{"id":6700,"date":"2012-09-12T21:23:19","date_gmt":"2012-09-13T01:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trinidadandtobagonews.com\/blog\/?p=6700"},"modified":"2012-09-12T21:23:19","modified_gmt":"2012-09-13T01:23:19","slug":"question-of-origins-and-indian-indentureship-updated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.trinidadandtobagonews.com\/blog\/?p=6700","title":{"rendered":"Question of origins and Indian Indentureship: Updated"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
\nSeptember 12, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

letters<\/a>In the aftermath of the celebration of Indian Arrival Day on 30 May 2011 in T&T, this article focuses on certain origins and the historical dynamics of Indian Arrival. These origins include the Asian-Chinese Dynasty, “Ganges” river, Indian originality and the label “Indentured Servants.”
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\nAsian-Chinese Dynasty<\/b><\/p>\n

At the outset, it must be stated that Afrikans ruled all of Asia in the B.C. era. In fact, China’s first two most important dynasties, the Xia (2205-1766 B.C.) and Shang\/Chang were ruled by Afrikans.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the current A.D. Asian facial type of eyes being slanted are characteristic in West Afrika, the Sahara and in South Afrika among the Kong-San Bushmen. These ancient Afrikans brought this facial dynamic when they ruled Asia for centuries and mingled with the indigenous population, just as the Afrikan-Moors did in Euro-Spain from 711-1492 A.D.<\/p>\n

The historical records show that the earliest occupants\/inhabitants of Asia are Afrikans from ancient Kemet\/Egypt. These Afrikans built pyramids in China located near Siang Fu city in the Shensi province.<\/p>\n

In addition, the 1st Chinese emperor, Fu-Hsi (“Son of Heaven”) 2953-2838 B.C. was a woolly-haired Black-Afrikan man who invented the oracle of “I Ching” or “The Book of Change.”<\/p>\n

Moreover, the genre of sports called “martial arts” and medicine called “acupuncture” today were all brought by the ancient Afrikans from Kemet\/Egypt to China. The proof of all these historical truisms is painted on the walls of the Temple of Ptah. In ancient Kemet\/Egypt B.C., Ptah “was the pre-dynastic Mennefer god of craftsmen, pottery and creation. The ‘opening of the mouth’ ceremony was believed to have been devised by him.”<\/p>\n

“Ganges” River<\/b><\/p>\n

The “Ganges” river— sacred river in India today — is named in honour of the most famous and powerful Afrikan\/Ethiopian King, namely Pharaoh\/King Ganges, who invaded, conquered and ruled Asia as far as this river in India circa 1,500 B.C.<\/p>\n

Indian Originality<\/b><\/p>\n

The historical truism is that Indian “indentured servants” came from India to Trinidad in May 1845. They did not come from Indo. Put another way, Indians were the people who came from India; they were not the Indoes who came from Indo.<\/p>\n

Ergo, the descendants of these original Indians are now proud Indian-Trinbagonians in May 2011. They are not Indo-Trinbagonians— this label is totally ahistorical and must not only be immediately relegated to the ash heap of T&T’s cultural\/ethnic history but must also be expunged from T&T’s societal lexicon.<\/p>\n

By way of elucidation, there exists the Indian Premier League (IPL) in cricket that was established and financed by Indian entrepreneurs \/businessmen in India. The IPL was not established and financed by Indo entrepreneurs\/businessmen in Indo.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, when the IPL was played in South Africa in 2009, it was still called the Indian Premier League. However, if this cricket league were to be played in T&T, would it suddenly be called the Indo Premier League? Another poignant question: How can something and\/or somebody be Indian in India but Indo in T&T?<\/p>\n

I rest my case!<\/p>\n

“Indentured Servants”: Afri-centric Background<\/b><\/p>\n

In his magnum opus titled Capitalism and Slavery<\/em> (1938), Dr. Eric Williams asserts:<\/p>\n

“The immediate successor of the Amerindians was not the African but ‘poor whites.’ They were regarded as ‘indentured servants’ because before leaving England, they had to sign a contract binding them to service for a stipulated period in return for their passage. Others were criminals\/convicts who were sent by the British government to serve for a specific time on plantations in the Caribbean.” (p.9).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Dynamics of Indian Arrival<\/b><\/p>\n

In his book titled A Post Emancipation History of the West Indies<\/em> (1975), Prof. Isaac Dookhan suggests that immigration to the Caribbean was very attractive to the Indians for the following reasons:<\/p>\n