Mauritians of Indian origin

Indo-Mauritians or Indian Mauritians are Mauritians who trace their ethnic ancestry from India.

Indo-Mauritians
Total population
812,769
65.7% of the population of Mauritius (2011[1][2])
Languages
Religion
Hinduism
73.8% · Islam
26.2%[3]
Related ethnic groups
Bihari Mauritian · Tamil Mauritian · Indo-Caribbeans · Indo-Fijians · Indians in South Africa · Indian people · Indian diaspora

History

People from India, during the beginning British India, first arrived in Mauritius to workas indentured labourers, commonly referred to as coolies, that were intended to work in sugarcane fields. Mauritius took about 450,000 such labourers, making it the greatest British colony recipient of indentured migrants.[4] Indentured labourers were mostly brought from the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with a large number of Tamils, Telugus and Marathis amongst them. The descendants of these indentured labourers, as of 2019, form one of the richest and most politically powerful descendants of Indian indentured labourers globally and make up two-thirds of Mauritius's population.[4]

As free immigrants, these later arrivals were commonly employed by the British in the armed forces, police forces, as security personnel with a substantial portion of immigrants from Gujarat and Sindh arriving as traders, businessmen and merchants.

In the late 19th to early 20th century, Chinese men in Mauritius married Indian women due to both a lack of Chinese women and the higher numbers of Indian women on the island.[5][6][7] The 1921 census in Mauritius counted that Indian women there had a total of 148 children fathered by Chinese men.[8][9][10] These Chinese were mostly traders.[11]

Demographics

Today the population consists of mainly Hindus with Muslim, Christian, Buddhist and Baháʼí Faith minorities. The mother tongue of almost all Mauritians is the Mauritian Creole, while a minority of Indo-Mauritians still use both their ancestral language and Creole at home. Indo-Mauritian use their ancestral languages mostly in religious activities, some of them include Bhojpuri, Tamil, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu and Urdu.

As from age six, all Mauritian children must learn a third language at school (French and English are already compulsory). The languages learnt in decreasing order are Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu and Bhojpuri. Mauritian Creoles can opt for Mauritian Creole as the third language. Choice is usually based on ethno-religious background with Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi chosen by Hindus who belong to the respective ethnicities and Urdu by Muslims from the Indian Subcontinent.

Indian influence

Indo-Mauritians have influenced Mauritian culture, dominating the economic, public sector[4] and political faces of the island. Mauritian politics have been historically dominated by the Indo-Mauritian community due to their majority as a whole on the electoral platform. All presidents except Karl Offmann and all prime ministers except for Paul Berenger have been members of the community. Most Hindu celebrations are public holidays. Indian influence is felt in religion, cuisine and arts. Indian influence is also felt on music wherein the island has its own groups of Bhojpuri and Tamil bands. Indian films are also popular.

Notable people

Sports

Football is the most popular sport amongst Mauritians. Vikash Dhorasoo, who played for French football team, is of Indo-Mauritian origin.

See also

Notes and references

Footnotes
  1. http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/CensusandSurveys/Documents/HPC/2011/HPC_TR_Vol2_Demography_Yr11.pdf
  2. Government, India (2012). "Population of Non-resident indians country wise". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/CensusandSurveys/Documents/HPC/2011/HPC_TR_Vol2_Demography_Yr11.pdf
  4. "The legacy of Indian migration to European colonies". The Economist. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  5. Marina Carter, James Ng Foong Kwong (2009). Abacus and Mah Jong: Sino-Mauritian Settlement and Economic Consolidation. Volume 1 of European expansion and indigenous response, v. 1. BRILL. p. 199. ISBN 978-9004175723. Archived from the original on 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  6. Paul Younger Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies McMaster University (2009). New Homelands : Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa: Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa. Oxford University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0199741922. Archived from the original on 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  7. "What Inter-Ethnic Marriage In Mauritius Tells Us About The Nature of Ethnicity" (PDF): 15. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. Huguette Ly-Tio-Fane Pineo, Edouard Lim Fat (2008). From alien to citizen: the integration of the Chinese in Mauritius. Éditions de l'océan Indien. p. 174. ISBN 978-9990305692. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  9. Huguette Ly Tio Fane-Pineo (1985). Chinese Diaspora in Western Indian Ocean. Ed. de l'océan indien. p. 287. ISBN 9990305692. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  10. "What Inter-Ethnic Marriage In Mauritius Tells Us About The Nature of Ethnicity" (PDF): 16. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. Monique Dinan (2002). Mauritius in the Making: Across the Censuses, 1846-2000. Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture, Ministry of Arts & Culture. p. 41. ISBN 9990390460. Retrieved June 1, 2015.

Notations
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