Hey twitter users. Just here to drop a quick history lesson because I never learned about this in school and I'm pretty sure yall didn't either. Let's go. Why are there so many groups of Indians in the world that are not actually from India? A little thread.
So first things first. Let's start over 160 somewhat years ago. Around the early to mid 1800s. Slavery was abolished in the British empire. This meant that several British colonies had no workers to work on their plantations anymore.
The solution to this? The indian indenture system was created in the mid 1860s as a way to get workers back on plantations and help the colonialists business interests to remain afloat. What was the indenture system?
Well the indenture system was basically a contractual obligation to work in these plantations with minimal pay. Basically getting paid an equivalent of like 10 cents today. Paid slavery actually. Working conditions were horrible and laborers often suffered terrible abuses
The indentured system began in French colonies such as Reunion island and thereafter Mauritius. Indians were taken from French colonies called Pondicherry. And then set off the indentured labour system to the rest of the world
Indian laborers were lied to and sold stories of great riches in other colonies so that they would go work in these places. Over a million indian nationals were taken from India and placed in plantations located in most of the Caribbean, Africa and other locations in Asia.
Countries impacted by the indentured system include Guyana🇬🇾 Trinidad&Tobago 🇹🇹 Fiji 🇫🇯 Mauritius 🇲🇺 Jamaica 🇯🇲 Seychelles🇸🇨 Singapore 🇸🇬 and South Africa🇿🇦 amongst others
Indentured laborers suffered horribly under this system. The wage they were given couldn't sustain their families. They were abused. Couldn't afford to return back to their homeland and suffered under the racist laws at the time. Many indian families were also separated forever.
The indentured system was eventually abolished in 1917 but not due to its humanitarian abuses. It was abolished due to its lack of profitability to the colonialists.🙄
Anyways being indian was now considered a race in these countries. So even though I'm not from India and have like little to no connection to the country. My race is considered indian in my home country. Similarly indian communities in these colonies grew and flourished.
Many carribean islands have a large and flourishing Indian communities. And South Africa has one the largest concentration of Indians outside of India.
Descendants from indentured laborers have a very different culture as opposed to traditional Indian culture from India. Most of us don't speak our "mother tongue" as it has simply been washed away over the generations.
Indentured laborers descendants speak a wide variety of languages including Zulu Afrikaans French Patois and variations of creole as well as countless others.
Indian representation on western media has actually never included us. I don't know anyone in my life who has gone through an arranged marriage.
Culture differs from country to country but Indians have managed to maintain their cultural and religions strongly. That's why there are huge and beautiful hindu temples and Islamic mosques in Africa and the carribean such as below
Culture differs from country to country but Indians have managed to maintain their cultural and religions strongly. That's why there are huge and beautiful hindu temples and Islamic mosques in Africa and the carribean such as below
Culture differs from country to country but Indians have managed to maintain their cultural and religions strongly. That's why there are huge and beautiful hindu temples and Islamic mosques in Africa and the carribean such as below
Culture differs from country to country but Indians have managed to maintain their cultural and religions strongly. That's why there are huge and beautiful hindu temples and Islamic mosques in Africa and the carribean such as below
Culture differs from country to country but Indians have managed to maintain their cultural and religions strongly. That's why there are huge and beautiful hindu temples and Islamic mosques in Africa and the carribean such as below
Its annoying when you tell someone you're indian and they start giving you the accent or asking you to "speak indian". What even does that mean?
Indian/Asian representation in western media doesn't even cater to us. I have never heard of anyone in my life having an arranged marriage. Yet pop goes the weasel that's almost always the storyline of an Indian in western media.
Anyways mutuals who are descendants of indentured laborers and if you see this thread. Pls add more information about your culture in your home country or any other facts that you like. I'd love to learn and hear more about it❤
I didn't even know carribean countries celebrated Indian arrival day! Thats so cool
Our ancestors packed on ships coming to work on the sugar cane plantations in the 1860s.I often wonder if my great great great great grandparents had siblings that were separated from them & put in other countries. What if my cousins live in the carribean and we will never know😭
Our ancestors packed on ships coming to work on the sugar cane plantations in the 1860s.I often wonder if my great great great great grandparents had siblings that were separated from them & put in other countries. What if my cousins live in the carribean and we will never know
Our ancestors packed on ships coming to work on the sugar cane plantations in the 1860s.I often wonder if my great great great great grandparents had siblings that were separated from them & put in other countries. What if my cousins live in the carribean and we will never know
Our ancestors packed on ships coming to work on the sugar cane plantations in the 1860s.I often wonder if my great great great great grandparents had siblings that were separated from them & put in other countries. What if my cousins live in the carribean and we will never know
Here's a link to an interesting article I read about this as well.
https://www.striking-women.org/module/map-major-south-asian-migration-flows/indentured-labour-south-asia-1834-1917
Here's a link to an interesting article I read about this as well. https://www.striking-women.org/module/map-major-south-asian-migration-flows/indentured-labour-south-asia-1834-1917
Here's a link to an interesting article I read about this as well. https://www.striking-women.org/module/map-major-south-asian-migration-flows/indentured-labour-south-asia-1834-1917
Also adding this to the thread because it is very significant https://twitter.com/scorpionslimes/status/1342903230548815874?s=19
You can follow @scorpionslimes.
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