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* * * Portuguese-American literature comes of ageBy FRANK F. SOUSA Dr. Sousa is professor of Portuguese at UMass Dartmouth and director of UMD's Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. The Standard Times, New Bedford, Massachusetts, Wednesday, October 03, 2007 In 1951, Alfred Lewis published "Home Is an Island," an autobiographical coming-of-age novel about growing up in the Azores with the constant lure of America as the Promised Land. This fictional work, published by Random House, was the first by a Portuguese-American to command the attention of the English-reading public, garnering over 80 reviews, including two in the New York Times. One review, in the San Francisco Chronicle, acknowledged that "Home Is an Island" was "a pioneer effort from this particular group," and went on to express the hope that Lewis would "inspire other descendents of Camoens "¦ to take up the pen, to explore and relate the story of the Portuguese pioneers in California." Unfortunately, with the exception of Julian Silva, whose first novel, "The Gunnysack Castle," was published in 1983 by Ohio University Press, the Chronicle's call for genuinely distinguished and aesthetically compelling works of imaginative literature about the Portuguese-American experience had to wait until the 1990s. But things began to change in the last part of the 20th century, when Katherine Vaz, granddaughter of immigrants from the Azores, published the critically acclaimed novel "Saudade" in 1994, to which she has since added her second and equally well-received novel, "Mariana," and a short story collection entitled "Fado and Other Stories." Unlike Portuguese-American writers before her, Vaz was received — triumphantly at times — by an ethnic and immigrant community yearning for a strong literary voice to give aesthetic form to its experience. The first nationally celebrated poet is Frank X. Gaspar, whose collection, "The Holyoke," won the Morse Poetry Prize for 1988. Gaspar, who hails from Provincetown but lives and works in California, is the author of three more award-winning works of poetry and a highly praised novel, "Leaving Pico," that the New York Times termed "an expert portrait of the Portuguese immigrant experience, from its resistance to full integration to its more domestic squabbles." In fact, this was the first Portuguese-American novel since "Home Is an Island" to be reviewed in the Times at all. Charles Reis Felix, though of the same generation as Julian Silva, saw his first published work, "Crossing the Sauer," published in 2002 at age 79. This account of his experience as a combat infantryman in World War II was hailed by the historian Paul Fussell as "one of the most honest, unforgettable memoirs of the war I've read." With his subsequent memoir from 2004 about growing up in New Bedford and provocatively titled "Through a Portagee Gate" (the work has been adapted for the stage by Culture*Park of New Bedford), and his more recent novel, "Da Gama, Cary Grant and the Election of 1934," whose setting is a mythic mill town very much like New Bedford, Reis Felix has shown, along with José Saramago, the Portuguese author and 1998 Nobel laureate in literature, that it's never too late to start publishing first-rate literature. The Luso-Canadian Erika de Vasconcelos' first novel, "My Darling Dead Ones," published by Knopf in 1997, introduced a powerful new voice into North American-Portuguese fiction by examining the lives of three generations of women. Significantly, in terms of ethnic literature and the notion of a hybrid identity, the novel evokes the Portugal of the early 20th century as well as the Montreal of the 1960s and the Toronto of the 1990s. Following this impressive debut, de Vasconcelos added the lyrically titled "Between the Stillness and the Grove," which among many things evokes, in passing, Fernando Pessoa, the greatest Portuguese poet since Camões. As already seen in Lewis, and also evident in the writings of Vaz and Gaspar, among others, a writer of Portuguese descent dialogues with Portuguese literature and culture, and weaves, through memory, the Portuguese past in the American present. All of these writers explore what Werner Sollors, in the Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups, describes as the central theme in ethnic literature—"the relationship of the New and Old World in the struggle for an American Identity." They thereby speak to all of us, Portuguese-Americans or not, as Americans in a nation of immigrants. These five writers, Charles Reis Felix, Frank X. Gaspar, Julian Silva, Erica de Vasconcelos and Katherine Vaz, are the most celebrated Portuguese-American writers today. They were the focus of a recent author-led symposium, "Escrita da Vida — Vida da Escrita," organized by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities (MFH) and the UMass Dartmouth Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at the John F. Kennedy Library, with major sponsorship from the Luso-American Foundation, several Portuguese-American businesses and individuals, and this newspaper, among others in the region. As a follow up to the symposium, the MFH is presenting a five-part scholar-led reading and discussion series based on works by the five authors at public libraries throughout Massachusetts, including New Bedford and Fall River. For more information, visit www.mfh.org. The writings of the five authors represent a response to the call from the San Francisco Chronicle and to the question posed by literary critic Nancy Baden in a 1979 article polemically titled, "Does Portuguese-American Literature Exist?" The answer then was that neither the quantity nor the quality of published works by Portuguese-Americans justified such a designation. But today, these five authors, among others, whose prose and poetry map the Portuguese-American experience from a literary perspective, lead us to affirm, unequivocally, the existence of such a literature. In other words, Portuguese-American literature — works produced by Americans of Portuguese descent for whom a sense of ethnicity and heritage is a central component of their literary sensibility — is not just fledgling but has already taken wing.
