Walloons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term Walloons (French: Wallons, Walloon: Walons) refers, in daily speech, to French-speaking Belgians from Wallonia, though when referring to its inhabitants with the meaning of citizen of Wallonia, the term "Wallonian" is more common. Many non-French-speaking observers (over)generalize Walloons as a term of convenience for all (even born and living in the Brussels Region) Belgian French-speakers, who are one of the two major groups in Belgium, the other being the Dutch-speaking Flemish.
The name is derived from "walhaz", which was a term used by the ancient Germanic Tribes to refer to non-Germanic people. (Other modern derivatives of "walhaz" include "Welsh", "Wallis", and "Wallachia".) A more modern popular interpretation attributed to "Wallonia" is "the land of the valleys" (i.e., reading "wal-" as cognate with French "vallée", etc.), which has been used by the ministry of tourism in touristic road signs, typically in French as "pays des vallées". The part of Wallonia south and east of the Meuse is indeed remarkably hilly.
The heartland of Walloon culture is the Meuse Valley, between Dinant, Namur (the regional capital), Huy and Liège. Its Walloon language could be considered as an element of Walloon identity. However, not the entire French-speaking population of Wallonia can be culturally considered as Walloons, since a significant portion in the west (around Tournai and Mons) and smaller portions in the extreme south (around Arlon) belong to other French dialects (namely Picard, Champenois and Lorrain). Furthermore, Walloon and those other dialects are mostly spoken by elderly people nowadays, and all of them can speak French as well or better. The younger can usually understand only bits and pieces of their ancestors' dialect.
The Walloon Region institutionally comprises also the German-speaking community of Belgium around Eupen, in the east of the region, next to Germany which ceded the area to Belgium after the First World War. Many of the about 60,000 inhabitants of this very small community fiercely reject being considered as Walloon and – with their community executive leader Karl-Heinz Lambertz – ask separation from Wallonia and recognition as a separate region in Belgium.
Practically, during the first century of its existence, unitary Belgiums' sole official language was French and the Walloons in southern Belgium were politically dominant. The capital Brussels became increasingly populated by Walloons and eventually most descendants of its native Dutch-speaking families, either adopted the French language of the educational system or emigrated northwards as housing prices had outgrown their budget – thus many presently French-speaking inhabitants of Brussels are not, or only by some lineage, of Walloon descent. Starting after the First World War, but especially since the Second World War, the Flemish increasingly came to balance their political weight. Around 1960 since the crisis of the Walloon coal mining industries, the Flemish became economically stronger than the Walloons, which politically resulted in the institutionally federalized structure of Belgium.
[edit] Famous Walloons
- Pippin of Herstal, was born in Herstal, near Liège.
- Charles Martel, who defeated the Moors at Poitiers in 732, was born in Herstal, near Liège.
- Pippin the Younger, king of the Franks, was born in Jupille, near Liège.
- Charlemagne, founder of the Holy Roman Empire, was born in Herstal, near Liège.
- Baldwin I of Constantinople, Count of Flanders and Hainaut, first emperor of the Latin Empire
- Godfroid de Bouillon, leader of the First Crusade and first European King of Jerusalem.
- Hergé (Georges Remi,) Belgian comics artist, The Adventures of Tintin
- Marianne Merchez, astronaut.
- Pierre Minuit, who purchased the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans and founded what would become New York City.
- Peyo (Pierre Culliford,) Belgian comics artist, The Smurfs
- Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone.
- Ernest Solvay, inventor of the Solvay process and founder of the Solvay Business School.
- Georges Simenon, author of Maigret and other novels.
- Jean-Michel Saive, table tennis champion.
- Justine Henin-Hardenne, tennis champion.
