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{{Short description|Indentured laborers from British India}} |
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'''Girmitiyas''', also known as '''Jahajis''', were indentured laborers from [[British Raj|British India]] transported to work on [[plantation]]s in [[Fiji]], [[Mauritius]], [[South Africa]], and the [[Caribbean]] (mostly [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Guyana]], and [[Suriname]]) as part of the [[Indian indenture system]]. |
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{{Expand Bengali}} |
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'''Girmitiyas''', ([[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]]: {{Script |Kthi|𑂏𑂱𑂩𑂧𑂱𑂗𑂱𑂨𑂰}}) also known as '''Jahajis''', were indentured labourers from [[British Raj|British India]] transported to work on [[plantation]]s in [[Colony of Fiji|Fiji]], [[British South Africa|South Africa]], [[Eastern Africa]] (namely [[British Mauritius|Mauritius]], [[British Seychelles|Seychelles]], [[Réunion]], [[Tanganyika Territory|Tanganyika]], [[Kenya Colony|Kenya]], and [[British Uganda|Uganda]]), [[British Malaya|Malaysia]], [[Singapore in the Straits Settlements|Singapore]], and the [[Caribbean]] (namely [[British Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad and Tobago]], [[British Guiana]], and [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Suriname]]) as part of the [[Indian indenture system]]. |
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== Etymology == |
== Etymology == |
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[[File:Suriname Bhojpuri.jpg|thumb|[[Caribbean Hindustani#Sarnami Hindustani|Sarnami Hindustani]] (Roman script) plaque at Suriname Memorial, [[Garden Reach]], [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]]] |
[[File:Suriname Bhojpuri.jpg|thumb|[[Caribbean Hindustani#Sarnami Hindustani|Sarnami Hindustani]] (Roman script) plaque at Suriname Memorial, [[Garden Reach]], [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]]] |
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The word ''girmit'' represented an Indian pronunciation of the [[English language]] word "agreement" - from the [[indenture]] "agreement" of the [[ |
The word ''girmit'' represented an Indian pronunciation of the [[English language|English]] word "agreement" - from the [[indenture]] "agreement" of the [[British Empire|British]] Government with labourers from the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref name=":0"> |
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{{Cite web|title=Girmit History|url=http://www.fijigirmit.org/history.htm|access-date=2020-11-10|website=www.fijigirmit.org}} |
{{Cite web|title=Girmit History|url=http://www.fijigirmit.org/history.htm|access-date=2020-11-10|website=www.fijigirmit.org}} |
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</ref> The agreements specified the workers' length of stay in foreign parts and the conditions attached to their return to the [[British Raj]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Article 2|url=http://www.fijigirmit.org/a_girmit_an_introduction.htm|access-date=2020-11-10|website=www.fijigirmit.org}}</ref> The word ''Jahāj'' refers to 'ship' in Indic languages (from the Arabic/Persian ''Jahāz/''جهاز), with ''Jahaji'' implying 'people of ship' or 'people coming via ship'.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lal|first=Brij V.|date=|title=Chalo Jahaji – on a journey through indenture in Fiji|url=http://girmitiya.girmit.org/new/index.php/articles/dr-brij-lal/chalo-jahaji/ |
</ref> The agreements specified the workers' length of stay in foreign parts and the conditions attached to their return to the [[British Raj]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Article 2|url=http://www.fijigirmit.org/a_girmit_an_introduction.htm|access-date=2020-11-10|website=www.fijigirmit.org}}</ref> The word ''Jahāj'' refers to 'ship' in Indic languages (from the Arabic/Persian ''Jahāz/''جهاز), with ''Jahaji'' implying 'people of ship' or 'people coming via ship'.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lal|first=Brij V.|date=|title=Chalo Jahaji – on a journey through indenture in Fiji|url=http://girmitiya.girmit.org/new/index.php/articles/dr-brij-lal/chalo-jahaji/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=New Girmit.org|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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In Fiji, Governor [[Arthur Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Baron Stanmore|Arthur Hamilton-Gordon]] discouraged [[Melanesians|Melanesian]] [[Indigenous Fijians|Fijians]] from working on the plantations in an attempt to preserve their culture.<ref name=":0" /> |
In Fiji, [[Governor of Fiji|Governor]] [[Arthur Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Baron Stanmore|Arthur Hamilton-Gordon]] discouraged [[Melanesians|Melanesian]] [[Indigenous Fijians|Fijians]] from working on the plantations in an attempt to preserve their culture.<ref name=":0" /> Activist [[Shaneel Lal]] argues that Girmitiya were deceitfully enslaved by the British.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shaneel Lal: The Royal Family stole my ancestors |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/shaneel-lal-queens-death-black-brown-and-indigenous-communities-are-mourning-their-ancestors-and-culture/JVUO5BWKSUPPDN26VEYFA5YKSQ/ |access-date=2022-09-25 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* [[Indian indenture system]] |
* [[Indian indenture system]] |
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*[[Indo- |
* [[Indo-Caribbean people]] |
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*[[ |
* [[Indo-Fijians]] |
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*[[Fiji Hindi]] |
* [[Fiji Hindi]] |
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* [[Fijian Indian diaspora]] |
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* [[Global Girmit Museum]] |