PALCUS International Internship Program Expands in 2007
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Do you know about the book "Lincoln's Foreign Legion'"? This was a regiment in the American Civil War which was composed of non-English speaking volunteers from New York City. There were 10 companys of 120 men each, 4 companies were Germany, 1 ws Bohemian, 1 was Hungarian, 1 Italian, 1 Swiss, 1 French and 1 of Spaniards and Portuguese soldiers.
I think you will find it quite interesting. Check amazon.com to purchase a copy.
$1.5 million Portuguese-American Archives Endowment
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth announced today the creation of the Affonso “Ferreira Mendes” Mendes Portuguese-American Archives Endowment in the amount of $1.5 million. The event took place on Friday, April 15, 2005 at 12 Noon, in the University Library Reading Room (Parking Lot 13). The lead gift was made by Ms. Otília Ferreira, whose father, Affonso “Ferreira Mendes” Mendes, was one of the founders of Portuguese-American radio back in the early 1930s. Another six individual and institutions also made considerable contributions, namely, Anthony Andrade, Frank B. Sousa, Elisia Saab, Luis Pedroso, Maria Furman, John Gallant and the Luso-American Foundation, of Lisbon, Portugal.
Through the creation of the Affonso “Ferreira Mendes” Mendes Portuguese-American Archives Endowment, the “University recognizes the importance of the contributions to the United States of America by the more than 1 million Americans of Portuguese descent, including more than 45% of the population of the South Coast of Massachusetts,” said Chancellor Jean MacCormack. The University will take the steps necessary to document, effectively and properly, the Portuguese immigrant and ethnic experience in the United States by hiring the personnel capable of developing the Portuguese-American Archives, namely: a) an archivist with a mastery of the Portuguese language to catalogue and make accessible the various materials in the Archives; and b) a tenure-track faculty member in the area of social history, a specialist in Portuguese-American history and culture. These individuals will promote research, publications, colloquia, and exhibitions based on the Archives; facilitate the continued growth of the Archives; and encourage the use of the Archives for teaching purposes at the university and K-12 levels. All of these activities will enable scholars and students to contribute actively to the documentation of the history of the Portuguese in the United States.
The Archives will include letters, unpublished manuscripts, diaries, historical photographs, newspapers and magazines, papers of fraternal organizations, videos, films, recorded music, passports, oral history recordings and transcriptions, among other materials. Garnered principally from the region, but also from around the state and all parts of this great nation where the Portuguese have settled, these documents will embody the historical memories of Portuguese Americans. The objective is to build a unique and rich collection to be used by educators, scholars, family and community historians, filmmakers, exhibit curators, and journalists, among others. Through this collection, the experiences and thoughts of the immigrants and their descendents will become part of American history and the American experience. The Archives already house many important materials, including Diário de Notícias, published from 1919 to 1970, the only Portuguese-language daily newspaper ever published in the United States for a significant length of time.
Collaboration and Partnerships: According to Prof. Frank F. Sousa, director of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, “the Archives will be a valuable resource for anyone wishing to study the social history and culture of immigrant communities or to understand the politics and economics of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As the central repository for this invaluable material, the Archives will foster the creative potential of the emergent field of Portuguese-American Studies. The Archives will seek cooperation with museums, libraries, other archives, academic institutions, foundations and private collections throughout the United States, and aim to participate in joint projects, publications, exhibitions and conferences.”
The
Archives will support the University
commitment to promoting
regionally-based research, while
establishing partnerships with
community groups and regional
institutions. The Archives could
also serve as the basis for K-12
outreach and curriculum development,
and hopefully lead to NEH-funded
institutes for teachers in the area
of social studies and language.
Book-length studies based on the
Archives will be included in the
recently founded Portuguese in the
Americas Series, published by the
Center for Portuguese Studies and
Culture.
* * *
Portugal through the Eyes of a
Spanish Journalist: Lots of Spanish
men and women are discovering today,
with apparent surprise, the
existence of a neighbor next door
going by the name of Portugal, one
quite poorer than us, yet capable
enough to organize such an important
event as an European Soccer
Championship, to build several
sports stadiums, all of them
magnificent, to win over the
millionaire Spanish soccer national
team and even to position one of its
politicians, José Manuel Durão
Barroso, as president of EU's
Commission.
