Saint Malo Louisiana: Encyclopedia II - Saint Malo Louisiana - Way of Life

Saint Malo Louisiana - Way of Life

Not surprisingly, the diet in the village was mainly fish. The fishermen rarely got sick even though they lived on a diet of raw fish seasoned with oil and vinegar. They rarely ate rice, even though it is a staple food of Filipinos.

The predominant religion of the Manilamen was Catholicism, although it was not known whether or not a priest actually visited the settlement from nearby New Orleans to minister or perform any Christian rites and sacraments.

The Manilamen paid no taxes and had no policemen. They had set their own rules and laws that all those living in the village were bound to obey. In case of disputes, it was usually left to the oldest man currently living in the settlement to mediate the situation. If a man refused a given verdict or likewise became a problem, he was jailed in what was called a “fish-car”, a makeshift jail cell. Due to the harsh conditions and lack of food, the offender would usually change his mind and obey any rule or decision. The village was never visited by any Louisiana government official or tax man even though it was within the jurisdication of the nearby St. Bernard Parish.

Rarely did women live in the village. In fact there were no women in the village during Hearn's visit. Those fishermen who did have families had them live in New Orleans or in other localities. The reason for this can be attributed to the isolated and harsh conditions of the settlement. Since there were no Filipino women, the Manilamen often courted and married Cajun women, Indians, and others. Some of them enrolled their children in schools in New Orleans.

Whenever possible, if there were still the means of re-connecting with their families back in the Philippines, the Manilamen often sent money to friends in Manila with the profits they made from fishing.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Way of Life", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki