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69-677: Indo–Trinidadians and Tobagonians are a subgroup of Indo-Caribbean people , which is a subgroup of the wider Indian diaspora . Generally, most Indians in Trinidad and Tobago can trace their ancestry back to northern India , especially the Bhojpur and Awadh regions of the Hindi Belt , which lies in the Gangetic plains , a plain that is located between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers and faces

138-502: A Christian African - Creole party. Voting patterns amongst Indo-Trinidadians have also been influenced by religion where, for periods of time Muslim Indo-Trinidadians and non-Presbyterian Christian Indo-Trinidadians supported the PNM because the prevailing parties for Indo-Trinidadians – the PDP , DLP , and ULF were felt to be Hindu and Presbyterian Indian dominated parties. With the advent of

207-785: A grated spicy version, usually made from mango but sometimes made from pommecythère , the mango version being most popular. Other version of achars are made from mango, pommecythère , tamarind, amla , lemon , lime , chayote , chalta, and green apple . Indian sweets and dessers are commonplace in Trinidad and Tobago and are distributed especially at Indian weddings and religious events. They include kheer (sweet rice or meetha bhat ), sawine , khurma , gulab jamoon , burfi , roat, laddu , jalebi , halwa , mohan bhog (parsad) , sirnee, lapsi and suhari, rasgula , tilly cake, gulgula , paynuse, pera , modak , gujiya , and batasa. Indian dance forms are prevalent among Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians. Kathak , Odissi , and Bharatanatyam are

276-584: A great influence on the Trinidadian English lingua franca . Most people of South Asian descent in Trinidad and Tobago also speak a unique Hinglish macaronic dialect of Trinidadian English and Trinidadian Hindustani and they incorporate more Hindustani vocabulary into their Trinidadian English dialect than other ethnic groups in the country. Indo-Caribbean people Indo-Caribbean people or Indian-Caribbean people are people in

345-487: A million Indians from the former British Raj or British India and Colonial India , were taken to thirteen mainland and island nations in the Caribbean as indentured workers to address the demand for sugar cane plantation labour following the abolition of slavery . Much like cotton , sugarcane plantations motivated large-scale near-enslavement and forced migrations in the 19th and early 20th century. Following

414-1210: A multicultural society. The South Asian languages of their ancestors have largely been lost, although a number of these words have entered the Trinidadian vernacular. Indian movies, music, and cuisine have entered the mainstream culture of Trinidad and Tobago. Chutney and chutney soca music rivals calypso and soca music during the Carnival season. Diwali , Eid ul-Fitr , and Indian Arrival Day are national holidays, and Phagwah/Holi , Maha Shivratri , Hanuman Jayanti , Ram Naumi , Sita Naumi, Navratri , Vijayadashami , Krishna Janmashtami , Radhastami , Saraswati Jayanti , Raksha Bandhan , Vivaha Panchami , Guru Purnima , Ganesh Chaturthi , Kartik Snan , Ratha Saptami , Karagam Puja , Kalbhairo Jayanti , Mesha Sankranti , Makar Sankranti , Tulsi Vivah , Gita Jayanti , Datta Jayanti , Ratha Yatra , Gurpurab , Buddha Purnima , Ramadan , Hosay ( Ashura ), Eid al-Adha , Mawlid , Shab-e-barat , Chaand Raat , Islamic New Year , and other Hindu and Muslim holidays are widely celebrated. Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian cuisine

483-586: A neophyte would be called a modahi if he still took liquor. A modahi successively advanced to the Sarania group (also called saru-koch ), Koch , Bor -Koch, Saru -Keot, Bor -Keot and then a Kalita . At the end of this tribal-caste continuum were the Brahmins and often the pontiffs of Sattra's were Brahmins called Goswamis. Some of these Goswamis were a few generations earlier Kayasthas , and some Kayastha pontiffs were earlier tribal and low caste. It

552-519: A quota that often was not met. In total, only 25% of all Indians who emigrated to the Caribbean were women. There were several reasons for fewer Indian women than men emigrating. It was more expensive for agents to recruit Indian women than men, because not many Indian women wanted to leave India. It was more socially acceptable in India for men to emigrate and seek work. Women were not encouraged to do

621-488: A significant proportion of the population. Sugarcane plantations and citizens of Indian origin continue to thrive in countries such as Guyana , formerly, British Guiana , Jamaica , Trinidad and Tobago , Martinique , French Guiana , Guadeloupe , Grenada , St. Lucia , St. Vincent , St. Kitts , St. Croix , Suriname and Nevis . By some estimates, over 2.5 million people in the Caribbean are of Indian origin. Many have ethnically blended with migrants from other parts of

690-426: A temporary replacement for the labor that had previously been done by enslaved African people. Their goal was to use Indian men for labor. They did not want Indian people to start families in the Caribbean, which would establish Indian culture and people as a lasting presence in the Caribbean, undermining the power of the indenture system to control all aspects of the laborer's lives and force them into subjugation. In

759-486: A thousand kilometers from seaports were promised jobs, were not told the work they were being hired for, or that they would leave their homeland and communities. They were hustled aboard the waiting ships, unprepared for the long and arduous four-month sea journey. Charles Anderson, a special magistrate investigating these sugarcane plantations, wrote to the Colonial Secretary declaring that with few exceptions,

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828-512: A tribal-caste continuum —though not all Assamese people are Hindus and ethnic Assamese Muslims numbering around 42 lakh (4,200,000) constitute a significant part of this identity. The total population of Assamese speakers in Assam is nearly 15.09 million which makes up 48.38% of the population of state according to the Language census of 2011 . The name "Assamese" is of British colonial coinage of

897-430: A type of unleavened bread made with flour, baking powder and water. The dough is rolled out and cooked on flat, cast-iron skillet, called a tawa . The cooked dough is cut into quarters and served with a variety of fried vegetables, tarkaris or chokhas. Sometimes fried bake is eaten instead and is made using with flour, baking powder and yeast and is then fried in oil. Usually breakfast is vegetarian, however salt fish

966-996: Is a popular destination for these street foods. Traditional Diwali and other Hindu festivals and prayers foods include appetizers such as pholourie , saheena, baiganee, bara , and kachori . Main dishes include roti (most commonly dalpuri and paratha ) and karhi and rice served with condiments such as achar or anchar , kuchela , mother-in-law (pickled vegetables), pepper sauce , and dishes such as curried mango, bhaji ( dasheen bush or any spinach), pumpkin or kohra tarkari (pumpkin), curry channa and aloo ( chickpeas and potatoes ), fried or curried baigan ( eggplant ), fried or curried bodi ( long beans ), fried or curried seim ( hyacinth beans ), curry eddoes (arui), curry chataigne or katahar ( breadnut ), and other tarkaries ( vegetarian curries ). Desserts include mohan bhog (parsad) , lapsi and suhari, burfi , khurma , gulab jamun , pera , rasgulla , batasa, gujiya , gulgula , roat, kheer (sweet rice) , laddu , and jalebi . It

1035-500: Is another popular condiment which is a coarsely chopped spicy medley of peppers, pimentos, carrots, bitter melon, and other spices. Chutneys are popular as well and often include mango , tamarind , cucumber , pommecythère , bandhaniya , dhaniya , chalta , and coconut . They are most commonly eaten with doubles , aloo pie , saheena , baiganee, kachori , and pholourie . There are a variety of popular pickles known locally as achar or anchar which are commonly used. Kuchela

1104-518: Is celebrated in the Caribbean include May 5 (Guyana), May 10 (Jamaica), May 30 (Trinidad and Tobago), June 1 (St. Vincent), and June 5 (Suriname). Assamese people The Assamese people are a socio- ethnic linguistic identity that has been described at various times as nationalistic or micro-nationalistic. This group is often associated with the Assamese language , the easternmost Indo-Aryan language , and Assamese people mostly live in

1173-401: Is eaten at any time throughout the day. Another Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian street food that is popular is roti , which consists of roti (usually paratha or dhalpuri) that wraps curried vegetables, curried channa (chickpeas) and aloo (potatoes), curried chicken, curried shrimp, curried goat, curried duck, curried conchs, or any other spicy fillings. The town of Debe in southern Trinidad

1242-665: Is mostly derived from the Bhojpuri and Awadhi cuisines of North India , with considerable South Indian , especially Tamil , influence on preparation and ingredients in the tropical environment of Trinidad and Tobago that was similar to the tropical environment of South India, where a significant minority of Indians came from. There is also influence from other ethnic cuisines on the island such as Creole , Chinese , West African , Indigenous , French , British , North American , Portuguese , Arab , and Latin American cuisines. It

1311-1096: Is sometimes added. Some breakfast dishes include baigan chokha (roasted and mashed eggplant ), damadol chokha (roasted and mashed tomatoes ), pepper chokha (roasted and mashed peppers), aloo chokha (boiled, roasted, and mashed potatoes ), karaili chokha (roasted and mashed bittermelon ), murtani or upar ghar (combination of roasted and mashed eggplant, tomato, pepper, and okra), fried or curried bodi ( long beans ), fried or curried aloo (potatoes), fried or curried ochro/bhindhi (okra), fried or curried seim ( hyacinth beans ), fried or curried karaili ( bittermelon ), pumpkin or kohra tarkari (pumpkin simmered with spices and seasoning), fried or curried saijan ( drumstick ), fried or curried lauki ( bottle gourd ), bhaji (made with young dasheen bush (taro) leaves, spinach leaves, saijan (drumstick) leaves, or chaurai (spiny amaranth) leaves), and/or fried plantains . Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian foods like doubles , aloo pie , pholourie , saheena , baiganee, bara , and kachori are popular street foods throughout

1380-724: Is the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association (ASJA). Other Islamic organizations include the Trinidad Muslim League, Darul Uloom, Ummah T&T, the Muslim Federation, and the Tackveeyatul Islamic Association. The Sikh community in Trinidad and Tobago, numbering at about 300, consists of the descendants of the few Punjabis who came during the indentureship period, Punjabi Sikhs who came in

1449-905: Is the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha , a Sanātanī Hindu organization. Other Hindu organizations and sects include SWAHA International, Arya Samaj , Chinmaya Mission , Kabir panth , ISKCON , the Sathya Sai Baba movement , Shirdi Sai Baba movement, Ramanandi Sampradaya , Seunariani (Sieunarini/Siewnaraini/Shiv Narayani), Aughar (Aghor/Owghur) , Kali Mai (Madrasi) , Murugan (Kaumaram) , Bharat Sevashram Sangha , Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (Radha Madhav) , Ganapathi Sachchidananda movement , Divine Life Society , Brahma Kumaris , and Blue Star. A majority of Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian Muslims are Sunni , however there are notable Shia and Ahmadiyya minorities. The major Muslim organisation representing Muslims in Trinidad and Tobago

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1518-644: Is traditionally served on a sohari ( Calathea lutea ) leaf. Special Eid , Hosay , and other Muslim festival foods include curry goat , curry channa and aloo, sawine , burfi , rasgulla , sirnee, maleeda , and halwa . Indo–Trinidadians and Tobagonians accompany their meals with various condiments; these can include pepper sauces, chutneys and pickles and are often homemade. Pepper sauces are made by using scotch bonnet or other hot peppers, either minced or chopped and added to vinegar or lime or lemon juice and sometimes pickled together with carrots, sour cherries, bitter melon , or daikon (murai). Mother-in-law

1587-478: Is unlike the mainstream Indian - South Asia cuisines, which is mostly based on Punjabi, Rajasthani, Mughlai, Gujarati, Bengali, Udupi, and Tamil cuisines. This "mainstream" Indian cuisine was brought to the country by more recent immigrants and is termed as East Indian cuisine in Trinidad and Tobago and is contrasted from the local Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian or local-Indian cuisine. A traditional Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian breakfast consists of sada roti ,

1656-605: The Ramcharitmanas . Rasleela (Krishnaleela) , the drama about the life of the Hindu deity Krishna , is popular around the time of Krishna Janmashtami . The Indian–South Asian influence is very much noticeable in Trinidad and Tobago as they are the largest ethnic groups in the country. Mandirs , masijids , jhandis ( Hindu prayer flags ), Hindu schools, Muslim schools, roti shops and stalls, puja stores, Indian groceries/markets, and Indian clothing stores and expos dot

1725-581: The Brahmaputra Valley region of Assam , where they are native and constitute around 56% of the Valley's population. The use of the term precedes the name of the language or the people. It has also been used retrospectively to the people of Assam before the term "Assamese" came into use. They are an ethnically diverse group formed after centuries of assimilation of Austroasiatic , Tibeto-Burman , Indo-Aryan and Tai populations, and constitute

1794-647: The Caribbean who trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent . They are descendants of the Jahaji indentured laborers from British India , who were brought by the British , Dutch , and French during the colonial era from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. A minority of them are descendants from people who immigrated as entrepreneurs, businesspeople, merchants, engineers, doctors, religious leaders, students, and other professional occupations beginning in

1863-691: The NAR and then the UNC this polarization by religion has been on the decline however its existence is still felt with the UNC fielding a Muslim candidate in every election for the San Juan/Barataria seat since 1995 owing to the presence of a large Indo-Trinidadian Muslim population within this constituency. Notable Indo-Trinidadian politicians include: Indo–Trinidadian and Tobagonians have retained their distinctive heritage and culture, while also functioning in

1932-682: The Netherlands Antilles and Venezuela . Small groups also exist in Haiti, where they are sometimes mistakenly referred to as "mulattos". Modern-day immigrants from India (mostly Sindhi merchants) are to be found on Saint-Martin / Sint Maarten , St. Thomas , Curaçao and other islands with duty-free commercial capabilities, where they are active in business. Other Indo-Caribbean people descend from later migrants, including Indian doctors, Gujarati businessmen and migrants from Kenya and Uganda . Indo-Caribbean people have migrated to

2001-793: The United States , Canada , the Netherlands , France , the United Kingdom , Ireland , and to other parts of the Caribbean and Latin America , including Venezuela , Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Cuba. The indentured Indians and their descendants have actively contributed to the evolution of their adopted lands in spite of many difficulties, particularly through the development of Caribbean cuisine and music. In recent years, attempts to commemorate

2070-628: The 13th century, including those from the 16th century, were given power and eminence by the Ahom kings, and they in turn helped the Ahoms in repelling the Mughals. This was also the time when the Assamese language progressively replaced the Ahom language in the court and outside. As a result of the Ahom kings increasingly patronising Hinduism alongside the proselytising activities of Ekasarana Dharma since

2139-527: The 16th-century—a large section of the Bodo-Kachari peoples converted to different forms of Hinduism in the 17th-18th century and a composite Assamese identity comprising caste-Hindus, tribals and Assamese Muslims began to form. On the eve of British colonialism in the early 19th century the Assamese society consisted of the hinduised ethnic groups, the caste Hindu groups, the plain tribal groups, and

Indo–Trinidadians and Tobagonians - Misplaced Pages Continue

2208-420: The 19th and 20th century. Assamese is an English word meaning "of Assam" —though most Assamese people live in Assam, not all the people of Assam today are Assamese people. The Government of Assam faced difficulties in defining Assamese people for Assam Accord due to a linguistically and culturally heterogeneous population. Though there is a political dispute over the definition of Assamese people, in general;

2277-648: The Assamese Muslims; and the expression of Assamese nationalism in the 19th/20th-century was confined to the Brahmaputra valley. Scholars believe that with the arrival of Indo-Aryans in Assam, there was a simultaneous Sanskritisation and deshification processes beginning in the 5th–8th century during the reign of the Varman dynasty of Kamarupa ; —and all Assam's kings were originally non-Indo-Aryan who were gradually Sanskritised. This enabled many of

2346-513: The Assamese people, the Government of Assam had formed a ministerial committee to finalise the definition in March 2007. To address the clause 6 issue, AASU had announced a definition on 10 April 2000 which was based on residency with a temporal limit: All those whose names appeared in the 1951 National Register of Citizens and their progenies should be considered as Assamese . Despite

2415-555: The Caribbean region. The Caribbean colonies of the Netherlands too benefitted from the indentured laborers from India. The ratio of female to male Indians coming to the Caribbean was for many years extremely low, 3:100 in 1938. The Indian government and the Colonial Office set up a quota system that dictated how many Indian women came to the Caribbean. In 1870, the quota called for 40 Indian women for every 100 Indian men,

2484-403: The Caribbean. Religious Makeup of Indo-Trinidadians (2011) According to the most recent census (2011) conducted in Trinidad and Tobago, Hinduism is the religion followed by a plurality of Indo-Trinidadians. The breakdown of religious affiliation for Indo-Trinidadians is as follows - Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago are represented by several sects, organizations and entities the largest of which

2553-689: The Dutch-speaking Suriname and the French overseas departments of Guadeloupe , Martinique and French Guiana , with smaller numbers in other Caribbean countries including Belize and the islands of the Lesser Antilles . Large Indo-Caribbean immigrant populations are found in North America and Europe , specifically in the United States , the Netherlands , Canada , and the United Kingdom . These countries have some of

2622-601: The French West Indies are of South Indian origin and Indians in Barbados are mostly of Bengali and Gujarati origin. Later immigrants to the Caribbean came from Sindh , Kutch , Gujarat , Punjab , Bengal , Maharashtra , South India , and other parts of South Asia as free immigrants. Most Indo-Caribbean people live in the English -speaking Caribbean nations of Trinidad and Tobago , Jamaica , and Guyana ,

2691-571: The Indian men who had come to work as indentured laborers were given small parcels of land to encourage settlement. Another method of encouraging settlement was to encourage more Indian women to immigrate, since permanent settlement was no longer being discouraged by the colonial powers. Indian women who were recruited and immigrated to the Caribbean were for the most part married women joining their husbands, single women, women who had been widowed, women trying to escape poverty, and women prostitutes from

2760-438: The Indian presence and contributions to the Caribbean have come to fruition: Indian Arrival Day is a holiday celebrated on May 30 in Trinidad and Tobago each year since the 1990s. It was first celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago and then other countries with significant Indian people whose ancestors came as indentured laborers . It commemorates the first arrivals from India to Trinidad and Tobago , on May 30, 1845, on

2829-619: The Port of Calcutta. Many were people who were escaping poverty in India and seeking employment offered by the British for jobs either as indentured labourers, workers or educated servicemen, primarily, between 1845 and 1917. The demand for Indian indentured labourers increased dramatically after the abolition of slavery in 1834. They were sent, sometimes in large numbers, to plantation colonies producing high-value crops such as sugar in Africa and

Indo–Trinidadians and Tobagonians - Misplaced Pages Continue

2898-700: The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, 24.4 percent hailed from Oudh State , 13.5 percent were from Bihar Province and lesser numbers from various other parts of the British Raj, such as the Madras Presidency , Bengal Presidency , Central Provinces , Chota Nagpur Division , Bombay Presidency , and Punjab Province . Out of 134,118 indentured labourers from India, 5,000 who left from the Port of Madras distinguished themselves as "Madrasi" and

2967-460: The cities of Calcutta and Chennai, then called Madras. Under the indenture system, married Indian women were excused from work on the plantations and planters were required to give them medical care and rations. However, the colonial government did not recognize Hindu or Muslim marriages until the 1940s, so many married women were categorized as single and did not receive the few privileges given to married women. Married women who did not have to work in

3036-463: The common folks to follow the ruling classes into Sanskritisation and also bring along with them elements of their own local customs and religions. The Ekasarana dharma that emerged in the 16th century and the proselytising activities of the Sattra institutions created a path for individuals of tribal origins to traverse the tribal-caste continuum. Tribal people could take initiation at a Sattra—and

3105-403: The country and are served with various chutneys , achars , and pepper sauce. Doubles is made with two bara s (flat fried dough) and curried channa ( chickpeas ) and is served with toppings, like pepper sauce , kuchela , and tamarind , mango , pommecythere , cucumber , coconut and bandhaniya chutneys . It is one of the most popular breakfast foods eaten on the islands, however, it

3174-480: The diversification of the culture of the Creole peoples . Thus, the noted participation of the whole multi-ethnic population of the two islands were in these events. St. Lucia and many Caribbean countries have dedicated commemorative days to acknowledge the arrival and important contributions of their Indo-Caribbean populations. St. Lucia celebrates its Indo-Caribbean heritage on May 6. Other dates when India Arrival Day

3243-497: The drama about the life of the Hindu deity Rama , is largely popular throughout the country during the time between Sharad Navaratri and Vijayadashami leading up to Diwali , with almost each locale having their own celebration. The Ramlila celebrations end with the burning of an effigy of Ravana , the main antagonist of the ancient Ramayana and its 16th century vernacular variation, popular among Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago,

3312-550: The fields took care of children and expenses. Women who worked were paid less than men. The majority of the Indians living in the English-speaking Caribbean came from eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar which are mostly speakers of Bhojpuri , Hindi , and Awadhi , while those brought to Guadeloupe and Martinique were largely from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu . About twenty percent (20%) of

3381-914: The immigrants who left from the Port of Calcutta distinguished themselves as "Kalakatiyas". However, this did not equate to their ethnolinguistic group . While, most Indians who left from the Port of Madras were Tamils (Madrasis) , not all were ethnic-Madrasis, some were Telugu , Kannadiga , Malayali , Gondi , Kodava , Tulu , or Deccani , and most Indians who left from the Port of Calcutta were not ethnic- Bengalis (Kalakatiyas) , but they were Purabias ( Bhojpuri and Awadhi ), however there were small numbers of Bengalis , as well as small numbers of Maithils , Magahis , Baghelis , Brajis , Bundelis , Kannaujis , Kauravis , Pashtuns , Nagpuris , Kurukhs , Haryanvis , Gujaratis , Marwari , Sadans , Chhattisgarhis , Kashmiris , Dogras , Punjabis , Marathis , Odias , Garhwalis , Kumaonis , Madheshis , Parsees , Assamese , Newars , Tharus and Khas who came via

3450-504: The indentured labourers are treated with great and unjust severity; European planters enforced work in sugarcane farms so harshly, that the decaying remains of immigrants were frequently discovered in sugarcane fields. If indentured labourers protested and refused to work, they were not paid or fed by the planters. The sugarcane plantation-driven migrations led to ethnically significant presence of Indians in Caribbean. In some islands and countries, these Indo-Caribbean migrants now constitute

3519-842: The indentured were Tamils and Telugus particularly in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana . A minority emigrated from other parts of South Asia , including present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh . Indo-Caribbean people comprise the largest ethnic group in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname . They are the second largest group in Jamaica , Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , Saint Lucia , Martinique and Guadeloupe . There are also small communities in Anguilla , Antigua and Barbuda , The Bahamas , Barbados , Belize , French Guiana , Panama , Dominican Republic , Puerto Rico ,

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3588-745: The invasion, but a general pursued the invaders to the Karatoya river and freed most of the Kamrup and Kamata regions. The process of identity formation sped up during the rule of Pratap Singha (1603–41) when the Mughals began repeated incursions from 1615 and the Battle of Saraighat in 1671; and finally the Battle of Itakhuli (1682 CE) when the Ahoms took direct control over western Brahmaputra valley. Many Muslim soldiers and professionals who had accompanied invading armies or immigrated peacefully since

3657-525: The lack of a legal definition, social scientists consider the Assamese identity to constitute a tribal-caste continuum that has been the result of a historical process. Assamese as a nationalistic identity was seeded when the Ahom kingdom came under repeated attacks from the Bengal Sultanate in the early 16th century and the people banded together under Suhungmung (1497–1539) to resist a common enemy. The kingdom not only succeeded in resisting

