The New Student's Reference Work/Walloons

Walloons (wŏl-lo͞onz′), the name of the people living in southeastern Belgium, who differ from the rest of the Belgians by language and by their darker color. They are descendants of the Belgæ, a tribe of Gauls, who held their ground among the Ardennes Mountains when the rest of Gaul was overrun by German conquerors. Their language is a French dialect, with a large proportion of Gallic words. The name Walloon, that is, foreign, was given them by their Flemish neighbors. They are steadily increasing in numbers, and are likely soon to overbalance the Flemish population of Belgium, as they already take the lead in everything except music and painting. They number about two and one half millions.