That country, whose soccer national
team yesterday played with and won
over the Netherlands (a feat on its
own) keeps being a great unknown for
Spain and the Spanish.
Why? Because, the Spanish, with
preposterous self-sufficiency, never
even tried to understand Portugal
and the Portuguese. And yet reality
is that we, Spanish, have a lot to
learn from our Atlantic neighbors.
To learn and to regret the absence
in Spain of that intellectual,
business and political elite who
speaks foreign languages, very close
to United Kingdom and French
culture, very little hispanofile,
yet very tolerant, very open, very
cosmopolitan. In Portugal, it would
be unthinkable to elect as President
of Republic someone who is not
proficient in both English and
French.
Most Portuguese make a point of
speaking Spanish when talking to the
Spanish, a civic attitude so hard to
find among their Spanish
counterparts. The President of the
Republic, Jorge Sampaio, lives in
his own house as does the
Prime-Minister. No one tries to get
advantage or gets addicted at their
office. Antonio Vitorino, presently
an European commissioner, resigned
from his cabinet as minister of
defense - a socialist, for sure -
after the discovery of a 40 euro
difference (30 US dollars) in his
term's finance.
Weeks ago, prime-minister Zapatero
went to Lisbon in his first
blitz-visit to our neighbor country
and did not stay for dinner, despite
being invited by Barroso. A symptom!
Seen from this perspective, no
wonder about the ever-present
distrust shared by the Portuguese
political class against Spain, a
distrust kept alive by the press.
They have their reasons. All the
building of that Open Portugal - an
old desire of those who seek an Open
Spain, capable of moving away from
its old ways - sits on a basis of a
lively freedom of speech defended by
all and apparent in all TV debates -
political, economical - and texts
published by daily and weekly press
(of great importance in our neighbor
country).
To compare that press freedom, that
civic value so dear to Portugal's
political elites, to speak loud and
clear and criticize whatever and
whoever they think deserving with
the fear of speaking of our rich
people, our businessmen, all
faithfully devoted to the law of
silence and with the secrecy and
commitment with political and
economical powers that characterizes
today's Spanish press - let alone TV
- makes you want to cry. How can the
Spanish underestimate Portugal and
the Portuguese? That is, doubtless,
one of the great mysteries of
Universal History.
WWW.ELCONFIDENCIAL.COM
Con Lupa - JESUS CACHO :01/07/2004
-
ELOGIO DE PORTUGAL, UN PAIS CON UNA FEROZ LIBERTAD DE
EXPRESION, DEL QUE LOS ESPANOLES TENEMOS MUCHO QUE APRENDER
We thank Mr.
Antonio Rocha Graça for the
translation from Spanish to English
of the following article written by
Mr. Jesus Cacho in Spanish and
published by "El Confidential" on
July 1st, 2004 in Spain.
* * *
The Cod Fish the loyal
friend of the Portuguese people, may be
in danger.
The mystery of Arctic cod is solved.
Amundsen, the ice-breaker which carries
out scientific research in the Arctic
Ocean, solved the mystery of the
disappearance of cods.
Canada
06/10/2004 - The team of Amundsen, the
Canadian ice-breaker of research which
has furrowed the Arctic for 10 months,
solved the mystery of the disappearance
of Arctic cod. The solution rests at the
ocean floor to 230 meters under the ice,
announced Louis Fortier, biologist
member of the crew, at the time of the
4th world Conference of the scientific
journalists, which is taken place from
the 4 to October 8 in Montreal. Party to
study the effects of the climatic
reheating on the Arctic, the boat
returns of its mission Friday to Quebec.
Up to now, the quantities of cods
found in the stomach of its
predatory did not correspond to the
quantities of fish measured in water
"We should have found 30 times more
cods in the ocean" explains Louis
Fortier, who is a also professor at
the Laval University, in Quebec.
Where thus did the fish pass which
the animals ingurgitent without the
knowledge of the scientists?
Answer: at the fine ocean floor
where the probes of Amundsen
detected well piled up fish "the
layers are so dense that the
apparatuses panic and confuse them
with sea-beds" declares the
biologist. The cods probably
followed their food, according to
the researcher. They consume and
reproduce at this place "For us, it
is from now on a solved enigma"
concluded the biologist.
