Dutch people

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This article is about the ethnic group. For other uses of the term see Dutch (disambiguation), for citizens or nationals of the Netherlands, see Demographics of the Netherlands

<th style="background-color:#fee8ab;">Related ethnic groups</th>
<td style="background-color:#fff6d9;">Afrikaners, Flemings, Frisians.</td>

The Dutch (Dutch language Nederlanders, meaning "Low Landers") are an ethnic group who form the majority of the population of the Netherlands (13 million in 2006) <ref>13 186 600, autochtone population at 01 january 2006, Central Statistics Bureau, Integratiekaart 2006, [5] </ref>. The term can have different meanings depending on context, the number of Dutch people today for example can range from 13,000,000 to 25,000,000<ref>This is when the people who report Dutch ancestry are added (for example Dutch Americans).</ref> or even 34,000,000<ref>This is when the Flemings are added. Among supporters of the Greater Netherlands/Dietsland and those who advocate (even) closer ties between the Flemish and Dutch, this is a common definition.</ref> depending on context and definition. National identity, and the issue of who belongs to the Dutch people, are controversial issues in the Netherlands.

[edit] History

The area inhabited by the "Dutch people" historically did not coincide with the boundaries of the current country of the Netherlands <ref> See for example the range of the Old Dutch language.</ref>. The Low Countries were inhabited by several ethnic groups since Roman times. The Franks<ref name="Franks">After the turmoil and the Fall of the Roman Empire various Germanic tribes invaded what is now Western Europe and established their kingdoms (as this map shows) the Franks became the dominant people in what are now the Low Countries</ref>, a Germanic people first recorded living in Pannonia<ref>The earliest Frankish history remains relatively unclear. The main source, the Gallo-Roman chronicler Gregory of Tours, whose Historia Francorum (History of the Franks) covers the period up to 594, quotes from otherwise lost sources like Sulpicius Alexander, Frigeridus, and profits from Gregory's personal contact with many Frankish notables. Apart from Gregory's History, there exist some earlier Roman sources such as Ammianus and Sidonius Apollinaris. Gregory states that the Franks originally lived in Pannonia, but later settled on the banks of the Rhine. Additional early sources likewise relate that the Franks migrated in prehistoric times from the mouth of the Danube on the Black Sea, to the Rhine, where they adopted their name (circa. 11 BC) in honour of a hereditary chieftain called Franko – replacing the earlier tribal name Sicambri (or Sugambri) – said to be an offshoot of the Cimmerians or Scythians. This legend of a Scythian or Cimmerian background is thus consistent with the origin legends of nearly all other European nations as well. </ref>, were the most dominant group. Over time the present day Netherlands belonged to the Frankish Empire, later to the Holy Roman Empire, and ultimately to the Spanish Habsburg territories. The Protestant revolt against the Catholic Spanish empire - the Dutch Revolt - led to the creation of the Dutch Republic, one of the first nation-states in Europe. From that time there is an identifiable and distinct "Dutch people". The Southern Netherlands stayed under Spanish rule, and the predominantly Catholic Dutch-speaking population in Flanders became culturally more distinct. The majority population in Flanders is now often described as the Flemish people, although this is a controversial description within Belgium, since it carries implications of Flemish separatism.

The Dutch Republic eventually disappeared during the Batavian revolution and the Dutch were for a short while incorporated within the French Empire. When France was eventually defeated, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was created, comprising of the modern Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. However the Kingdom proved to be unworkable, aside from the different ethnic groups living within its boundaries (Walloons, Germans and the Dutch) there also were various religious and economical differences and in 1830 the Belgian revolution resulted in 2 separate countries; Belgium and the Netherlands, Luxembourg would be granted independence peacefully in 1890. The Netherlands remained neutral during the First World War and tried to do the same at the start of the Second World War but were nevertheless invaded. After a long and destructive 5-year occupation by Nazi Germany the Dutch were once again free even though the country lay in ashes. Nevertheless the Dutch rebuilt their country and changed it from a primarily agricultural nation into an industrialised one.

[edit] Timeline

This chronology lists some of the main historical events relating to the current Dutch people. For a more detailed history of the region see: History of the Netherlands and Low Countries.

