamen sent money to friends in Manila with the profits they made from fishing.
Role in the War of 1812
According to oral history and later cited by Filipino historians, the Manilamen took part in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 during the War of 1812. These men signed up with the privateer Jean Lafitte to join the army of Major General Andrew Jackson.
In late December 1814, a very large British army under the command of Major General Sir Edward Pakenham prepared to capture New Orleans, Louisiana. According to historian Marina Espina, the defending American force under Jackson consisted of “regular army troops, state militia, western sharpshooters, two regiments and pirates from the Delta Swamps.” It has long been suspected, but never confirmed, that many of these so-called pirates were the Manilamen. They were described as "Spanish fishermen" from the Lake Borgne area. Except for the Isleños, the only known Spanish-speaking fishermen living in the region at that time were the Manilamen.
Destruction of Saint Malo
The community was destroyed by the New Orleans Hurricane of 1915 and the survivors assimilated with New Orleanians.
Other Filipino settlements
Saint Malo was only one of the Filipino settlements in the Southern United States. The other southern Louisiana settlements were Manila Village on Barataria Bay, in the Mississippi River 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.
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. Part of the legacy of 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 descendants of the original Filipino settlers continue to live in Louisiana today, as multiracial Americans.
Notable Filipino settlements in Louisiana
- Alombro Canal (Plaquemines Parish)
- Camp Dewey (Plaquemines Parish)
- Bayou Cholas (Jefferson Parish)
- Bassa Bassa (Jefferson Parish)
- Leon Rojas (Jefferson Parish)
- Manila Village (Jefferson Parish)
Images for kids
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Depictions of the houses and scenery of Saint Malo.