3726-977: The landscape of the country. Many businesses also bear names of Indian-South Asian origin. Many towns, settlements, villages, avenues, traces, and streets in Trinidad and Tobago are named after Indian cities and people, such as Calcutta Settlement, Madras Settlement, Delhi Settlement, Jai Ramkissoon Housing Settlement, Raghoo Village, Jaraysingh, Hasnalli, Hindustan Village, Patna Village, Gandhi Village, Kandahar Village, Cawnpore (Kanpur) Village, Nepal Village, Abdul Village, Samaroo Village, Basta Hall, Gopaul Lands, Sumadh Gardens, Mohammed Ville, Gobin Village, Nancoo Village, Malabar , Matura (Mathura), Bangladesh, Morang Village, Chandanagore (Chandinagar), Sadhoowa, Divali Nagar , Golconda, Barrackpore , and Fyzabad . The holidays of Diwali , Eid al-Fitr , and Indian Arrival Day are national holidays in Trinidad and Tobago . Trinidadian Hindustani and other South Asian languages has had

3795-822: The largest Indo-Caribbean populations in the world, and Indo-Caribbeans in these countries have largely congregated in urban areas such as New York City , Amsterdam , Toronto , Rotterdam , London , Miami / Fort Lauderdale / West Palm Beach , Orlando / Ocala , Houston , Birmingham , Winnipeg , Vancouver , Montreal , Schenectady / Albany , Minneapolis/Saint Paul , Manchester , Washington D.C. , and Paris . Indo-Caribbean people may also be referred to as Caribbean Indians , East Indian West Indians , Caribbean Hindustanis , South Asian Caribbean people , or Caribbean Desis , while first-generation Indo-Caribbean people were called Girmitya , Desi , Hindustani , Kantraki , Mulki (m.) / Mulkin (f.), or Jahaji (m.) / Jahajin (f.). Coolie , meaning hired laborer,

3864-470: The late 1800s, there was a change in policy. The late 1880s saw competition in the sugar industry from European beet sugar, and the colonial government knew that having a settled, immobile group of Indian people to exploit for labor would be highly profitable and advantageous in the competition to dominate the sugar industry. Encouraging Indian people to stay in the Caribbean also cut the costs required to bring Indian people back to India. As indentureships ended,

3933-685: The mid-20th century and continuing till present day. Some Indians from many other Caribbean nations, such as Guyana , Grenada , Martinique , and Saint Croix , also immigrated to Trinidad and Tobago. Indo–Trinidadians and Tobagonians are the largest ethnic group in Trinidad and Tobago, identified by the official census, about 35.43% of the population in 2011. In his book Perspectives on the Caribbean: A Reader In Culture, History, and Representation , Philip W. Scher cites figures by Steven Vertovec, Professor of Anthropology; Of 94,135 Indian immigrants to Trinidad, between 1874 and 1917, 50.7 percent were from

4002-652: The mid-20th century and continuing to the present. Indo-Caribbean people largely trace their ancestry back to the Bhojpur and Awadh regions of the Hindi Belt in North India , in the present-day states of Uttar Pradesh , Bihar , and Jharkhand , with a significant minority coming from the Madras Presidency , especially present-day Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh . Other notable regions of origin include Bengal , Western Uttar Pradesh , Mithila , Magadh , Chota Nagpur , Madhya Pradesh , Haryana , Rajasthan , Pashtunistan , Punjab , and Kashmir . Most Indians in

4071-622: The most popular Indian classical dance forms in Trinidad and Tobago. Indian folk dances , such as launda ke naach , Bollywood dancing , and chutney dancing are also popular Indian dance forms. Indian theatre is also popular throughout Trinidad and Tobago. Nautankis and dramas such as Raja Harishchandra , Raja Nal , Raja Rasalu , Sarwaneer (Sharwan Kumar) , Indra Sabha , Bhakt Prahalad , Lorikayan , Gopichand , and Alha-Khand were brought by Indians to Trinidad and Tobago, however they had largely began to die out, till preservation began by Indian cultural groups. Ramleela ,