• Ancient times, several tribes (Belgae, Batavii) and partial Roman occupation.
• At the end of the Migration Period the Frisians, Saxons and Franks inhabit the Low Countries.
• 843, the Treaty of Verdun is signed. The Carolingian Empire, is divided into three kingdoms between Charlemagne's grandsons, the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious. The Low Countries become part of Middle Francia, the realm of Emperor Lothair I.
• 962, the Holy Roman Empire is established with the coronation of Otto the Great. Most of the Dutch states/fiefs are a part of this multi-ethnic empire. With the decreased central powers the Low Countries drift apart and form semi-independent fiefdoms.
• 1384, The dukes of Burgundy started to unite the Low Countries (till 1473)
• 1549, The Pragmatic Sanction of 1549, issued by Charles V, established the Low Countries as the Seventeen Provinces (or Spanish Netherlands in its broad sense) as an entity separate from the Holy Roman Empire and France.
• 1566, iconoclasm. A wave of destruction aimed at the Catholic Church sweeps through the Low Countries. Unofficial start of the Dutch Revolt against Habsburg Spain.
• App. 1580, de facto independence of the Northern Low Countries. Becoming arguably the first nation state of modern Europe. (The Dutch republic). De facto establishment of the Southern Netherlands as an independent entity.
• 1585, Fall of Antwerp to the Spanish. Southern Dutch intellectuals start to migrate to the Northern Netherlands.
• 1630, Slow development of the worldwide Dutch Empire.
• 1648, Peace of Westphalia, the end of the Eighty Years' War. Offical geopolitical division of the Dutch and the people now known as the Flemings, the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of modern Belgium.
• 1795, The British conquer Cape Colony, the future South Africa separating the Dutch settlers from the Netherlands.
• 1810, the Netherlands become part of the French Empire.
• 1813, the Netherlands become an independant state once more.
• 1815, In an effort to reunite the seventeen province the United Kingdom of the Netherlands is established.
• 1830, Belgian revolution. The Southern provinces secede; de facto restoring the situation from before 1806.
• 1839, The independence of Belgium is acknowledged by the Dutch.
• 1940-45, 75% of the Dutch Jews perish in the holocaust. One of the highest percentages in Nazi-Germany occupied territory.
• 1949, The independence of former colony Indonesia is acknowledge. Dutch Indonesians migrate to the Netherlands
• 1950's-1970's During the blooming Economy large number of immigrants came to the Netherlands, first from Italy and Spain later predominantly from Turkey and Marocco. This same period saw the start of emigration of Dutch farmers, looking for larger pastures to especially Canada and Australia.
• 1975, Independence of Surinam, a former Dutch colony. Large numbers of Surinamese moved to the Netherlands.

[edit] Influence on the world

Further information: Dutch Empire

Although comparatively small in numbers, the Dutch have definitely made their mark on the world, as we know it today. The Dutch were an economical and military superpower during much of the 16th and 17th century and involved in many conflicts of the time period. Such as the Anglo-Dutch Wars which, although ending in a Dutch victory, would eventually allow the Royal Navy to become the largest and most powerful navy in the world and maintain the British Empire.<ref>After defeats in the second and third Anglo-Dutch wars the Royal Navy gradually developed into the strongest navy in the world. From 1692 the Dutch navy was placed under the command of the Royal Navy's admirals by the Dutch William III's command following the Glorious Revolution.</ref> Dutch colonialism also still influences the lives of many today. The Dutch were one of the few Europeans to (successfully) colonize parts of Africa<ref>Beginning in the sixteenth century, Europeans such as the Dutch began to establish trading posts and forts along the coasts of western and southern Africa. Eventually, a large number of Dutch augmented by French Huguenots and Germans settled in what is today South Africa. Their descendants, the Afrikaners and the Coloureds, are the largest European-descended groups in Africa today. See Demographics of Africa for more information.</ref> and their descendants, the Afrikaners, greatly influence(d) South Africa. The Dutch also controlled what is now known as Indonesia, and waged various wars against its native inhabitants in a series conflicts raging from the early 16th to the late 20th century. The area surrounding New York was a Dutch colony and in fact many street names and geographical locations still bear Dutch (though Anglicised) names<ref>Legacy of the Dutch in New York.</ref>.