* [[Global Girmit Museum]] |
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* {{cite book|last=Lal|first=Brij V.|authorlink=Brij Lal (historian)|title=Girmitiyas : the origins of the Fiji Indians|year=2004|publisher=Fiji Institute of Applied Studies|location=Lautoka, Fiji|pages=|isbn=978-0-8248-2265-1}} |
* {{cite book|last=Lal|first=Brij V.|authorlink=Brij Lal (historian)|title=Girmitiyas : the origins of the Fiji Indians|year=2004|publisher=Fiji Institute of Applied Studies|location=Lautoka, Fiji|pages=|isbn=978-0-8248-2265-1}} |
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* Gaiutra Bahadur (2014). ''[[Coolie Woman]]: The Odyssey of Indenture''. The University of Chicago. {{ISBN|978-0-226-21138-1}} |
* Gaiutra Bahadur (2014). ''[[Coolie Woman]]: The Odyssey of Indenture''. The University of Chicago. {{ISBN|978-0-226-21138-1}} |
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*{{cite book|last1=Carter|first1=Marina|url=https://anthempress.com/coolitude-pb|title=Coolitude : an anthology of the Indian labour diaspora|last2=Torabully|first2=Khal|date=2002|publisher=Anthem |
*{{cite book|last1=Carter|first1=Marina|url=https://anthempress.com/coolitude-pb|title=Coolitude : an anthology of the Indian labour diaspora|last2=Torabully|first2=Khal|date=2002|publisher=Anthem|isbn=1843310031|location=London|pages=}} |
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*Praveen Kumar Jha (2019). ''[https://www.vaniprakashan.in/details.php?prod_id=8762 Coolie Lines]''. New Delhi: Vani Prakashan. {{ISBN|978-93-88684-04-0|}} |
*Praveen Kumar Jha (2019). ''[https://www.vaniprakashan.in/details.php?prod_id=8762 Coolie Lines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118100317/http://www.vaniprakashan.in/details.php?prod_id=8762 |date=2022-01-18 }}''. New Delhi: Vani Prakashan. {{ISBN|978-93-88684-04-0|}} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* [https://www.patreon.com/sail_oar South Asian Indentured Labor |
* [https://www.patreon.com/sail_oar South Asian Indentured Labor – Online Archive of Research and Resources] – an online archive and living syllabus of text-based resources related to Indian indentureship, with country-specific resources and material related to global Indian indenture diasporas |
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* [http://www.flp.org.fj/interview-by-mahendra-chaudhry-nfu-general-secretary-on-girmit-divas-celebration/ Interview] of [[Mahendra Chaudhry]] about Girmitiyas in |
* [http://www.flp.org.fj/interview-by-mahendra-chaudhry-nfu-general-secretary-on-girmit-divas-celebration/ Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618162506/http://www.flp.org.fj/interview-by-mahendra-chaudhry-nfu-general-secretary-on-girmit-divas-celebration/ |date=2022-06-18 }} of [[Mahendra Chaudhry]] about Girmitiyas in Fiji |
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[[Category:Fijian people of Indian descent]] |
[[Category:Fijian people of Indian descent]] |
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Latest revision as of 12:44, 23 August 2024
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Girmitiyas, (Bhojpuri: 𑂏𑂱𑂩𑂧𑂱𑂗𑂱𑂨𑂰) also known as Jahajis, were indentured labourers from British India transported to work on plantations in Fiji, South Africa, Eastern Africa (namely Mauritius, Seychelles, Réunion, Tanganyika, Kenya, and Uganda), Malaysia, Singapore, and the Caribbean (namely Trinidad and Tobago, British Guiana, and Suriname) as part of the Indian indenture system.
Etymology
[edit]
The word girmit represented an Indian pronunciation of the English word "agreement" - from the indenture "agreement" of the British Government with labourers from the Indian subcontinent.[1] The agreements specified the workers' length of stay in foreign parts and the conditions attached to their return to the British Raj.[2] The word Jahāj refers to 'ship' in Indic languages (from the Arabic/Persian Jahāz/جهاز), with Jahaji implying 'people of ship' or 'people coming via ship'.[3]
In Fiji, Governor Arthur Hamilton-Gordon discouraged Melanesian Fijians from working on the plantations in an attempt to preserve their culture.[1] Activist Shaneel Lal argues that Girmitiya were deceitfully enslaved by the British.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Girmit History". www.fijigirmit.org. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ "Article 2". www.fijigirmit.org. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ Lal, Brij V. "Chalo Jahaji – on a journey through indenture in Fiji". New Girmit.org. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
- ^ "Shaneel Lal: The Royal Family stole my ancestors". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
Further reading
[edit]- Gillion, Kenneth (1962). Fiji's Indian migrants : a history of the end of indenture in 1920. Melbourne: Oxford U.P.
- Brij V. Lal and Kate Fortune, ed. (2000). "Girmitiya". The Pacific Islands : an encyclopedia ([Repr.]. ed.). Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 110–111. ISBN 082482265X.
- Lal, Brij V. (2004). Girmitiyas : the origins of the Fiji Indians. Lautoka, Fiji: Fiji Institute of Applied Studies. ISBN 978-0-8248-2265-1.
- Gaiutra Bahadur (2014). Coolie Woman: The Odyssey of Indenture. The University of Chicago. ISBN 978-0-226-21138-1
- Carter, Marina; Torabully, Khal (2002). Coolitude : an anthology of the Indian labour diaspora. London: Anthem. ISBN 1843310031.
- Praveen Kumar Jha (2019). Coolie Lines Archived 2022-01-18 at the Wayback Machine. New Delhi: Vani Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-88684-04-0
External links
[edit]- South Asian Indentured Labor – Online Archive of Research and Resources – an online archive and living syllabus of text-based resources related to Indian indentureship, with country-specific resources and material related to global Indian indenture diasporas
- Interview Archived 2022-06-18 at the Wayback Machine of Mahendra Chaudhry about Girmitiyas in Fiji