The Indo-Caribbean Experience: Now and Then
by Elizabeth Jaikaran – Follow @LizJaikaran
To be precise, I am an Indo-Guyanese-American: The mother of all hyphenated identities and an illustration of a historic journey from India to the Caribbean. This heritage is commonly packaged in a number of different terms, all of which are heavily used as referential identifiers: Indo-Guyanese. Indo-Caribbean. Caribbean. West Indian. Indian. It is most aptly described as the Indo-Caribbean experience—an experience that is shared by Indians living throughout the Caribbean diaspora and thus serving as the blueprint for my existence.
This unique cultural disposition is why the Indo-Caribbean are able to culturally identify with public figures ranging from Hasan Minhaj to Nicki Minaj. It is why bursts of Caribbean intonation in Rihanna’s voice blanket me in the comfort of home, while the ballads of A.R. Rahman awaken pained demons within me, crying to connect with a history that was ripped from my hands long before I was born.
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Comments
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Ms. E Jaikaran, Excellent Article. Here’s my piece
Thanks
Norman Datt
(Pickering. Ontario)
I AM A COOLIE
As stated before when
I went into the coolie den
There wouldn’t have been any Guyana
Without any coolies from Mother India
Our dharma is the best in the world
Made us and as others blood curled
Very proud Coolies in that clime
Our forefathers had a rough time
From Brahmins to Musahar
Chatris and Madrassies so far
They came bare without luggage
They left all their bias baggage
When they boarded the ships
They made lasting kinships
Yes they have become jahajis1
Thank the Lord they did this
They’ve passed on their robust genes
And have developed unique cuisines
Good broughtupsy and etiquette
Maybe it was ordained as kismet
Some call it discipline or broad leather
Knock heads, bramble licks Oh brother!
Also known as cut rass
Which you get in class
We did not need anyone to teach us about the truth
Respect for other people’s property and being couth
We all went to school and yearn
Be attentive to our teachers to learn
Not to yap on the phone
Or to moan and groan
Not to play video games
But focus and have aims
Not to disrupt classes
Like confound asses
From birth we were keen
About personal hygiene
Our parents took much care
Let us use clean underwear
Wash your face and at a very early age
Brushing teeth even with black sage
Wash your hands before you eat
And after you touch the toilet seat
Take your shoes off at home on entering
Never wear them to bed when sleeping
Cover your mouth was real turn-off
Especially when you have a cough
It was a way of life
Free from all strife
Talk about being a spendthrift
Always preached to not to drift
You’re told to always contend
Only afford what you can spend
Buy something only for cash
To avoid any budgetary clash
What you don’t have wait until you can
Obey the unwritten laws and be a man
We build our homes maybe not paying rents
Sometimes we make do living with parents
We never owe the sharks or the banks
And to our coolie parents we say thanks
We’re never caught in a financial quagmire
Thus leaving others conspiring to admire
Cause we’ve become the best
Keeping fathers in the nest
Spending their last cent educating their children
We’ve built villages and cities becoming free men
Which stand out from the rest becoming linguists
Becoming teachers, lawyers, doctors and dentists
Learning English, Hindi, Urdhu and Patwa
Still singing old time songs of Mother India
Play the harmonium and dhantal
Dance when the tassa drums call
Can belt out our chatneys at social gatherings
Topping it off with Allah’s or Ram’s blessings
And live our life to suit us
As others making a fuss
We belong to faiths of Hindus, Muslims, Christians
Coming a long way from being treated like heathens
We celebrate all holidays like Eid or Pagwah
Christmas with our nanee, nanah, agiee or ajah
Hindu temples sit near Mosques and Churches
With coolies from all over of different ages
To live and let live not like a gaggle of geese
But to show other nations how to live in peace
I’m a little late in the game on commenting on this but, I just found this, and as such will pretend I’m not. This article was beautifully written, and as someone who’s also mixed with Indo-Caribbean, I identify with it so strongly. I think it’s so important to note language as a means of barriers between “Indo-Caribbean” and “Desi,” if that makes sense. As someone who didn’t grow up knowing Hindi and who had to rely on subtitles so strongly, there’s a deep sense of shame intertwined with that when you’re watching Bollywood movies with Indians who have emigrated directly from India itself.
You capture the experience of living kind of caught between two worlds so beautifully. I’m sure this comment isn’t super clear, but it’s so rare to me to find something that puts what I’ve thought and felt for the majority of my life into words that completely makes sense and really resonates with me. There’s so much joy that’s found in the Guyanese culture, but at the same time, there’s a shame to be connected to this rich historical background once you’ve left the society of Guyana.
There’s the harsh rejection of any semblance of being Guyanese, something that I personally haven’t experienced to the same extent, but one that my father wears as a burden. He emigrated from Guyana to New York in the early 70s, and now identifies not as Guyanese, or Guyanese-American, even, but just American. Full stop, nothing more to it, rejecting my culture entirely American, and for me, growing up it was really strange, because my mom is a loud and proud Indian woman – not Indian-American, or just American, but Indian. There’s a disparity between the shame that my dad connotes with his culture and background and the pride that my mom holds in hers, which, undoubtedly, is a very personal thing, but I think it’s noteworthy that while Indo-Caribbean people sometimes reject this heritage, most Indians I’ve met (and coming from the Bay Area, it’s a lot, believe me) embrace it fully.
(Also weird that, with the exception of my dad, a lot of my relatives on my paternal side is quick to show just how “truly” Indian they are, whatever that means).
Again, this article is so incredible relevant to me, and I’m so appreciative that someone could take experiences like mine and articulate them in a way that’s so compelling and powerful. Thank you.