Moreover, the team of Amundsen noted with surprise that the ice does not prevent the exchanges of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere. Although in winter, no biological activity comes to request CO2 of the air, the ice-barrier continues to breathe. Twenty milligrams of CO2 per square meters are absorbed in winter. Paid to the surface of the Arctic, that constitutes 7% of the world carbon dioxide emissions, calculates Louis Fortier. "One sees well that the directives of the protocol of Kyoto are not enough", regrets the biologist, worried by the consequences of the climatic reheating on the Arctic. It already made besides its mourning of the polar bear, "reduced survive in the zoos or the banks of ADN, from here less than one hundred years". Isabelle Masingue
Category of this
article:
Life sciences Last
modification: 07/10/2004
Received from José-Manuel de Oliveira, Genève Suisse
* * *
House passes Nunes resolution honoring Portugal July 14, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C.- The House of Representatives today passed a resolution authored by Rep. Devin Nunes honoring the government of Portugal and its people for its long-standing friendship and support of the United States.
Rep. Nunes submitted the resolution on behalf of himself, as well as Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced. The three congressmen are of Portuguese descent.
The resolution praises Portugal for being a "devout, resolute, and steadfast ally of the United States" in peace time and in armed conflict.
"The Portuguese people have committed a full array of their country's resources to fight the terrorist threat all over the world," Nunes' resolution said. "At the request of the United States and within the framework of the United Nations Security Council resolutions, Portugal has sent brave soldiers, medical teams, police, flight crews, and other military personnel to Iraq.
"The Democratic principles and ideals that Portugal and the United States share have formed the basis of an enduring friendship which has stood the test of time," the resolution stated.
Rep. Nunes explained his reason for submitting the resolution.
"In a time when alliances between the United States and its allies in the rest of the world are being put to the test in the war on terror, it's important to recognize those countries who continue to stand by the US," Rep. Nunes said.
Unmasking Columbus - 13 Years of Research in 7 Different Countries is Yielding a Book Full of Astonishing New Discoveries Related to the Life of Don Cristoval Colon (Christopher Columbus). Written by: Manuel D. Rosa and Erice J. Steele is currently seeking a publisher.
Melungeon's
Fifth Union Images Now Online.
Fifth Union, held June 17-19 in
Kingsport, Tennessee, drew hundreds
to the Civic Auditorium for
presentations and exhibits. You can
see pictures from Fifth Union.
PRESS RELEASE
World Channel in Portuguese upgrades
satellite network
Lisbon, (June, 2004) The ³World
Channel in Portuguese² is upgrading
its satellite network. Starting June
10, the Day of Portugal, RTP
International.
(RTPi) is launching a major
satellite restructuring to reach
lusophone viewers ³anywhere, anytime
in the world².
This upgrade brings RTPi to the
leading satellite technology and
addresses the new challenges of
Global Television. The Portuguese
Public Television¹s
(RTP) international channel is
launching a new distribution
strategy, particularly in America
and Europe, to reach the following
targets:
Prepare for the upcoming Digital TV Distribution environment in Europe by
launching digital broadcast on
Hotbird 4. Improve RTPi¹s video and
audio quality.
Value program contents with
interactive services, in the near
future, to promote viewer
participation.
Expand and improve RTPi¹s carriage
quality in America with a better
satellite footprint for Cable and
DTH on Intelsat 805.
Launch KU Band in North America to improve carriage quality and grant
individual viewers (DTH) free
reception with small antennas on the
domestic satellite AMC 4.Eliminate DTH shadow areas due to
satellite ³low horizon² and increase
reception in all North America
allowing dual illumination on C Band
(Intelsat 805) and KU Band (AMC 4).
Dual band illumination greatly
expands the potential for RTPi to be
carried by local cable networks.
Provide RTP teletext service
worldwide.
* * *
For details on the following News, Programs & Opportunities, please visit:
http://www.palcus.org
* * *
National Geographic WRITES ABOUT CABO VERDE Caboverdians in Rhode Island to be the subject of an article, with photos, in the June 2004 National Geographic.
Contemporary Cape Verdean and Mozambican Literatures and Cultures - A Colloquium: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. on February 6th.
- The IDB Cultural Center and the Embassy of Portugal present a recital by Portuguese violin virtuoso Gerardo Ribeiro on Thursday, January 22, Washington, D.C.
- CAPE VERDE: LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND MUSIC: A book Launching and Lecture at the Boston Public Library, February 4, Boston, MA.
- UMass-Dartmouth Summer Abroad in Portugal Program (June 18-July 16, 2004)
- Portuguese Heritage Scholarship Foundation Application Deadline: February 15, 2004
- Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs/Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program: now accepting applications for 2004.
- E-Journal of Portuguese History Now Online! A Joint Publication by the University of Porto and Brown University.