[edit] Contribution to humanity

Further information: List of Dutch people

Despite being relatively small in numbers, the Dutch have definitely made their mark on the world, as we know it today. Extremely few painters are so well known across the world as Van Gogh and Rembrandt. Great philosophers like Spinoza<ref name="GrNed"> Both Spinoza as Anne Frank are of non-Dutch heritage. While Anne Frank did have some Dutch blood from her mothers lineage, Spinoza has none since his family were originally Portuguese Jews. Nevertheless they are generally considered Dutch in the sense they were Dutch nationals raised with Dutch language and culture alongside their own Jewish heritage, who considered themselves members of the Dutch ethnic group as well. This respect goes both ways as is illustrated by their inclusion in a recent gameshow aiming to identify the Greatest Dutchman of all times (as can be seen here), and the depiction of Spinoza on largest denomination of the national heroes series of Dutch guilder banknotes designed in the 1970s </ref>, Erasmus of Rotterdam and Hugo Grotius as well as various poets and writers such as Pieter Hooft, Joost van den Vondel and Anne Frank<ref name="GrNed"/>. also made their mark on how we today view the world. The Netherlands were arguably the first nation state of the world and one of the first republics in modern Europe. During the early 17th century the economical reforms, empire and ideas made the Netherlands one of the world's richest countries and the first thoroughly capitalistic country.<ref>Many economic historians regard the Netherlands as the first thoroughly capitalist country in the world. In early modern Europe it featured the wealthiest trading city (Amsterdam) and the first full-time stock exchange. The inventiveness of the traders led to insurance and retirement funds as well as such less benign phenomena as the boom-bust cycle, the world's first asset-inflation bubble, the tulip mania of 1636-1637, and according to Murray Sayle, the world's first bear raider - Isaac le Maire, who forced prices down by dumping stock and then buying it back at a discount ("Japan Goes Dutch", London Review of Books [April 5, 2001]: 3-7).</ref>

[edit] Culture and identity

Main article: Dutch culture

Dutch culture is diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the foreign influences thanks to the merchant and exploring spirit of the Dutch. The Netherlands and Dutch people have played an important role for centuries as a cultural center, with the Dutch Golden Age regarded as the zenith. During the 20th century Dutch architects played a leading role in the development of modern architecture, Dutch painters like Rembrandt and Van Gogh are world renowned<ref>Artcyclopedia, list of most popular artists, Van Gogh ranks 2nd, Rembrandt 7th.</ref>.

The Dutch people and their culture were historically influenced by the culture of neighbouring regions. France played a substantial role in the history of the Netherlands in the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries, and there are resulting cultural influences. Cultural contacts with Scandinavia were, and are, much less influential. English-speaking cultural influences are predominant since the Second World war. The Dutch also were influenced by their colonies, most notably Indonesia.

The Dutch and the Flemish share the same language: Dutch. The present state border between the Netherlands and the Flemish part of Belgium does not coincide with any linguistic or dialectal boundary. In the Province of Limburg, the Netherlands border with Wallonia coincides, in places, with the Dutch-French linguistic boundary.

Until 1830, the Dutch and Flemings (who live in Northern Belgium) were generally considered as one single people, and in fact some people still do. Due to historical causes, mostly rooted in the Dutch revolt the two groups slowly started to diverge. Nevertheless affiliation is still very strong with the same language and a very similar culture. Ever since the Belgian revolution (and the following discriminating laws and perceived discrimination against Dutch speaking Belgians by their French countrymen) there have been groups in the Netherlands, and especially Flanders, who seek a unification of both entities. Such an event could happen, considering that a large portion of the Walloons, the second largest ethnic group in Belgium, also strive to a unification, be it with another country: France; but both the Flemish and the Walloons hold on to the (historically Dutch, currently near 90% French-speaking, officially bilingual) capital Brussels.

The Frisian people, who speak their own language and today live mainly in Friesland (a province of the Netherlands), have had some influence on Dutch culture, especially in the northern parts of Holland proper; also named West Frisia.

[edit] Dutch language

Main article: Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium which was first attested around 470 AD. Dutch is an official language of the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, Aruba, and the Netherlands Antilles. The Dutch, Flemish and Surinamese governments coordinate their language activities in the Nederlandse Taalunie ('Dutch Language Union'). Dutch was an official language in South Africa up until 1961, having fallen into disuse since Afrikaans, itself a decendant of Dutch) became an official language in 1925. Of the inhabitants of New Zealand, 0.7% say their home language is Dutch (see article on New Zealand). The number of people coming from the Netherlands, though, is considerably higher but from the second generation on most people changed their language in favour of English.

Standaardnederlands or Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands ('Common Dutch', abbreviated to ABN) is the standard language as taught in schools and used by authorities in the Netherlands, Flanders, Suriname, Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. The Dutch Language Union defines what is ABN and what is not, for example in terms of orthography.

[edit] The image of the Dutch

[edit] Symbols

Stereotype "Dutch" symbols such as wooden shoes, tulips, cheese and windmills, are not national symbols of the Netherlands, but reflect a popular image of the Netherlands and the Dutch people. The Netherlands itself has standard national symbols, including the Dutch flag and the national colour orange. The red, white and blue flag is the oldest tricolour in continuous use until today. Orange is the symbolic colour of the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau.

