INDO-GUYANESE TAMIL HERITAGE

Toronto, Canada
May 6, 2006
South Asian Heritage Day event
at the Vedic Cultural Centre Arya Samaj Temple.

The lady is Indo-Guyanese said that she is Madrasee.
This type of headwear is still common in Guyana.

Canada is home to large numbers of Indo-Caribbean peoples who have migrated from Guyana and Trinidad though there are smatterings of others from Jamaica and other English-speaking countries of the Caribbean.
Since the Canadian census does not track ethnicity breakdown of Canadians who originated from the Caribbean, the size of the Indo-Caribbean population in Canada can only be estimated and it is sometimes quoted to be in excess of 150,000 including offspring born in Canada.

 

Each year for the past seven years, the Arya Samaj Temple near Toronto has hosted an exhibition and a cultural show as part of Indian Arrival Month, now officially recognized in Ontario as South Asian Heritage Month.

Part of that exhibition includes a “logie” or dwelling where indentured Indians used to love on the sugar plantations in the Caribbean. The version seen in the photograph is scaled-down. 

 

The term “Madrasee” is still used in Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago to refer to descendants of Indian indentured workers who originated from South India, and were mainly Tamil speaking.

The vast majority of Indian indentured workers who went to the English speaking Caribbean originated from North India, mainly from what is now Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Today, Tamil is only used in South Indian Hindu ceremonies in Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago. 

Photo and text by Martin Latchana
©2006 cqoj blog.
Special thanks.

Comments

[palanikumar]

hi
i m palanikumar from madurai city, tamilnadu, india..
i like guyuna tamils.
context me: kummm9@yahoo.ca

[tej]

Its amazing to know all that a few in india knows about that . but inetureship is resposible for that .
i lives in that part of india i.e utter pradesh
regrds
tej