Amerikaeners
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Majority: New Netherland • Tussenland • South Tussenland • Amerikaens Free State Plurality: Opdamsland • Boschland Minority: Mexico • Colombia • Panama City • Saint-Domingue | |
| Languages | |
| Primarily Amerikaens Regional languages (Palatine German • Corean • Chinese • Cantonese • Russian • Greek etc.) | |
| Religion | |
| Predominately Protestantism of the Calvinist tradition (Reformed Church • Anabaptism • Congregationalism etc.) Minority Catholicism and Zoekerism Other religions (Islam • Judaism • Buddhism • new religious movements etc.) |
Amerikaeners (Amerikaens: [ˌɑː.meː.riːˈkɑːnəɹs]) are a community and nation of people native to northern America defined by a shared identity, shared cultural traits, and perhaps most significantly the unifying use of the Amerikaens language. It is a historically ill-defined term; some may classify it as a (supra-)national identity, a race, an ethnicity, or a pan-ethnic group. The term, vague and broad in its meaning, emerged during the late 17th century to refer to citizens of New Netherland who considered themselves a single people and community through recognition of a common language, culture, ethos, and to a lesser extent, religion.
In a political sense, 'Amerikaener' may be used as a term to denote the citizens of Amerikaens-speaking members of the Association of North American Nations (ANAN) or more widely, a citizen of any state with a population predominately identifying as Amerikaener. In New Netherland, the term is commonly used in a narrower sense to refer to the citizenry of the country.
In terms of race, the label 'Amerikaener' can be used in a strict sense to only include descendants of European immigrants, particularly those from Western European states such as the Netherlands, France, Britain, and German states such as the Rhineland. This definition specifically excludes the majority of South Tussenlanders, who are of African origin; Opdamslanders, Vorstlanders, and Irokesenlanders, who are of indigenous American descent; as well as Westerzeelanders of Asian origin.
Today, Amerikaeners, in the broadest sense of the word, constitute the single largest social grouping in America, superseded only by Hispano-Americans. In the post-Great War era, they have been defined by their political unity through ANAN, internal identity conflicts (such as in the case of the Westerzee Troubles), and international cultural influence, especially through media such as film.
Definitions
Amerikaeners, Amerikaener or Amerikaen in the singular, comes from the Dutch term Amerikaan, first being attested in the late 17th century to refer to an individual born and raised in the colony of New Netherland. The addition of the suffix -er became popular during the 18th century as a national consciousness separate of the Dutch empire began to form in America
