Are Isleño décimas really décimas?: Tracking Media and Memory in Spanish-Speaking Louisiana

Abstract

The décima, popular since its origin in sixteenth-century Spain, entered Louisiana with late eighteenth century settlers from the Canary Islands. These settlers, known as the Isleños, formed a closely-bound enclave that resisted all outsiders. Slowly, however, natural and economic factors forced them to leave behind their lifestyle of fi shing and trapping and to join the adjacent English-speaking communities. Social change notwithstanding, they have worked as a community to preserve their heritage into the new millennium. One valued memento of their language and culture is the décima. Mixing tradition with community experiences, the Isleños maintained traditional décimas, adopted others, and created their own. (Hispania 447)