YOU! by Calvin French YOU! Magazine - Issue 1 | Page 61

A Dougla (pronounced: doo-gla) is someone
whose mix is Indian and African. Douglas are
unique to Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana
with its population being predominantly
African and Indian, due to African slaves and
Indian indentured labourers settling there
after colonization .
The word itself is derived from the Hindi word
“dogala” which translates to the words ‘mix’,
‘many’ and ‘much’. The physical features and
look of a dougla is a beautiful one; their skin
tones range from caramel to dark mocha,
while their hair textures vary from jet-black
curly to cotton-like soft and bouncy. If you
need a point of reference, look at celebrities
like, Nicki Minaj, Tatyana Ali and Melanie Fiona.
We can safely say Douglas are here to stay and
this racial hybrid adds to the amazing cultural
and ethnic melting pot, which is unique only to
the Caribbean.
Story By Brian Matthew
For centuries the Caribbean underwent
colonization from all major empires such
as the British, French and Spanish bringing
with them slaves from Africa, who settled
in the West Indies amongst the indigenous
people; the Amerindians . Naturally, with co-
habitation new races emerged such as the
most commonly known, Mulatto (a person
mixed with white and black ancestry).
There is one mixed race however, which is
rarely mentioned – that is, the Dougla!
YOU!
YOU!
Magazine
Magazine by
by Calvin
Calvin French
French
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