Irván J. "Puco" Pérez (December 29, 1923 â€" January 8, 2008), was
an Isleño décima singer and woodcarver, as well as a leading
advocate for the language and culture of the Isleños of
Louisiana.Perez was known for singing traditional décimas, a
traditional narrative song which is sung in ten line stanzas. The
origins of many of Perez's songs could be traced to Spain and the
Canary Islands during the Middle Ages. Other decimas were written by
Perez to preserve the distinct Isleño language and culture in
Louisiana.Perez was considered the best décima singer in the Western
Hemisphere. He was also one of the United States' and the world's few
remaining native speakers of the Isleños dialect. The Isleños
dialect is a combination of old formal Spanish, 18th-century maritime
Spanish and influences of Louisiana's better known Cajun French.
an Isleño décima singer and woodcarver, as well as a leading
advocate for the language and culture of the Isleños of
Louisiana.Perez was known for singing traditional décimas, a
traditional narrative song which is sung in ten line stanzas. The
origins of many of Perez's songs could be traced to Spain and the
Canary Islands during the Middle Ages. Other decimas were written by
Perez to preserve the distinct Isleño language and culture in
Louisiana.Perez was considered the best décima singer in the Western
Hemisphere. He was also one of the United States' and the world's few
remaining native speakers of the Isleños dialect. The Isleños
dialect is a combination of old formal Spanish, 18th-century maritime
Spanish and influences of Louisiana's better known Cajun French.
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