c qoi o jus' ? ki sa sa ki sa yé ?

AIME CESAIRE : ADAGIO POUR LA DA

  

    N'oublions pas la Da qui berça le petit Aimé.

    En Martinique on appelait la nourrice d'un enfant sa Da, en Guadeloupe on disait la Mabo (de “ma bonne”). C'était, dans les familles qui pouvaient se le permettre, la seconde mère, la servante attentionnée qui était attachée à l'enfant et veillait à son confort et à sa bonne éducation.

 C'est sur la Plantation Eyma à Basse-Pointe, dans le nord de la Martinique, qu'Aimé Césaire naquit et passa son enfance. Sa Da était d'origine indienne, comme le sont encore bon nombre d'habitants de l'endroit. Âgée, cette dame avait libre droit d'accès en Mairie de Fort-de-France même en période de crue, pour voir l'enfant devenu écrivain, puis maire, puis député - car celui dont elle avait été la nourrice ne l'avait pas reniée. Les comptines en Tamoul dont elle le berça restèrent dans sa mémoire. Il les évoquait à l'occasion.

A DARKER SHADE OF WHITE

  

Justin Jaraiwoo and wife, St. Lucia,
in the nineteen fifties.
Photo courtesy Richard Cheddie.

    ■ There are many American whites who were mixed with Afro, but over generations their outward physical Afro strains were lost and they look pure white.

    It is only in the past 15 years that some of them have researched and found their African roots. Some are (re)connecting to their Afro relatives.

    A famous English family named Mills were among the first to settle in Richmond Hill, Queens, NY before the War of Independence. In fact, George Washington stayed at their home on 129 Street and 95 Ave during his campaign.

    The family's two sons had kids with their slaves, and the mulatto offsprings had kids with the Mills white cousins.

    Eventually with all the breeding by and between the mulatoos and whites, the offsprings turned completely white-looking!

    Some had kids with native Indian tribes as well and so so and so on.

    The bottomline is these people had huge farms and their community was somewhat isolated so there was never fear of social stigma.

    One of the Mills descendants indicated that Geoge Washington fathered many kids by slaves.

    People can choose to be who they are but never what they are. What do Sikhs mixed with Native Indian, White and Mexican call themselves?

    There are many African slaves descendants who are mixed with Native American Indian, Chinese and/or Indian, but they will identify with Afro.

    In some countries Douglahs (called 'Batazendien' in the French West Indies) are perceived by both Indians and Afros as being Afro despite the fact many see themselves as Indian...

— a contribution by Varuna Singh from New Jersey.
    Special thanks.

 

 

Guyana (1838), Jamaica (1845), Trinidad (1845), Martinique (1853), French Guiana (1854) Guadeloupe (1854), Grenada (1857), Belize ( 1859), St. Lucia (1859 ), St. Vincent (1861), St. Kitts (1861) , St. Croix (1863), Suriname (1873), Nevis (1874).

Guadeloupean mixed girls proudly celebrate their Indian heritage part.

See here

COMMEMORATING INDIAN INDENTURE ARRIVAL

April 28, 2005

to

The National Council for Indian Culture in Jamaica
3, Breary Avenue
Kingston, Jamaica
West Indies

Attn : Mrs. Beryl Williams-Singh, Chairman

Dear Indo-Jamaican family and friends,

Please accept and convey the congratulations from the people of St. Lucia and its Indian population on the 160th anniversary of the arrival of indentured workers from India.

We applaud your team who managed to win the support of multi-cultural heritage groups, organizations, and other governments’ .

Your determination to commemorate the ancestors and their precious contribution to the evolution of the Jamaican nation over the years will continue to inspire us.

Saint Lucia has a sizeable population who are descendants of indentured laborers from India that were brought to save the cultivation and processing of sugar cane.

The Palmyra brought the first, of thirteen, shiploads on May 6, 1859. A point of note: the last ship to bring Indian laborers to St. Lucia was the Volga, which sank off the coast of Vigie Point, near Castries on the night of Dec 10, 1893. It was carrying 156 Indians for St. Lucia and 487 for Jamaica.

All souls were saved; and those for Jamaica were taken there on the Jumna on Dec 22nd. So not only were the Volga’s Indians jahaji’s, but they shared a strong bond, forged through the same tragic experience.

