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The indigenous Trinidadian Native American population perished in the early Spanish colonial period. Mistreatment and European diseases were the primary causes. The Spanish replaced them with small numbers of African captives forced into slavery. During the Spanish era, people of African abcestry were only about 10 percent of the popultion. This small number was because the Spanish did not pursue plantation sugar agriculture like the British and French in the Caribbean. This did not begin to change until the late-18th century. It is only with the British seizure of the Islands, that large numbers of Africans were brought into Islands (early 19th-century). The British turned Trnidad into another Caribbean sugar island. Much of the population is decended from yhese African slaves imported to work on the sugar plantations and the South Asians. After emancipation (1830s), the feeed slaves had no desire to work on the sugar plantations and largely pursued subsistince agriculture. The British replaced the former slaves with South Asians recruited to work as indentured laborers, referred to as 'coolies'. The population was still primarily of African ancestry until after World War II. At the time of World War II, African-Trinidadians were about half of the population. This has changed in modern times. At the end of World War II, the African ethnic group was nearly half of the population. People of South Asian and African ancestry today each constiture about 35 percent of the population. We are not sure why the African group has declined in contrast to the South Asians, but it has been a steady and long term process. Combined, the African and South Asisn Trinidadians constitute 70 percent of the population. Most of the rest are people of mixed ancestry.
The indigenous Trinidadian Native American population virtually perished in the early Spanish colonial period. Mistreatment and European diseases were the primary causes.
The Spanish replaced the Amer-indiansm with small numbers of African captives forced into slavery. During the Spanish era, people of African abcestry were only about 10 percent of the popultion. This small number was because the Spanish did not pursue plantation sugar agriculture like the British and French in the Caribbean. This did not begin to change until the late-18th century. It is only with the British seizure of the Islands, that larger numbers of Africans were brought into Islands (early 19th-century). The British turned Trnidad into another Caribbean sugar island. Much of the population is decended from these African slaves imported to work on the sugar plantations and the South Asians. After emancipation (1830s), the feeed slaves had no desire to work on the sugar plantations and largely pursued subsistince agriculture. The population was majortity of African ancestry until after World War II. Gradually the prtoprtion of frocns has dclined nd the poprtion of South Asians has increased. Today in Trinmidad, Africans dominante urban areas, especially the oil fields, as well as the poorer agricultural areas of the north, east, and southeast, and on Tobago. African have come to define Caribbean culture, althoughh three of the larger Caribbean uslands retained theur Spanish culture (Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
The British replaced the former slaves with South Asians, odten referred to as East Indians, recruited to work as indentured pr 'contract' laborers. They were also referred to as 'coolies', more of a Chinese term. The emancipted slaves refused to work on the sugar plantations where they had expeince such brutal treatmnt. Trinidadians of South Indian descent maintain many of their religions, customs, traditions, and language. Ethnic features continue to notably separate the two groups, as do others matters, including occupation, diet, religion, residence, agricultural landscape, occasionlly dress, and often politics. South Asians have a sroung presence in irbn areas, exceot Port-of-Spain and San Fernando. South Indians for some reason are dominant in the better agricultural regions. Urban South Indians tend to be better off economically than urban blacks and play major role commerce, industry, and the professions. jhis is a little surprising as as the schools use English as th medium of education nd mny South Ains do not speak Englisxh at home. The schools do make South Aian languages a part of the curruiculum in South Aaian communities. At the time of World War II, African-Trinidadians were about half of the population. This has changed in modern times. People of South Asian and African ancestry today each constiture about 35 percent of the population. We are not sure why the African group has declined in contrast to the South Asians which has increased, but it has been a steady and long term process.
Although Trinidad was both a Spanidh and British colony, relatively few people of Eufopeam ancestry live in Trinidad today--less than 1 percent. They are primarily descended from early settlers and immigrants, including indntured lborors. There is a small Chinese population. The British brought brought Chinese laborers to Trinidad. The firt group rrived (1806). Most arrived after the bolition od skvery (1835). Some some 2,600 Chinese were brought as indentured labor between (1853-66). Labor ws neeed because the former slaves did not want to weork on sugar plantations which had been the back bone of the colonil ecinomy. The majority of the Chinmese were from southern China. Trinidadian statictics report an 'other' category of 7 percent. We are not aure who is in that category, but includes some migrants from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. TYhe other category also includes many who did not state their ethnicity on the census forms. There are South Asinds jn severl otherCasribben area countrues, espciallu Guyna and Jamaica, but theyvreceive relrively limited attntion. . .
Combined, the African and South Asisn Trinidadians constitute 70 percent of the population. nd their is a other category. Most of the rest, over 20 percent are people of mixed ethnicity which seems rather mll aft nrasrly two cnturus of living together. Africans and Souh Asian Trinidadins are economically interdependent and free to associate. There are no segregation codes re lgsl impedimnts. Each community, however, has retaineds its cultural individuality. Notice tht the mixed-race community is surpriingly small. Some Trinidadin authors hve described this az mutual coexistence with reltivly little assimilation and limited ethnic strife. Intermarriage is reltivly rare.
MacKinney, Taryn. "
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA DIVERSITY OF SAINT VINCENT AND TRINIDAD AND ITS
IMPLICATIONS FOR CARIBBEAN SETTLEMENT HISTORY
By
Taryn
In
Anthropology
Submitted to the
Department of Anthropology
At the University of Pennsylvania
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Theodore G. Schurr
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