Our Lusitanic Heritage
What is “Lusitanic”?
Lusitania is a land discovered on the Iberian Peninsula by civilization (General Hannibal of Carthage) in the third century before Christ. The Roman world named the people there “Lusitani.” This people-group later became known as the Portuguese.
The word “Lusitani” derived from a misunderstanding by the Romans in regards to a Lusitanian word. The Lusitanians were wicca-based polytheists. One of their main gods was the god of fire, named Lu. The Romans confused this Iberian word with their Latin word “lux,” which means light. As a result, and given the sunny climate of western Iberia, the Romans called them the “citizens of light,” or Lux-civitatis, which became Lusitani. The land then became known as Lusitania.
A Lusitanian is a Portuguese person. So what is Lusitanic? Here is an excerpt from an article in Wikipedia:
Lusitanic (Portuguese: “Lusitânico”), from Latin “Lusitanicus,” adjective from Lusitania, the name of a Roman province in the Iberian Peninsula) is a term used to categorize persons who share the linguistic and cultural traditions of the Portuguese. ...
The term is not based specifically on race or ethnicity, but rather on a shared cultural and/or linguistic heritage. ...
The term can be easily compared to Hispanic - as this term describes those who speak the Spanish language, have Spanish ancestry from a Spanish-speaking nation or otherwise have cultural ties to Spanish-speaking nations.
The Lusitanic are people from the following nations and their descendants: Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira), Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Goa, Macao and East Timor. Many sociologists state that the people from the region of Galicia in Spain, just north of Portugal, are also Lusitanic because of their ancient ties with Lusitania.
From Lusitania to Portugal
The Lusitanians are considered one of the oldest groups of Indo-Europeans in Europe. They emigrated from the Swiss Alps and intermingled with ancient Celtic peoples some time before 500 BC.
Although eventually they became romanized, the Lusitanians held to an elevated sense of freedom and independence, fighting off the Romans from their mountainous home. They were one of the few peoples never conquered by Rome.
By about 1100, Lusitania had become an area loosely governed by medieval France, as was the rest of the northern Iberian Peninsula. The southern half of Iberia was controlled by the Muslim Moors.
At this time, a nobleman of Lusitanian and French descent, Afonso Henriques, rebelled against the French/Castilian dominance and declared a new nation. The two largest cities of Lusitania were Porto and Gallia. Joining the two names together, they arrived at the name of the new Lusitania – Portugal.
The Roman Catholic Church was not at all pleased with this new nation. For many years, Rome (the Vatican) would not recognize Portugal as a nation. This did not bother King Afonso, and Portugal continued as a nation of Christians who were not Roman Catholic. This is amazing as it was right in the middle of the Medieval Ages!
Portugal immediately set out to conquer the south and do away with the Moorish threat. Portugal's conquest of the south went very well and rather quickly. This got Rome's attention, especially because the Spanish were not able to conquer the Moors south of them. Eventually, Rome recognized Portugal as a nation, but the Portuguese continued to be at odds with the Vatican until the supposed apparition of Mary in Portugal in 1917. Only after that event, and with the help of dictator Salazar, did the Portuguese become as Catholic as the other Latin groups.
Portugal won its respect from the outside world when it sparked the Age of Discovery for the Europeans. In the early 1400's, Portugal was already discovering many new worlds, using some of the most advanced techniques of the day. This “Golden Age” of Portugal was the most blessed time for the Portuguese. Incidentally, at this time, Portugal was the only nation of Europe who embraced Jews into their land. Everywhere else, Jews were expelled into exile, forced to convert to Catholicism or executed.
Because of Portugal's extensive discoveries (about two-thirds of the globe), Jews were able to find new homes where they could be free from persecution once and for all.
The Lusitanic Nations
As Portugal and other European nations discovered new lands, they were quick to claim those lands. The old Portuguese Empire stretched as far as the British empire did, embracing many peoples and cultures.
These many people-groups adopted and/or adapted the Portuguese culture and/or language, often retaining most of their own cultures and languages. After Portugal returned independence to these many nations, a time of healing and reconciliation took place between Portugal and these now lusitanized nations. Today, they have formed a loose commonwealth called the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Nations (“Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa” - CPLP). Much trade, exchange of humanitarian services, and cultural interchange exist between these friendly nations.
Each of the Lusitanic nations have a rich history and culture that dates back to pre-European history. Unfortunately, many of them did not have writing. Nevertheless, the oral history has been written for historical reference and much can be learned from it. The cultural practices and cuisine have enriched the Portuguese and Brazilians in many ways. In a very real sense, all Lusitanic nations have affected each other in positive ways over the centuries.
The Lusitanic Groups in New England
Immigration of large numbers of Lusitanic peoples to New England began with the whaling industry. Most “American” whalers from New England were Lusitanic – especially Azorean.
The Lusitanics in New England created their own “colony” with Portuguese-language newspapers, magazines, supermarkets, businesses, clubs, churches, radio stations, television channels, non-profit organizations and so on. This hub of the Portuguese language in southern New England attracted more Lusitanics to the area over time. With civil unrest within the dying Portuguese Empire in the 1960's and 1970's, a large wave of Lusitanics immigrated into the United States, mostly going to where the Portuguese language was already established – southeastern Connecticut, northern Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.
Because of the common language and because of cultural similarities, the Lusitanic groups have stood by each other's side in this new land and have strengthened their bonds as Americans with a common background, calling themselves Luso-Americans or Lusitanic Americans.