Blasian
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[edit] History of Blasians
Image:AnaZuyoung.jpg The North American English term Blasian refers to those of mixed Black and Asian ancestry.<ref> Blasian. "For African Americans and Asians". 2006. September 6, 2006. Kitty, Moon, Asiazine, 'Blasian'. September 6, 2006.<http://www.asiazine.com/dating/dat06012.htm>. </ref><ref> Blasian. "For African Americans and Asians". 2006. September 6, 2006. <http://www.angelfire.com/md2/blasian/>.</ref><ref>Kitty, Moon. Asiazine. Blasian. September 6, 2006.<http://www.asiazine.com/dating/dat06012.htm>. </ref> The term "Blasian" originated from the blending of "Black" and "Asian".
The historical term for these unions are known as "Jotawa" or "hapa popolo." "Popolo" once exposed to Western civilization became a a deragatory term for someone who was of half-Asian, half-black, just as "hapa haole" became a deragatory term for those half Asian and half white.
Afro-Asian, another term for Blasian, is ambiguous because it can describe a black person living in Asia.
[edit] In Africa
While Blasians are commonly thought of as the result of blacks and Asians having children in immigrant nations such as Canada, there is also a substantial community of Blasians formed by people native to India visiting or settling in East Africa and intermingling with the locals. Before the Scramble for Africa, the most common examples were Indian traders (almost always male) in Swahili coastal towns and in the Kingdom of Zanzibar. Relations were not always friendly -- many Africans resented the Indian traders' practices, while the Indians in turn appear to have looked down upon the less-developed African communities -- but intermingling occurred with increasing frequency.
As the British Empire extended its domain over Africa and its control over British India, interrelations increased markedly. The process sped when India laborers emigrated to East Africa to seek employment building the Uganda-Kenya railway. After decolonization, business contacts kept Eastern and Southern Africa in contact with South Asia.
The highest Indian-African populations are in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
[edit] Blasians In Entertainment
In the past few years, blasians have been making a mark in the entertainment industry, most recently in careers that extend from creative arts and Music. Celebrities such as Kimora Lee Simmons, Tyson Beckford, Tiger Woods and Amerie Rogers, have paved the way for not only blasians, but Asians and African Americans looking to leave a mark on our mainstream. According to King magazine, constructed by the opinions of their readers, blasian models such as Tomika Skanes, Lashontae, etc. are increasingly becoming the next most desired models next to that of the Victoria's Secret angels.
[edit] Other Terms for Black and Asian
Image:Babymaya.jpg The following terms may be regionalisms or neologisms.
- Africasian (African and Asian)
- Blackanese (Black/Chinese, Black/Vietnamese, Black/Japanese, Black/Saipanese, etc)
- Blackorean/Blorean/Borean (Black/Korean)
- Blackapina/Blackapino (Black/Filipino)
- Afro-Filipino (African American/African and Filipino)
- Afri-Asian/Afro-Asian/Afrasian (African-Asian)
- Blietnamese/Afretnamese/Vietnamegro (Black/Vietnamese)
- Cablinasian (Caucasian, black, Indian, and Asian) Coined by Tiger Woods, professional golfer.
- Negrasian (Black and Asian)
- Blindian (Black/Indian)[Pronounced like "in" not like "blind"]
- Indigro/Afrindian (Black/Indian)
- Chinegro/Chigro (Chinese/Black)
- Blashasho (black and shasho)
- Blindonesian (Black and Indonesian)[Pronounced like "in" not like "blind"]
[edit] See also
- List of Blasians
- List of multiracial people
- Afro-Filipino
- List of terms for multiraciality
- Mulatto
- Hapa
[edit] External links
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] In Africa
- John Middleton, The World of the Swahili.
- James de V. Allen, Swahili Origins.
- Agehananda Bharati, The Asians in East Africa: Jayhind and Uhuru.
- "The Indian Diaspora" at the UCLA Manas project
