Indo-Martiniquais

Indo-Martiniquais are an ethnic group of Martinique, compromising approximately 10% of the population of the island. The Indo-Martiniquais are descendants of indentured laborers of the nineteenth century from India of primarily Tamil and of other Indian origin. They are primarily most concentrated in the northern communes of Martinique, where the main plantations are located.[2] The Indo-Martiniquais speak Antillean a French-based creole.

Indo-Martiniquais
Total population
37,530[1]
Regions with significant populations
Fort-de-France · La Trinité
Languages
Tamil, Telugu, French, Antillean Creole, English, Hindi, other Indian languages
Religion
Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Indo-Caribbean · Tamil people, Dravidian people

Migration history

In 1851 the Martinique authorities, seeking to replace former slave labourers who had abandoned plantation work on being given their liberty, recruited several thousand labourers from the Indian French colonial settlements of Madras, Pondichéry, Chandernagor and Karaikal. Workers were offered free passage and pay in exchange for serving a five-year period of labour.[3] Despite initial experiences of racial discrimination and labour exploitation, many of the immigrants were subsequently well-integrated into the population,[4] and by the late 20th century the labourers' descendants were broadly assimilated into Martiniquais culture.

The past two decades have seen Indo-Martiniquais people increasingly asserting the distinctively Indian aspects of their heritage (a phenomenon known as "indianité"). People of Indian descent have paid renewed attention to the history and culture of India, and local groups have established contact with peoples of Indian descent from throughout the Caribbean and further afield. One token of this has been the recent revival of a traditional Hindu annual mela on the island, sustained by the Hindu temples and shrines that were introduced by the migrant labourers and remain operational today.[5]

Culture
See also: Hinduism in Martinique

The majority of Indo-Martiniquais follow Christianity with the minority following Islam and Hinduism. The Hinduism in Martinique consists of a variation of popular Tamil Hinduism, which was characterized by the practice of animal sacrifice, the veneration of village deities and the use of the Tamil language as the ceremonial language, although the language has lost its usage in the plantation and post-plantation society.[6]

One of Martinique's most famous dishes, the Colombo, derives from Indian cuisine. The word Colombo derives from the Tamil word குழம்பு- kulambu meaning curry sauce. The dish is a unique curry of chicken, meat or fish with vegetables, spiced with a distinctive masala of Tamil origin, acidulated with tamarind and often containing wine, coconut milk, and rum.[7]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Martinique Population 2020". World Population Review. World Population Review. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  2. Nettl, Bruno; Stone, Ruth M.; Porter, James; Rice, Timothy (1998-01-01). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780824049461.
  3. : World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Martinique : Overview
  4. "A SHORT HISTORY OF MARTINIQUE". Archived from the original on 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  5. : Countries and their Cultures: MARTINIQUE
  6. Taylor, Patrick; Case, Frederick I. (2013-04-30). The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Religions: Volume 1: A - L; Volume 2: M - Z. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252094330.
  7. Rabikowska, Suzy. "Top 10 Martinican Dishes You Just Have to Try". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
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