[edit] Self-image

The Dutch have a self-image that differs considerably from the image(s) other people have of them (see section below). The Dutch may acknowledge that they are the cleanest people on earth, are thrifty, have an excellent feel for business, are good at foreign languages and have an unequalled ability to coexist with others. They take most pride in their tolerance and flexibility, even though they will most likely not, unless pushed, say that these characteristics make them somehow superior to others. However they do have inconsistencies; for example, a secret mistrust of foreigners and a distaste of alien cuisine.<ref name= "Xeno">The Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch; "How they see themselves"</ref>

[edit] Dutch image worldwide

Most nations regard the Dutch as being organized and efficient, rather like the Germans, although to a lesser degree. One can hardly be frightened, the stereotypical reasoning goes, by "a nation of rosy-cheeked farmers who live in windmills, wear clogs, have a garden full of tulips and sit on piles of yellow cheese". But apart from the more or less touristy image, the Dutch also have a reputation for being opinionated, stubborn and incurably mean. The Belgians even consider them to be downright devious in business affairs. Dutch frankness completely overwhelms more reticent peoples such as the Japanese who consider the Dutch to be the most arrogant of all the Europeans they do business with<ref name="Xeno"/>, but at the same time are impressed by their reputation as formidable traders. "Where a Dutchman has passed, not even the grass grows anymore" a Japanese saying goes. English people survey the Dutch with guarded approval, as the closest any "continentals" will come to the sacred state of being English. It wasn't always like this. At the time of the Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 17th century these two nations were at each other’s throats. An English pamphlet raged: "A Dutchman is a Lusty, Fat, Two-legged Cheese worm. A Creature that is so addicted to eating butter, drinking fat, and sliding (skating) that all the world knows him for a slippery fellow". At this time the English language gained a whole array of new insults such as "Dutch courage" (booze-induced bravery), "Dutch comfort" ("things could be worse") and "Dutch gold" (something which is a fake).<ref name="Xeno"/> Others include:

[edit] The Dutch in popular culture

Dutch people generally appear in popular culture in two completely distinct ways. The traditional Dutch image (People in national dress, wearing clogs, having blond hair standing in front of wide, flat landscapes covered with tulips and windmills in the background) and the more recent, and mostly negative, image of non-religious drug addicts, who legalized prostitution, marihuana, euthanasia and gay marriage — a country where you can get away with practically everything and people living in it who just don't care. Naturally, none of these stereotypical images are correct. Dutch people only wear traditional costumes on very special occasions or to entertain tourists <ref>For example in the village of Volendam.</ref>. Clogs, or wooden shoes, are not worn in public life but are still widely used for gardening. The more modern negative image of the Dutch is relatively recent, starting around 1985. Although the image of Dutch people being drug addicts is a widespread stereotype, the Dutch have a very low figure of drug offences by country and in fact most drugs produced in the Netherlands are exported.

[edit] Dutch views on others

Despite centuries of relations between the Netherlands and the British Isles, including fighting some of the most destructive wars in their respective histories against each other, most Dutch people feel ambivalent towards the British. British people (who most Dutch people will call "English") are viewed as being a bit quaint and old fashioned, even though Anglophone television programmes and English literature in general are held in high regard. Typically Americans are thought to be principally "good" people but somewhat uneducated and badly guided by their politicians. While France and Italy are seen as beautiful countries, ideal for holidays, their inhabitants are somewhat frowned upon. The French are considered to be easily agitated, talkative and shallow as well as obstructionists, intolerant, and lack skills at negotiating.<ref>"Europe unites in hatred of French", Henry Samuel, Telegraph.</ref> The Italians (as most, if not all, people living around the Mediterranean) have a positive image but are regarded as being too emotional. In Dutch society, extravagantly flaunting ones emotions (whether positive or negative) is seen as lack of control. Peoples and cultures who are disapproved of or looked down upon are those whose religious or political customs are seen as intolerant, such cultures with a taboo on regarding men and women as equals.<ref>"Imams graduating assimilation course refuse to shake hands with Dutch woman minister handing them their diploma", a national riot followed.</ref> Of all European nations, the Swiss generally are admired most. Their country is described as being "spotless" and the people as "keeping to themselves" a trait shared with the Dutch.<ref>The Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch, page 4 and 5; "How they see others" and "Special relations".</ref>

