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Celebrations of Dutch Heritage
| Article
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14394 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
6 / 1988 |
3,858 Words |
| Author
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Kathleen Raterink
Kathleen Raterink, the granddaughter of Dutch immigrants, grew
up in western Michigan. She is currently an editorial
administrator at THE WORLD & I. |
May is a month associated with flowers, and in several places around the Untied States, communities large and small celebrate the return of the tulips in hearty Dutch style. Residents dust off their caps, baggy pants, lace, aprons, and wooden shoes. They practice dance steps and settle in for a good dose of Dutch heritage.
The Dutch have been influential in America since the first half of the seventeenth century. Anticipating rich trade, the Dutch had originally intended to travel to the Far East rather than to America. All the known trade routes to the East were dominated by the Portuguese and Spanish, who had originally discovered the southern routes. Thus, Henry Hudson, in the service of the Dutch East India Company, searched for a northern route. At one of the landing places, a colony was formed for the purpose of fur trading with the natives. This colony was named Fort Orange (later renamed Albany by the British).
The Netherlands is a nation not usually associated with world conquest or considered a center of culture. Yet during the 1600s, Dutch sea captains "discovered" many places far from their homeland and gave them Dutch names. Dutch traders, already old hands at buying wine and silk in the Mediterranean, traveled around the Cape all the way to China for porcelain and to the East Indian islands for spices. Trade and shopping became quite profitable, and when spice-bearing ships returned to Holland, Dutch East India Company stockholders received high dividends. This economic boom, particularly the rise of wealth among merchants, made it possible for the arts and sciences to flourish in Holland.
Prior to this "Golden Age," the
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