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During the month of May and in early June, nations across the Caribbean celebrate and commemorate Indian Arrival Days, which mark the arrival of indentured laborers from India. Hindus for Human Rights explains what the days are all about it:
The commemoration of Indian Arrival Days—also sometimes known as Indian Survival Days—across the Caribbean each May and June serves as an annual reminder of a complex historical chapter that began in the 19th century—this is not the only time of year Indian Arrival Days happen, but several are concentrated in the next month or so. This period marked the introduction of Indian indentured laborers to the Caribbean region under conditions that were often harsh and exploitative, while distinct from the brutalities of chattel slavery that it succeeded following abolition. These laborers were brought in to replace formerly enslaved people who had just been emancipated and to sustain the plantation economies, a move that profoundly shaped the demographic and cultural landscapes of their new homes.
As we observe Indian Arrival Day, we not only celebrate the survival and cultural flourishing of Indian communities but also acknowledge the painful circumstances of their ancestors' arrivals. This legacy of indentured servitude, juxtaposed with the backdrop of slavery and emancipation, highlights a broader narrative of resilience and contribution. The Indian diaspora in these regions has since laid deep roots, richly influencing the social, cultural, and economic fabric of Caribbean societies.
The descendants of these arrivals would come to be known as Indo-Caribbeans. They are currently a population that numbers about 2.5 million, both in the Caribbean and the diaspora of the U.S., Canada, and the UK.
Indian Arrival Day is celebrated in Grenada on May 1, on May 5 in Guyana, May 6 in St. Lucia, May 10 in Jamaica, May 30 in Trinidad and Tobago, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on June 1, and in Suriname on June 5.
Al Jazeera posted this video history, which documents the Indian arrivals to British colonies after abolishing slavery:
This video from C News Live documents the first arrivals to Trinidad and Tobago and the impact indentured laborers had:
Elizabeth Jaikaran tells her “double diaspora” story in this piece she wrote for Brown Girl Magazine:
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.[...]
My parents hail from Guyana, a small country on the northern coast of South America. Guyana is one of the original colonies of the British West Indies and, although not located in the Caribbean Sea, the CARICOM Seat of Secretariat is located in Georgetown, Guyana, thus rendering the country a crucial member of the Caribbean family.
It is home to a number of ethnic and racial identities, including peoples of African, Indian, Chinese, European (primarily Portuguese), and Amerindian (native) descent. Indians comprise the largest ethnic group in Guyana, with Africans following closely as the second largest ethnic group. My family is a multiracial one — I have Indian, African, and Chinese ancestry.
[...]
It is from this traumatic history of detention, servitude, sexual violence, and rejection that my heritage emerges. From the long voyage by ship from pre-partitioned India to the British West Indies, to the brief voyage by flight from Guyana to JFK International Airport, my identity carries with it the weight of two migrations. A double diaspora. The first undertaken by forced detention, the second by way of a stamped visa.
I had the good fortune to live in the New York City borough of Queens for a number of years and be exposed to and become friends with members of the Indo-Caribbean community there. Queens has the largest concentration of Indo-Caribbeans in the five boroughs.
This report from CUNY TV, the noncommercial cable television station of the City University of New York, features the Indo-Caribbean community in Queens.
I’d like to know if there is an Indo-Caribbean community where you live.
Please join me in the comments section below for more, and for the weekly Caribbean news roundup.
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