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Indo–Trinidadians and Tobagonians

Ethnic group

  • 15 min read
  • 6 chapters
Felix Morin established a photographic business in 1869. From circa 1893 he had a studio at the corner of Frederick Street and Brunswick Square, Port of Spain, Trinidad. In 1896 he is recorded as havi
Félix Morin · Public domain

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Indo–Trinidadians and Tobagonians are a subgroup of Indo-Caribbean people, which is a subgroup of the wider Indian diaspora. Most Indo-Trinidadians can trace their ancestry back to North India especially the Bhojpur and Awadh regions of the present day Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, two states located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. However, some Indo-Trinidadians may trace their ancestry to other parts of South Asia, notably South India, such as the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Indians first arrived in Trinidad and Tobago as indentured laborers from India through the Indian indenture system from 1845 to 1917, and some Indians and other South Asians, along with their families, later came as entrepreneurs, businesspeople, religious leaders, doctors, engineers, and other professional occupations beginning in the mid-20th century. Indo-Caribbean people from many other Caribbean nations, such as Guyana, Grenada, Martinique, and Saint Croix, also immigrated to Trinidad and Tobago.

Indo–Trinidadians and Tobagonians are the largest ethnic group in Trinidad and Tobago, identified by the official census, accounting for about 35.43% of the population in 2011.

History

Of 94,135 Indian immigrants to Trinidad, between 1874 and 1917, 50.7 percent were from the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, 24.4 percent came from Oudh State, 13.5 percent were from Bihar Province and lesser numbers from various other parts of the British Raj, such as the Madras Presidency, Bengal Presidency, Central Provinces, Chota Nagpur Division, Bombay Presidency, and Punjab Province. Out of 134,118 indentured labourers from India, 5,000 who left from the Port of Madras distinguished themselves as "Madrasi" and the immigrants who left from the Port of Calcutta distinguished themselves as "Kalakatiyas".

Many were people who were escaping poverty in India and seeking employment offered by the British for jobs either as indentured labourers, workers or educated servicemen, primarily, between 1845 and 1917.

The demand for Indian indentured labourers increased dramatically after the abolition of slavery in 1834. They were sent, sometimes in large numbers, to plantation colonies that produced high-value crops, such as sugar, in Africa and the Caribbean.

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