By Anita Haridat

It is a late Sunday afternoon in Long Island, New York. In a local Indian supermarket, I am surrounded by all types of Indian people that seem to be speaking several different types of languages; most of which are unfamiliar to me. Some of them see that I look just like them but notice that I do not understand what is being said. When one person asks what my nationality is, I say that I am Indian, but my parents were born in Guyana. “You’re Indian? But your family is from Guyana. How is that possible?” This is the response I get from a variety of people when discussing my cultural background.

To some, this concept may seem a little off and maybe a little confusing, but for many Guyanese and Trinidadian people living in the United States, it is often a daily task to explain certain aspects of where our ancestors come from and how they got there.

Growing up in an Indian/ Caribbean home, I woke up to the smell of plantains my mother was always cooking and tasted the fresh papaya and guava we always seemed to have. At the same time, I survived my few visits to see my grandparents and listened to their strict, old fashioned morals which traced back from many years ago. Statements that they would make such as “you must marry an Indian boy” and “do not forget where you came from” has been embedded in my mind forever. Even at religious Hindu functions, my grandparents wore traditional Indian clothes, a lot more than my parents, brothers and I. We would just wear nice clothing typical of Americans as did most of my other family members. Of course my grandmother would see this was not the traditional way, so there were times where she bought lenghas for me and dhoti’s for my brothers.

Although my grandparents were not directly from India, they’re parents were, which is why the values and traditions have not changed. Even though this is true, growing up, they have also been exposed to the Caribbean way of life in Guyana; a major part of this being the music. In the West Indies, they are known for their exotic, up tempo sounds of chutney, soca and reggae music. Even as a second generation American, I am drawn to this and find that it has become more well known in the United States as time goes on. These aspects of my culture were a part of me which I held on to like a security blanket. In a sense I felt like there was no possible way to change my identity because it was my heritage that held me together so strongly.

When I started school in Long Island, New York, I felt different,
like I didn’t fit in. To me, everyone looked the same with blonde hair and blue eyes. Then there was me with dark hair and dark eyes. Even though I was a little girl, I remember feeling a sense of isolation and bewilderment. It was almost as if I was an outsider looking in to a whole new world. Regardless of how I felt, I remembered in the back of my mind what my father always told me. “Don’t forget your roots.” I took pride in where my family came from, however, even today it is sometimes a struggle to explain the concept of Indo Caribbeans due to the ignorance of many people. How can one really define an Indian anyway? At an International Indian Diaspora in Trinidad in 2004, the individuals who attended were asked who is really “Indian” - on the basis of how one defines an Indian or what makes someone an Indian. Although there is no definite answer to this question, it is often an issue that has caught the attention of others.

Today, Guyana and Trinidad, countries considered part of the Caribbean comprise of more than 43 % of people with Indian descent. However, how did they get there? Many experts believe whenever we think of immigrants from Trinidad or Guyana in America, we automatically think in terms of people of African descent. We either ignore or are unaware of the fact that half of the immigrants from these countries are East Indian.

For the individuals of formerly colonized countries, cultural mixing among the population has always been a reality. This has been true especially with the people from the West Indies. Looking back at colonial history, preceding Christopher Columbus, a group of people known as the Amerindians primarily inhabited most of the land of the Caribbean until the Europeans developed power over them. Overtime, the Europeans used the tactic of migrating workers from all over the world to their new overthrown land. They took people from countries such as Portugal and China, but mainly from Africa and East India.

The countries of Guyana and Trinidad, once countries of flourishing farmland, plantation and tradition, became diversified with workers from all over the world who were controlled on the basis of the new British government. During the 19th century, after a few years of indentured labor on the islands, workers were offered a ticket home or a plot of land. Most took the plot of land while many people who migrated from Africa moved into towns and dominated civil service, teaching and the army. In a sense, this means that the Indians became the island’s rural workers and land owners. Although faced with adversity, the Indian community in the Caribbean prospered and maintained structure as people settled and brought new waves of generations in. For many years, the East Indians did their best to hold on to the cultural ties they had with their homeland of India. For a while, they even kept the concept of the caste system, which places your social status from birth. However, as time went on, a gap was developed between the East Indians in the Caribbean and the East Indians in India. Until today this has caused certain social limitations.

Even in the United States, there seems to be a slight unspoken difference about the Indo Caribbean immigrants and those who came here from India regarding cultural specifics. This is definitely the case when it comes down to the concept of cuisine. Common Indian dishes such as roti, dhal and even chicken curry take on a whole new taste and even a different way of preparation. I have especially seen an occasion of this when I was walking down a street in New York where there was a West Indian food store and next to it, a food store owned and operated by people from India. I realized that the Carib Indians added more spice to their food with hot pepper sauces, and also added lemon and lime juice to their meat and fish recipes. Growing up with parents that were born in the Caribbean, I have grown accustomed to foods such as cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, plantains, and corn meal, yet I didn’t see a plethora of these products in the Indian store as I did in the West Indian store.

Although the types of foods may take on a slight difference between the two cultures, religion remains the same. Just like in India, there are Carib Indians who are Hindu, Muslim, Christian and even Buddhist. Although some may beg to differ, I find the traditions are the same between the two cultures regarding religion. I came to this conclusion when a family friend of mine who moved to the U.S. from Calcutta, India recently had a Hindu ceremony at her house. Everything that was done such as the mantras, the offering of flowers and the bhajans appeared to be the same as what I have been used to growing up.

On the whole, I feel that the two cultures are more similar than they are different. This is something that I had to found out for myself while researching and exploring Indians. I realized that certain aspects such as morals, social ties and tradition are not different, but the cultural factors are.

Whether there are Indian people from the Caribbean or from other countries, it is important to know that our descendants all came from India during one time or another. As a young woman with West Indian heritage, I have learned that no matter what, I must never forget who I am and to appreciate my heritage no matter how different it may be. As a second generation American, I don’t think that other Indians have the right to claim more of an authentic identity than mine. It may be true that I indeed grew up in the United States, and I am proud of that but at the same I am proud to be a Caribbean Indian. Until I can take pride in my culture, I cannot take pride in myself. Although there is often a struggle over identity during many times in life, the important thing is to learn how to embrace diversity in every way you possibly can.

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