- The Portugal – US Chamber of Commerce to Celebrate its 25th Anniversary on St. Valentine’s Weekend in Lisbon, Portugal.
- A Pre-Publication Notice of a Forthcoming Title from University Press of America - Engaging Africa: Washington and the Fall of Portugal’s Colonial Empire.
- Employment Opportunities for Portuguese Speakers
- Network Links Library
- SAT II in Portuguese/Project SAT Seeks Your Info on Portuguese Classes in the U.S.
* * *
The Fund raising campaign to aid the victims of the fires in Portugal has come to an end.
The BCP Bank has transferred nearly $100,000 to Portugal . These funds were given to the different municipalities affected to be distributed to the affected people.
The amount of $73,794 was raised in the USA and $23,231 was obtained in Canada. We thank all that participated in this campaign. The Board of Directors and the Advisory Council
FIRES IN PORTUGAL - GOVERNMENT HAS DECLARED A STATE OF CALAMITY 15 PEOPLE DEAD - 300,000 ACRES OF FOREST BURNED - PLEASE HELP! The Foundation together with the Luso-Americano, a Newark, NJ newspaper and a local Bank is organizing a fund raising campaign to help the victims of this terrible catastrophe in Portugal. Donations may be sent to: We Care - Fogos em Portugal
Account 1009999111
BCPBank
255 Lafayette St.
Newark, NJ 07105 - Also in other branches of the BCP Bank in New Jersey and Massachusetts
* * *
My apologies to those who do not read Portuguese - but the following is a story on the new UN representative to Iraq who is a Portuugese diplomat and replaces the late Vieira de Melo who was killed in the bombing of the UN building in Iraq,
Elmano
LUSOFONIA CONTINUA NO IRAQUE
Depois do Brasileiro Viera de Melo, o português Ramiro Lopes da Silva é o novo representante da ONU.
O português de origem Cabo-verdiana, Ramiro Lopes da Silva é o novo representante-especial da ONU no Iraque, indigitado pelo secretário-geral, Kofi Annan, para assumir interinamente o cargo que pertencia ao brasileiro Sérgio Vieira de Mello, morto na última terça-feira num atentado contra o edifício da ONU naquele país. O português Ramiro Lopes da Silva, indigitado para representante do secretário-geral da ONU no Iraque, afirmou-se "honrado" com a escolha, mas disse ter «a humildade suficiente» para saber aquilo que pode fazer. Em declarações a imprensa, Ramiro Lopes da Silva disse não ter intenção de deixar o Iraque e manifestou a sua «total disponibilidade» a Kofi Annan para substituir o diplomata Sérgio Vieira de Mello. O diplomata português que até terça-feira era o "número dois" da missão da ONU no Iraque, disse aos jornalistas que está disposto a trabalhar para restabelecer «a normalidade possível» nas operações da ONU, nos próximos dias. Ramiro Lopes da Silva Engenheiro, com uma especialização em linhas de transmissão de alta voltagem, Ramiro Armando de Oliveira Lopes da Silva nasceu em Moçambique, filho de um português e de uma cabo-verdiana, a 16 de Janeiro de 1949. Director-geral dos Portos e Caminhos-de-Ferro de Moçambique, em Fevereiro de 1985, foi convidado para o Programa Alimentar Mundial (PAM) das Nações Unidas para uma missão de três meses, e acabou por aceder ao cargo de director da Divisão de Transportes e Logística daquela organização. Entre outros cargos, foi também Coordenador das Nações Unidas para os Assuntos Humanitários em Angola, de 1996 a 1998. Em 31 de Maio de 2002, foi nomeado por Kofi Annan coordenador das Nações Unidas para as operações humanitárias no Iraque. Africanidade 25-08-2003 12:06
* * *
Ted Costa of Sacramento, who initiated the recall petition against Governor Davis of California is a second generation Portuguese-American. So you can laud or blame (depending on your point of view) a Portuguese person for getting this going. As a result, Gov. Gray Davis will face a recall election on Oct. 7, the lieutenant governor said Thursday, selecting the last possible date allowed by California law and giving his fellow Democrat nearly three months to campaign to keep his job.
We have stressed the importance of Portuguese-Americans getting involved in the political process - Mr. Costa is obviously one of those. -----Source: Professor Elmano Costa
* * *
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THE PORTUGUESE WERE THE FIRST EUROPEANS TO NAVIGATE THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND A PORTUGUESE (Ferdinando Magellan-Fernão de Magalhães) NAVIGATOR GAVE ITS NAME.
When Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, empire-building European countries rushed to explore the New World and lay claim to its land and resources. It was this climate of cutthroat competition, says ex-CIA analyst Peter Dickson, that led the Portuguese to launch an expedition that sailed around South America and into the Pacific Ocean - and then try to cover up the discovery. Most historians believe that in 1513, Spaniard Vasco de Balboa was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. But Mr. Dickson, a retired CIA analyst living in Arlington who holds master's degrees in government, philosophy and history, is trying to change all that. He has concluded that the Portuguese secretly sailed around the tip of South America at least a decade before Balboa's famed trek across the Isthmus of Panama. Mr. Dickson will share his research today at 2 p.m. at a Library of Congress lecture. The full text of his findings will appear in the magazine Exploring Mercator's World. Mr. Dickson gleaned his conclusions from 16th-century sources, including pieces from a small globe, a geographical essay and the Waldseemuller Map, which the Library of Congress is purchasing from Germany for $10 million. created in 1507, the globe, essay and map were part of a large-scale project in St. Die, France. There, a team of geographers, led by mapmaker Martin Waldseemuller, sorted through and compiled much of the new geographical information made available by explorers. Conventional wisdom has Balboa reaching the Pacific in 1513 and Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailing into it sometime between 1519 and 1522. Before then, scholars believe, geographers thought only one ocean separated Europe from Asia. Mr. Dickson first saw the Waldseemuller Map in 1995. "I was blown away that they got the basic pieces of the puzzle correct," he says. The map, while somewhat crudely drawn, did approximate the size and shape of South America. Last January, while working on a bibliography about the Waldseemuller Map, Mr. Dickson noticed a small detail on the globe pieces. On the globe, the mapmakers applied the label "Oceanus Occidentalis" to what is now the Pacific Ocean. The term, which means "western ocean," referred to the Atlantic at the time. This implied, to Mr. Dickson, that the Portuguese knew the Atlantic and Pacific oceans were separate but connected. Spurred by this strange detail, Mr. Dickson started studying the Waldseemuller Map more closely. He soon noticed the map accurately depicted the angular shift in the western coast where present-day Chile and Peru meet. The map located the bend between 18 and 19 degrees latitude south - virtually an exact match with modern maps. "That's a key geographic feature," says Mr. Dickson. "It's very distinct. "The map also shows the Andes Mountains, which aren't visible from the eastern coast. Mr. Dickson started checking the measurements of the continent in latitude and longitude. They were 90 percent accurate, he says. Finally, he turned his attention to the essay that accompanied the map. It described the newly discovered land as an island, which "implies the ability to sail around to the south without actually saying that someone had really done that," Mr. Dickson says. From there he connected the dots. The Portuguese, not Balboa, first discovered the Pacific, Mr. Dickson concluded. While Mr. Dickson is satisfied with his evidence, some experts aren't. David Woodward, a geographer from the University of Wisconsin, says theories like Mr. Dickson's are common. "A lot more evidence, including archival evidence, is needed to postulate such a voyage," Mr. Woodward says. "Correlation of a position on an old map with today's knowledge does not prove that anyone was actually there. It could be a coincidence." And if Mr. Dickson is right, why would the Portuguese be so secretive about their discovery? "[The early 16th century] was a moment when secret knowledge was of great value,&quo t; says Mr. Dickson. "You had a competitive advantage if you were exploring." In addition to military and political advantage, such information had economic value. The Waldseemuller Map cuts off the southern tip of South America, which lay in Spanish territory, implying that there was no way around the continent. But the trade route around Africa - a route controlled by the Portuguese, incidentally - is clearly marked. "They were dying of curiosity," Mr. Dickson says. "I think the Portuguese were determined, once they found Brazil, to find out if there was another strait that could pose problems for their African route." "This map is biased towards Portugal," he continues. "They were stepping around the awkward truth. They didn't lay all the cards on the table in any map or in writing." John Hebert, chief of the geography and map division at the Library of Congress, says an early Portuguese expedition is "highly possible." That such a voyage would remain secret is also likely. "[The map] hasn't been thoroughly studied from the angle of, 'What was its intention?'" Mr. Hebert says. Mr. Dickson says: "You have to be thinking about all the pieces of this puzzle: the globe, the essay and the map. Nobody did that." Most scholars, he says, focused on the map's use of the name "America" for the New World. The label earned the map the nickname "America's birth certificate." Waldseemuller believed that Amerigo Vespucci first discovered the South American mainland in 1497. "If there's another artifact that has more packed in it of global significance, I don't know what it is," says Mr. Dickson. "My discovery underscores the importance of the map." Mr. Dickson doesn't have ties to any universities, a fact he says helps his research. "That's one of the reasons I made this discovery," he says. "If you're in one of the universities, you accept orthodoxies, and it's hard to push against the conventional wisdom. The academic world is not a place where you end up making great breakthroughs in the humanities." Long thought to be lost, the Waldseemuller Map sat in a castle in southern Germany for 350 years until its rediscovery in 1901. The Library of Congress is trying to raise an additional $3.5 million to purchase the map, which measures approximately 36 square feet, from its German owner. "This isn't a Columbus thing all over again," says Mr. Hebert, referring to the controversy of where exactly Columbus landed in 1492. "It begins the search for answers all over again." The Washington Times Mapping history anew October 10, 2002 Section: NATION CULTURE, ET CETERA Page: A02 Josh Earl, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
DNA HELPS SOLVE THE MELUNGEON MYSTERY: In 1996, after an extensive investigation, a Portuguese author revealed that the origin of the Melungeon people connection with the Portuguese may have had its beginnings in Northern India, Goa, Damão e Diu.
