New York forgets its Walloons

This year, New York celebrates its 400th anniversary, but the festivities may prove to be frustrating for the members of one community. In an interview with the daily Trouw, the Belgian consul to New York, Herman Portacera, takes issue with the contention that the Dutch were the only ones to found New York in the 17th century, and a perceived attempt to minimize the role played by Belgians. His view is echoed by the documentary Manhattan 1609, which claims that Walloon Pierre Minuit, who was born in Ohain in present-day Wallonia, was the true founder of the city — because he was the one to buy Manhattan from its native American owners for 60 guilders, even if he did so under the auspices of the Dutch West India Company. Trouw adds that it is "difficult to be sure about what really happened when New Amsterdam was founded." However, it is known that "a ship called 'Nieu Nederlandt' with 30 Walloon families, who probably set up home in the Manhattan area," arrived there in 1624. According to the daily, "In the past, Belgium has attempted to convince the United States that the first settlers were Walloons […] but in the American psyche, Walloons remain a minor detail in the Dutch history of New York."