Amerikaeners

The term Amerikaener (Dutch: Amerikaaner, French: Américaener, Spanish: Americanero) is an endonymic term referring to a specific group of peoples and cultures based in northern America. They are defined by the Amerikaens language and Dutch cultural and/or ethnic origin. First coined in the 17th century, it has various usages and has had different definitions and scopes over time.

Geography

Amerikaeners can be found mostly across the Northern-half of North America but have several strong expat and settler communities across the Americas and throughout the world. Tussenland in terms of population has the largest Amerikaener population followed by New Netherland.

Uses

As a national term

While it functions as a primary national demonym of the Amerikaens Free State (along with Vrÿlander) the word Amerikaener is most used as a way to describe the "supra-nationality" of (mostly) Amerikaens speaking European settlers and their descents in North America. Generally Tussenlanders, New Netherlanders, Vrÿlanders & the Amerikaens speaking Voors (boers) in Northern Mexico unambiguously fall under the category of Amerikaeners while many Opdamslanders, South Tussenlanders & Boschlanders use the term in certain political or social contexts to describe themselves (but it is much less universal).

As a cultural term

Often, the term Amerikaens or Amerikaener has been utilized to describe the shared cultural traits shared amongst the Amerikaens speaking peoples of North America. These include a shared experience as settlers and frontiers-people, a common social attitude, aspects of their material culture and a common political appeal to "republican-values".

As a derogatory term

Kaenerin is a slur used by non-American Batavospheric peoples for Amerikaener women.

Culture

Language

While Amerikaens is generally considered to be the core-defining trait of Amerikaener nationhood several other linguistic communities that exist within majority Amerikaener nations often consider themselves "Amerikaener". Most notable of this group are Anglophone New Netherlanders who live primarily in the province of New Anglia. The Francophone communities of Tussenland additionally sometimes consider themselves as Amerikaener in certain context but this is situational based on family to family and often corresponds to geography.

Religion

Amerikaeners are overwhelming Christian but are known for being very diverse in terms of denomination and congregation with large Calvinist, Lutheran, Catholic, Orthodox, Vennerationist, Redemptionist, Salvationist, Baptist & Presbyterian communities. The largest non-Christian communities are Buddhists, Zoekerists & Jews.

See also

• Amerikaens language