Now, seven years later and after two years of DNA study, Dr. Kevin Jones a molecular Biologist from the University of Tennessee in Wise, declared during the fourth Union of the Melungeon people in Kingsport, Tennessee that the results showed that about 5 percent of the DNA indicated African descent, 5 percent was native American, and the rest was "Eurasian" a group defined by clumping together Europe, the Middle East and India.
Dr. Jones also said that the most surprising was evidence of a rare DNA sequence common to a Northern Indian tribe called the Siddis. They are located in North Canara, ou Karnatka, a province where the Portuguese had its Indian empire and where Goa, Damão e Diu is located. Originally the study had begun to gain insight into diseases that seemed to occur more frequently in the Melungeons than in any other population.
The Siddis are descendants of sailors - possible Portuguese - and merchants who ended up in India as a result of trade with East Africa (Mozambique).
This news was first published in the book "The Forgotten Portuguese" and subsequently in the the "Luso-Americano" as part of a series of articles. The Portuguese-American Historical and Research Foundation has recently published two additional books in English and Portuguese focusing in the history of the presence of this and other groups connected with the Portuguese: "The Portuguese Making of America" and "Os Portugueses na Formação da América" which are on sale at the Luso-Americano book store.
The amazing story of the Melungeons has puzzled American writers and researchers for the last two hundred years. Their presence in the Appalachian Mountains was felt around the mountains located in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. They have been subjected to discrimination just like the Blacks, because of their olive skin tone. Today however most of them have fair complexions and look quite Caucasian, although with a Mediterranean complexion.
Their claim of Portuguese ancestry has been ignored in spite of the constant confirmations by researchers, authors, and journalists of that possibility.
by Manuel Mira
Danielle Steel is honored by the French Government: Bestseller author was awarded the knighthood of arts and letters in Paris for her contribution to the arts. Danielle is the grandaudgter of a Portuguese from the Azores.
Portuguese-American voices heard by Governor Gray Davis in California: Last year Governor Davis of California vetoed a bill: to allow Portuguese Studies to continue in the Universities of California. The Portuguese-Americans got together made a lot of noise and we just receive word that it has been approved to allow the Universities of California to continue Portuguese Studies.
For more information:
portuguese studies allowed
The Portuguese-American Political Action Committee Of California (PAPACC) Has Been Launched: The PAPACC will serve as a voice for the Portuguese community in California, and represent the community's interests, concerns and needs at the local and state levels. PAPACC is a non-profit, bi-partisan organization and will not support any one political party or candidate. The PAPACC has been established to inform, educate, assist and advocate. If you would like to be added to their mailing list and kept apprised of their activities and issues that affect Portuguese-Americans in California, or if you would like to actively participate in the Committee, please contact the PAPACC via email at:
PortuguesePAC@hotmail.com or call (415) 999-7894
Heritage Harbor Museum Scheduled To Open In Fall Of 2004: in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. This museum will represent the main ethnic and cultural groups that live in Southeastern New England. This museum is currently the only museum in New England affiliated with the prestigious Smithsonian Institution. Thanks to the work of the Portuguese Cultural Foundation, the Portuguese community will be well represented. The centerpiece of the museum will be a life-size replica of a 15th century Portuguese caravel. The caravel has been a symbol of exploration of the unknown for over 500 years and was the vessel that carried the explorers responsible for mapping most of the non-European world. For more information on the Heritage Harbor Museum, please contact the Portuguese Cultural Foundation at:
http://go.to/portugueseculture or email the Foundation at:
PCF@peoplepc.com
Nelly Furtado Receives Grammy: A Canadian born of Portuguese parents won a Grammy for her single "I'm like a bird". The Grammy award is only given to the best in the competitive world of music.