4140-677: The mountain ranges of the Himalayas , the Kaimur , and the Vindhyas . However, some Indians may trace their ancestry to other parts of South Asia, notably southern India . Indians first arrived in Trinidad and Tobago as indentured laborers from India through the Indian indenture system from 1845 till 1917, and some Indians and other South Asians, along with their families, later came as entrepreneurs, businesspeople, religious leaders, doctors, engineers, and other professional occupations beginning in

4209-500: The passage of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act , many formerly enslaved people left their enslavers. This created an economic chaos for European planters in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean. The hard work in hot, humid farms required a regular, docile and low-waged labour force, which led to the creation of the Indian indenture system . Poor economic conditions in India led to many Indians to look for sources of work. In this system, Indians were taken to British, French and Dutch colonies around

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4278-559: The people belonging to the state of Assam are referred sometimes as Assamese people or more appropriately as People of Assam. The lack of a definition has put stumbling blocks in implementing clause 6 of the Assam Accord , an agreement signed by the activists of the Assam Movement and the Government of India in 1985. Since a legal definition is important to provide "constitutional, legislative and cultural" safeguards to

4347-472: The same. Another factor dissuading Indian women from going to the Caribbean was the invasive medical examination administered upon arrival, which involved inspection of genitals. Many women did not want to have to undergo this examination and many men would not have wanted this to happen to their wives. Additionally, the colonial powers present in the Caribbean were not initially interested in convincing Indian women to immigrate. Colonialists saw indentureship as

4416-575: The ship Fatel Razack In 1995, Jamaica started to celebrate the arrival of Indians in Old Harbour Bay, St. Catherine Parish on May 13. In 2003, Martinique celebrated the 150th anniversary of Indian arrival. Guadeloupe did the same in 2004. These celebrations were not the fact of just the Indian minority, but the official recognition by the French and local authorities of their integration and their wide-scale contributions in various fields including agriculture, education, and politics, and to

4485-399: The sugarcane-driven migrations, the working conditions for the indentured Indian workers were abysmal, due in large part to the lack of care among the planters.. They were confined to their estates and paid a pitiful salary. Any breach of contract brought automatic criminal penalties and imprisonment. Many of these were brought away from their homelands deceptively. Many from inland regions over

4554-649: The twentieth and twenty-first century, and Sindhi Hindus and Punjabi Hindus who also came in the twentieth and twenty-first century and who are, in addition to being Hindu, Nanakpanthis , followers of the Sikh Guru Nanak . The Sikhs have a gurdwara (temple) in Tunapuna dating back to 1929. Most Indo-Trinidadians have traditionally given their political support to parties opposed to the People's National Movement (PNM) which has historically been perceived as

4623-404: The world, creating a unique syncretic culture. Though production was centered in the Caribbean, sugarcane production played a significant role in pre-World War II global politics and population movements. France, for example, negotiated with Britain leading to Act XLVI of 1860, whereby large numbers of Indian indentured labourers were brought for sugarcane plantation work in French colonies in

4692-403: The world, including in the Caribbean, to work on cash crop plantations. The first ships carrying indentured labourers for sugarcane plantations left India in 1838 for the Caribbean region. In fact, the first two shiploads of Indians arrived in British Guiana (modern-day Guyana ) on May 5, 1838, on board the Whitby and Hesperus. These ships had sailed from Calcutta . In the early decades of

4761-477: Was used in the plantation society of the late 19th to early 20th century, however in the present-day it is considered a derogatory way to refer to Indo-Caribbean people and is considered a pejorative . Bold indicates major Indo-Caribbean subgroups. Caribbean Islands Mainland Caribbean Primary Indo-Caribbean Diaspora Secondary/Migrant Workers Indo-Caribbean Diaspora Mixed Ethnicities of Partial Indo-Caribbean origin From 1838 to 1917, over half

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