The Chizerots are a historic group of people living in a small locality in

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

, France, who are somewhat different in appearance and customs to their neighbours. Their origins are uncertain. North of

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...

and south of

Tournus Tournus () is a Communes of France, commune in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography Tournus is located on the right bank of the Saône, 20& ...

, on both banks of the

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

, there are, on one side, the villages of Boz,

Ozan Ozan may refer to: Companies * Ozan Lumber Company, a former company based in Arkansas People *, an itinerant poet, poet-singer (similar to "bard", "balladeer", or "troubadour") in Turkic traditions, predating the term ''ashik''. Some performed ...

, Arbigny and Sermoyer, whose inhabitants call themselves Burkins, and on the other side, the village of Uchizy, whose inhabitants go by the name of Chizerots. In contradiction to M. Reboud, M. Reinaud seems to doubt their Saracen origin: "In 1862 I went to Uchizy and Arbigny; several persons there told me themselves that they were of Arabian or Saracenic origin. In the midst of numerous individuals, having apparently no very distinct anthropological characters, some very black haired women differed from the inhabitants of the neighbourhood by their tall and slender figure; their elongated faces, without malar prominences, by their uniform and dark complexion, by their large eyes, long eyelashes, black, thick and arched eye- brows, by their physiognomy, melancholy, yet regular and beautiful; for one of these young Chizerotes, when the French empress passed through Macon, had been appointed, as the most beautiful girl of the whole district, to offer a bouquet to her sovereign. That type seems more Arabian than Berberic."Memoirs Read Before the Anthropological Society of London, Anthropological Society of London,Trübner and Co. 1870

References

{{Reflist Burgundy Ain Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Saône-et-Loire Ethnic groups in France