"This is fantastic" were the first words by Nelly when she received the award during the ceremony with the presence of many starts in Los Angeles. Nelly is now one of the few in a restricted group of Grammy awardees. She won notoriety with her album "Whoa Nelly" that she put together with a variety of sounds and influences. Congratulations, Nelly.
The New England Academy of Codfish has just purchased 400 books from the Foundation. These are to be offered to various Libraries in NEw England, Public Colleges, Universities and High Schools. Once again, this organization has demonstrated its support for Portuguese literary works and their contribution to the Portuguese-American Community. The Foundation wholeheartedly thanks the Academy and its Members. See the Letter from Dr. Luciano da Silva in our
Email - Letters - Genealogy - History page.
Portugal's Luis Figo Crowned FIFA World Player of the Year 2001:
The talented Portuguese playmaker headed the list for the first time ever. For more information on Luis Figo and the voting for the 2001 FIFA Worl Player of the year:
www.fifa.com/events/playergala/index_E_2001.html
Portuguese Studies in California - The following is copy of an email sent to Professor Elmano in California: GOOD NEWS: I received a telephone call from Elaine Alquist, of the State Assembly. She was responding personally to the copy of the letter from the PHSC to Governor Davis that I delivered to her office on our recent visit to Sacramento. She is chair of the Education Committee and indicated her willingness to support our request. I told her that Mike Goetz has indicated that he would try to get funding into the budget. She will contact him. I will send her an email thanking her for her support and indicating that you are the chairperson for our committee. Regards, Al Dutra
First endowed Chair in Portuguese at the UMass Dartmouth University: Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD); Luis Pedroso, businessman; Anthony Andrade, businessman; Frank B. Sousa, president, Colonial Wholesale Beverages and chairman of the UMD Foundation; Maria Furman, managing director/vice president, Standish, Ayer & Wood, Inc.; and Manuel Fernando Neto, principal, Neto Insurance donated funds for the Umass Dartmouth to qualify for the state matching funds to establish a Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture. Luis Pedroso contributed $300,000 and FLAD, $200.000, being the largest donors. The chair will be named The Helio and Amelia Pedroso/Luso-American Development Foundation Endowed Char in Portuguese Studies.
John N. Palmer Confirmed as Ambassador of the United States to Portugal: On October 30,3001, Mr. Palmer of Mississippi, was confirmed by the Senate to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the US to the Republic of Portugal. Mr. Palmer is expected to be in Portugal by early November to assume his duties.
From the Portuguese Historical and Cultural Society (PHCS): We received the latest issue of "O Progresso". Congratulations on the very informative bulletin and our thanks to Lionel Rocha Holmes.
NBC Sitcom Emeril: Features Portuguese-American chef Emeril Lagasse. The new sitcom airs every Tuesday at 8 pm. Show your support for the Portuguese-American television personality from Fall River, MA.
Claudio Reyna - Present captain of the US national team (soccer): Considered the best active US player. Claudio Reyna, who returns to the side after serving a one-match ban, will once again captain the 24-man squad. Plays professionally for the Glasgow Midfielder Rangers. Born in NJ to an Argentine father and Portuguese mother.
A Portuguese judge (of the International Court) sent to prison for the next 46 years a Serbian general for genocide.
"The Portuguese in Canada" released by University of Toronto Press: See new books release page for more information.
World Portuguese Population has reached 15 million: Portugal in its most recent census has passed the ten million mark population. The US has 1,153,351, Canada 415,000 and Brazil one million. The third largest Portuguese population outside Portugal is France with 798,837 followed by Venezuela and Canada. We believe these numbers are rather conservative as it has been estimated that in the US alone the number may have reached or passed the two million mark.
President Bush has announced his intention to nominate John N. Palmer to be Ambassador of the United States to Portugal. "John Palmer is a telecommunications pioneer, public servant and philanthropist. His leadership in both the public and private sector will serve the United States well in strengthening our close economic and security relations with Portugal," said President Bush.
Ambassador Francisco Seixas da Costa has been named the new Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations.
Author of the book "The Forgotten Portuguese" is awarded the Medal of Merit by the Portuguese Government:
Palcus honors three Portuguese-Americans for their outstanding contributions: Katherine Vaz, Rui Ponte and Eng. José Lello.
Melungeon Heritage Association holds meeting in Wise, Virginia:
Scholarships in the USA: Click on scholarship page for more information: www.PortugueseFoundation.org/scholarships.htm.