EXPLORATION, ENCOUNTER, EXCHANGE IN HISTORY
Indies. Some great sources on these developments include
the website for former British colonies, which includes
T
easy-to-navigate stories of how nations such as Guyana and
Trinidad emerged from their colonial past.
he practice of Hinduism, which is still the majority
religion among Indians in Guyana and strongly present
in Trinidad, also changed as a result of the interactions of
diverse Indian groups and with both British authorities
and Afro-Caribbean people. Many Caribbean Hindus
embraced a reform movement based on the Vedas, called
Arya Samaj. Others, however, brought their narrative and
ritual traditions to the West Indies, eagerly explaining them
to subsequent generations. Mangru notes that Hinduism
in Guyana and among Guyanese expatriates in the United
States, Canada, and the United Kingdom is among the most
devoutly practiced religions in the world. Moreover, in
Waterloo Temple in Trinidad
countries such as Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname (a former
Dutch colony), the celebration of Hindu religious days such
as Diwali and Holi (known as Phagwa in the West Indies) are
national holidays.7
Additionally, the Indian influence on Caribbean culture
extended to popular music traditions such as reggae,
calypso, and regional forms such as chutney and soca.
Moreover, Hindu devotional songs—distinct from those in
India—played an outsized role in the Indian community,
T
and in some cases transcended a solely Hindu audience in
the Caribbean.
oday the Indo-Caribbean community continues to
embody the migration of culture and the creation of
distinct cultural identities. Students keen on learning how
the West Indies developed through more than two centuries
Map of the Colony in Berbice located in Guyana
of exploration, encounter, and exchange are encouraged to
explore the diverse history of the Indian experience that
started at the port of Calcutta nearly 200 years ago.
For a complete bibliography and more resources,
go to www.nhd.org/themebook.
7
Lavina Melwani, “What are Over 200,000 Guyanese Hindus Doing in New York State?,” Hinduism Today August 1995, www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.
php?itemid=3520.
17