Indo-Belizeans
Total population | |
---|---|
7,000-8,000[1] (January 2016, est.) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Toledo District · Corozal District · Belize City | |
Languages | |
Standard Hindustani (Hindi–Urdu) · Sindhi · Punjabi · Gujarati · Kutchi · Bengali · Tamil · Telugu (spoken by more recent immigrants and their descendants, either Belizean-born or Belizean-naturalized) (common languages spoken in Belize) Caribbean Hindustani (spoken by the original Indian indentured immigrants and to a lesser extent spoken by their descendants) | |
Religion | |
Hinduism · Christianity · Sikhism · Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Indo-Caribbeans · Indian people · Indian diaspora |
Indo-Belizeans, also known as East Indian Belizeans, are citizens of
History and demographics
Indians began arriving in Belize after the
After India gained independence in 1947 up to present-day, many Indians further migrated to Belize as businessmen, entrepreneurs, doctors, and other professionals. However, they were not from the same regions of India as the original Indian indentured immigrant were from, they were mostly
In 1907, the Canadian Government made an unsuccessful attempt to transfer Indian independence activists residing in the province of British Columbia to Belize (then known as British Honduras). A Canadian delegation led by the chief clerk of the Canadian Ministry of the Interior Harkin, and a small Indian delegation including Teja Singh traveled to British Honduras in November 1907 to determine if conditions were suitable for the move. Upon his return to Canada, Teja Singh stated that Indians were being sent to Honduras for slave-labour and claimed that Canadian officials had attempted to bribe the Indian delegation to secure a positive report. The Canadian government blamed Teja Singh's statements for the failure of the proposed transfer.[10]
Notable people
- Payal Ghanwani, the first Indo-Belizean Senator
- Nora Parham, only Belizean woman to be executed
- Doug Singh, politician
- George Singh, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Belize[11]
- Lutchman Sooknandan, twice Director of Public Prosecutions, a native of Guyana born to a father from Kolkata[12]
- Oscar Ramjeet, former Solicitor-General of Belize, born in Guyana
- Gian Ghandi, former Solicitor-General of Belize
See also
References
- ^ "India - Belize Relations" (PDF). Ministry of External Affairs. January 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. 11 April 2023.
- ^ "The East Indians of Belize - Everything You Need to Know". 11 December 2021.
- ^ "The East Indians of Belize - Everything You Need to Know". 11 December 2021.
- ^ "INDIANS IN BELIZE | India Empire".
- ^ "The East Indians of Belize". 24 October 2019.
- ^ "The Cultures of Belize: The East Indians People of Belize". 8 September 2022.
- ^ "All About East Indian Food and Traditions in Belize". 12 March 2022.
- ^ "Belizean Sindhis celebrate New Year".
- ISBN 9780859892438. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "Chief and two new justices sworn in". News 5 Belize. 1998-02-02. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
- ^ Ramos, Adele (2011-09-25). "Book Review: From Bengal to Bushlot to Belize". Kaieteur News. Retrieved 2012-04-20.