Dutch Antillean people
Dutch Antilleans are the inhabitants of the former Netherlands Antilles, which include Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Maarten and Sint Eustatius. This can also refer to the descendents of people from the former Netherlands Antilles. In addition to the more than 300,000 inhabitants of the islands, 130,000 Dutch Antilleans now reside in the Netherlands.[1]
Ancestry
Antilleans have a diverse ancestry, due to the islands' colonial history. Until the arrival of the Spanish in 1493, the Antilles were inhabited by Amerindians. In the early 16th century, the majority of the Amerindians were enslaved by the Spanish, and the Spaniards became the majority of the population. In 1634, the Netherlands laid claim to Curaçao and Dutch settlers began to arrive. After 1665, the Antilles became a transit port for African slaves, who were traded by the West India Company. A small portion of the slaves remained on the islands to work on the plantations.
The Windward Islands were discovered by the Spaniards at the end of the 15th century.
After the initial colonization in the late 15th century, the islands changed hands regularly, being constantly annexed, traded, and sold by various European powers. As a result, the population is descended from British, Scottish, Irish, French, African slaves and Dutch people.
Languages
The Antilleans from the Leeward Islands mostly speak Papiamento, while the Antilleans of the Windward Islands generally speak English.
See also
- History of the Netherlands Antilles
References
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