In most dictionaries, the first definition of "creole" is something along the lines of "a person of European descent, esp. French or Spanish, born in Central or South America, the West Indies, or the United States Gulf region."
The definition involving mixed race ancestry is usually 4th or 5th.
Exactly! But to many today-like, I believe, the author-the terms are hopelessly confused with the obsolete mulatto/quadroon/octoroon/marinkey racial classifications. (For that matter, most people think 'creole' and 'cajun' are synonymous terms-not quite, though I suppose for culinary purposes that's become true.)