Special cases are the Germans and Belgians. For many years, most recently since WWII, a strong animosity existed towards Germans. They were said to be rude, arrogant, noisy and intolerant and in fact most other antonyms of characteristics the Dutch pride themselves on. This is mostly without knowing these German people personally. For many Dutch people it was not a question of "why" they disliked Germans, they just did. According to "The Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch", "Telling a Dutch person that their language seems very similar to German is unlikely to benefit your relationship. Remarking that the two nations are similar in many ways will probably get you thrown out of the house." Perhaps strangely, Germans are generally unaware of the fact that they are disliked by their neighbours and often think it is merely a soccer phenomenon when the anti-German feelings are most visible, as the Dutch and Germans have had fierce soccer rivalry ever since the Second World War. Although the post war rivalry on Germany's side is actually a reaction on the behaviour displayed by the Dutch<ref>Onbekende Buren, by Dik Linthout, page 60 till 64 "voetbal". </ref>, Dutch antipathy towards Germans goes back to the early 15th century when Germans were seen as uneducated, grumpy peasants who served as cheap labour to the wealthier Dutch.<ref>"Waarom wordt een Duitser Mof genoemd?" (Why is a German called "Anti-German term"?), in Dutch.</ref> <ref>Dutch etymological dictionary for "mof".</ref>

Over the last year (2006) a remarkable shift has been observed in attitude towards Germans. Another reason may be that the newer, younger generation does not have the emotional ties to past events.<ref>http://www.utnws.utwente.nl/utnieuws/data/41/26/af.debloom.html "UT-student positief over Duitse collega" (University student positive about German colleague.) Note that this university is located near the German border, and these students will generally have more interaction with Germans than other Dutch people.], in Dutch.</ref>

Belgians on the other hand have an entirely different image, they feature prominently in Dutch jokes in which they are often portrayed as being stupid and uneducated but this is commonly accepted to be a completely made up stereotype, originating at the time of the Belgian Revolution, in which the Flemish and Walloons seceded from the Netherlands. Generally they are admired for their educational and health system. Most if not all Dutch people consider the Belgians to be the closest related people. It should however be noted that the Dutch, when they speak of Belgians, nearly always mean the Flemish (the Dutch speaking inhabitants of Belgium) rather than the Walloons whom most hardly know.<ref>The Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch, page 4 and 5; "How they see others" and "Special relations".</ref>

[edit] Religion

During and after the Dutch revolt against Spain, Protestantism became the dominant religion, a notable exception being the modern provinces of North Brabant and Limburg as they remained mostly Catholic.

The Dutch population could be separated into two main religious groups: Roman Catholics and Protestant, although the Protestant religion consisted of many separate Churches such as Dutch Reformed (Calvinist), Remonstrant Church and the Christian Reformed Church. With 28 percent, the Roman Catholics are nowadays the largest religious group.

During the late 19th and early 20th century the different religious groups were living fairly separate from each other, and from the newly rising socialist labour emancipation. They all lived and married in their own communities, had their own schools, their own shops and their own media (both newspapers and later radio stations) and political parties, among other things. This was called verzuiling. A Dutch proverb from those days reflects this separation: Two beliefs resting on the same pillow, that's where the devil sleeps in between.

The entire system of pillarisation started to collapse after the Second world war, when the Dutch people were forced to work together to rebuild their country, which had suffered heavily from the war, and was left hardly any resources around mid 1945. In the early 1960s the system had gone. Nowadays a large part of the Dutch population is atheist (some 42%) or is an inactive member of a church and/or religion. As is illustrated by the Dutch weekly Sunday church attendance that has dropped to well below 10%. 2004 figures reported by the Roman Catholic Church mention a weekly Sunday church attendance of 438,700 Roman Catholics or related to the total Dutch population, about 2 percent. There is a small Jewish community, mostly in the larger cities. The only religion that has been growing over the last decades is the Islam. This is mostly where Turkish and Moroccan immigrant communities have formed.

[edit] Sports

There are a number of sports which are most likely invented by the Dutch, which then spread worldwide, examples include ice hockey<ref>See the Ice Hockey article.</ref> and golf.<ref>Golf was mentioned on February 26 in the year 1297 for the first time in the Netherlands in a city called Loenen aan de Vecht. Here the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. He who hit the ball in a target several hundreds of meters away the least number of times, won.</ref>Apart from these worldwide sports there are also a number of local Dutch sports such as polsstokverspringen, kaatsen, klootschieten, kolven and korfbal.

The most popular sports, both for active participation and audience are Football, Cycling, Speed skating, Judo, Hockey, Physical fitness and Tennis.

[edit] Notes

[edit] See also

• Demographics of the Netherlands
• List of Dutch people
• Dutch customs and etiquette

[edit] External links

• Dutch Immigrant Communities in Canada
• NLBorrels, a global network for Dutch Expatriates

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