Indo-Saint Lucian
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (Approx. 3,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Saint Lucia (Approx. 3,000) |
|
| Languages | |
| Hindustani, English | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Jainism, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Indo-Caribbean |
Indo-Saint Lucians or Indian Saint Lucians are Saint Lucians whose ancestry lies within the continent of India, primarily the modern-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh in northern India. In 1859, the British began transporting indentured workers from British India to work on plantation estates in Saint Lucia, which had become a British colony in 1814. The first ship carrying 318 indentured workers from India, the Palmyra, arrived in Saint Lucia on 6 May 1859, and the last ship carrying Indian indentured workers, the Volga, arrived on 10 December 1893.
In total, 13 ships transported nearly 4,500 Indian indentured workers to Saint Lucia between 1859 and 1893, excluding those who died during the voyage. About 2,075 workers returned to India, while the rest remained in Saint Lucia or emigrated to other Caribbean nations such as Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. The last indenture contracts expired in 1897, and by the end of the 19th century, Saint Lucia had a population of 2,560 free Indians. Many Indians who had completed their indenture periods were unable to return home as they did not have sufficient funds to do so. The Indians that remained in Saint Lucia are the origin of the Indo-Saint Lucian community.
As of 2013, people of Indian descent are a minority ethnic group in Saint Lucia, accounting for 2.4% of the country's population. An additional 11.9% of the country is multiracial, predominantly of Indian and African descent.
European colonialists established sugar cane plantations in the West Indies in 17th century using African slave labour. Following the abolition of slavery in British West Indian colonies in 1838, plantation owners in the region sought to find alternate sources of labour. In 1859, the British began transporting indentured workers from India to work on plantation estates in Saint Lucia, which had become a British colony in 1814.
Most of the workers came from rural areas of the modern-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. In India, they had been agricultural labourers and small farmers. Most of them belonged to lower castes and were poor, however, they were not the poorest people in their native villages. The majority of them owned cattle and property in India. They emigrated to the West Indies primarily for economic reasons, intending to make money there and return to India with their savings. Others, in particular the female indentured workers, saw the work as a "vehicle for emancipation" believing that their indenture period was a path to attaining personal and economic freedom. Nearly two-thirds of all indentured Indian women were widows, former prostitutes, single mothers, or had been deserted by their husbands or had run away from unhappy marriages. The conditions of the Indian workers on plantation estates was poor, and on average, 25-30% of all workers suffered from malaria or spleen disease at any given point of time. The first Indian settlements in Saint Lucia were established near the sugar estates where they worked namely, Pierrot, Augier, Belle Vue and Cacao around the Vieux Fort factory; La Caye and Dennery near the Dennery factory; Marc and Forestiere near the Cul-de-Sac factory, and Anse la Raye near the Roseau factory. A small Indian village also came up in Balca, near to Balenbouche estate.
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Wikipedia