As you know Indians were indentured in fourteen different colonies in the Caribbean Basin/South America : Guyana (1838), Jamaica (1845),  Trinidad (1845),  Martinique (1853), French Guiana (1854) Guadeloupe (1854), Grenada (1857),  Belize ( 1859),  St. Lucia (1859 ),  St. Vincent (1861),  St. Kitts (1861), St. Croix (1863), Suriname  (1873),  and Nevis (1874).

So far some of these countries have been celebrated the 150th anniversary of arrival and acknowledged contribution of their Indians.

With the celebrations on Martinique in 2003 and on Guadeloupe in 2004, the way is being been paved toward inter-Caribbean, Indian, and international acknowledgement of this presence. 

Integration, contribution, and acknowledgement across the whole Caribbean need to continue.

Remarkably, Guadeloupe chose a year long celebration where organizations, government-sponsored, family, and individual reflections by all segments of the population were encouraged. 

An interesting report with photographs on the Guadeloupe commemorative events of 2004 can be found on-line here.

We hope to see this trend continue with the other islands.

Please keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Richard B. Cheddie
Columbus, Ohio

for
Saint Lucia Indian Heritage Interest Group.

1859-2009 ! 150 YEARS OF INDIAN PRESENCE IN ST LUCIA !

LES INDIENS DE SAINTE-LUCIE

 

 

St. Lucia's mango shape adorns the Caribbean with its varied population, and its French creole.

Le premier convoi d'engagés de l'Inde arriva à Ste Lucie sur le  Palmyra le 6 mai 1859. En tout, 13 navires amenèrent 4.354 indiens  sur l'île.

La plupart venaient de l'Uttar Pradesh et du Bihar, mais certains bateaux venaient aussi du Bengale et de Madras.

On note que 2.562  travailleurs retournèrent en Inde à la fin de leur engagement.

The History of St. Lucia

For my spirit, India is too far...

- albeit not so far
   that Derek Walcott cannot continue in the following verses,

...these fields sang of Bengal,

    behind Ramlochan Repairs there was Uttar Pradesh...

DOUGLASPHERE RAMBLINGS

THE DOUGLA CITIZEN IN THE SMALL CARIBBEAN ISLANDS

Vieux Fort, St Lucia.
Old picture post card.
Source : Lameca  

    On the small Caribbean islands, the people of mixed descendence referred to as Dougla are viewed in the same light as Indians due to the minority number of Indians. They are treated the same way in their country, and still named coolies - although no longer necessarily with contempt. They in turn are viewed as Black if they reside in Canada or United States, but when they are in their island of origin they assume their role as Indians.

    The small island indian in society is indeed deemed indian by society.

    Some Dougla consider themselves Black because they know nothing about Indian culture and therefore cannot embrace it. Initially, I did not consider myself Indian because I felt I had no right to claim my "indianness" because I do no speak Hindi, I am not a Hindu, and I was not born in India. I do not know much about the larger island Dougla but I assume they are sort of a people in limbo that are not accepted by either side, which puts them in the position of choosing side.

    In the small islands the mixture of Indian can make a difference in terms of classification. However, if you are a quarter Indian you are not considered Indian but you are known to come from an Indian family. I have noticed that many Dougla regard themselves depending on if they retain more Indian or more Black features. Most Dougla consider themselves Black because they are shun by Indians from India or the bigger Caribbean island purists, and to the greatest extent because they are ignorant about their history and heritage.

    Some Dougla believe that claiming their Indianness is denial of being Black. They feel as though they will be viewed with disdain if they are pro-indian while their features are more African-looking. This can all change if one can cast light on the veil of ignorance regarding "indianness"...

    Some Dougla are beginning to reconnect with the Indian part of their identity and to claim their Indian co-heritage. They feel their Indian ancestors and their contributions to their country need to be acknowledged, as their contribution to the evolution of Grenada, St Vincent, St Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Jamaica... cannot be left unacknowledged or those islands considered just like euro-afro civilized.  India herself is coming to terms with the fact that her diaspora is as blended abroad as its people is at home.

    The dire fact is that culture in the Caribbean islands no longer sticks to race.

- a contribution by James Rambally from St Lucia.

26 March 2005.