Priya Devi Deonarine, M.S., is a first
generation American of Indo-Caribbean
ancestry from Somers, Connecticut. The daughter of Guyanese immigrants
descended from North Indian villagers, Priya grew up innately aware and
inquisitive. Hungry for knowledge, she began writing at a young age. Priya is
currently a school psychologist in East Hartford, CT, where she assesses urban
youth for disabilities and promotes social-emotional wellbeing in elementary
school. She is also planning on becoming a sexual assault volunteer crisis counselor.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, cooking, reading,
and traveling.
Twice Removed: A
Personal Account of Indo-Caribbean-American Identity
Do you ever rehearse what you want to say? The
conversations surrounding my identity feel like a repetitive speech or
explanation that still leaves unanswered questions. As a proud first-generation
Indo-Caribbean American, my hyphenated identity reflects loss, resilience, and
growth. I cultivate incomparable strength from it by being able to connect with
diverse individuals, empathize with numerous social ideals, and balance
assimilation and tradition in order to progress.
The British brought my great-grandparents to Guyana
from India as indentured laborers after the abolition of slavery. On the South
American coast, Guyana is culturally connected to the West Indies due to its
melting pot of races, love for British past-times such as tea and cricket, and
Caribbean music. Firstly, Indians had to assimilate into greater Guyanese
society whilst keeping their traditions alive. Nevertheless, the amalgamation
of ethnicities and cultures forced a reshaping of Indian identity. The caste
system faded, food changed due to the availability of ingredients, spelling was
Anglicized, and languages were gradually forgotten, Punjabi dhol beats
transformed into tassa drums, and chutney music emerged from fusing
Bhojpuri folk songs with island rhythms. Indians blended with other migrants
and every facet of their original homeland was altered into a specific, vibrant
niche intertwined with their demographics and geography.
It’s critical to note the deep-seated effects of
colonial policies on Indo-Caribbean identity, with many longstanding
implications still haunting us today. India was highlighted as a replacement
for cheap labor after the collapse of slavery throughout the British Empire.
Many families were lured away with the promise of sustenance or kidnapped to
undergo a brutal sea passage, followed by degrading dehumanization on sugar cane
plantations. Displaced on a foreign land, most never returned to India, and
were systemically oppressed through inhumane working conditions and
exploitative contracts.
In particular, Indian women suffered both sexual
assault from British overseers and domestic violence within their own
community. Additionally, the prevalence of rum as male labor relief created a
cycle of addiction that disproportionately put women at risk for abuse, single
parenthood, and financial insecurity. British leaders began to request that
Indian children have English names and encouraged conversion to Christianity.
This stirred painful, internalized feelings of confusion, inferiority, and
resentment from a collective identity that had already been traumatized. Once
independent, colonial structures facilitated violent racial prejudice between
Guyanese of African and Indian descent, leading to a mass exodus.
Hence, Indo-Caribbean identity is
molded from tremendous historical sufferings and adaptability. With this
weight, my family started over in America, thus illustrating the second removal
from their home country. It was overwhelming, with some continuing to Anglicize
names and converting in an attempt to blend in and escape prior adversity or
negative feelings associated with trauma. Personally, my parents utilized this
opportunity to educate my brothers and I about our immensely unique history and
instill a deep connection to our roots, whilst understanding that we were
American-born and will inevitably have generational differences.
Indo-Caribbeans are distinct from other
hyphenated identities in that assimilation and struggle occurred twice across
three continents, with each migration leaving behind and changing certain
aspects of identity. Upon arrival, Indo-Caribbeans did not feel “Indian enough”
or included in the greater Indian American community, despite having the same
racial background and similar inequalities. Indeed, the Indo-Caribbean
perspective was largely unknown within the diaspora. Instead, Indian Americans
at times looked at Indo-Caribbeans with a mix of curiosity and bewilderment at
our accented creole, unusual spellings, and blended dishes, music, and rituals.
At worst, ridicule and exclusion further perpetuated feelings of shame.
These examples exemplify why I
sometimes felt discomfort amongst cliques of Indian American students at
university cultural events. I explained that we don’t have separate sangeet, haldi, and mehendi ceremonies before a wedding, but rather one called maticoor due to a historical lack of
resources. I didn’t have the opportunity to learn classical dance, grow up near
a temple, or celebrate holidays largely, as I was from a rural New England
town.
Now, I
am extremely grateful for my twice-removed hyphenated identity. The Caribbean backdrop
has transformed Indian identity as I know it into a remarkable fusion found
nowhere else in the diaspora. I love the colorful beauty and ancient
intricacies passed down from my Indian heritage, alongside our adaptations. I
enjoy both educating others while learning more of Indian culture that we lost
along the way. It has allowed me to be
part of and find commonality among many and advocate against evils still found
in all societies, such as gender inequity, mental health awareness, and abuse.
Being American is inherently linked with the cultural and religious traditions
I was raised with, whilst giving me greater ability to voice my opinion and
follow my own path. Overall, America has laid the foundation for my mixed
family to find security in our hyphenated identity despite original uncertainty,
as it binds us toward betterment and a sense of being for generations to come.
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