Sunday Tribune

Debunking myths and stereotypes

PROFESSOR KALPANA HIRALAL Hiralal is a professor in the Department of Historical Studies, in the School of Social Sciences at Howard College at the University of Kwazulu-natal

NOVEMBER 16, 2022, marks the 162nd anniversary of the arrival of indentured Indians in Natal. It is a history far too well known.

Yet, there is another group of immigrants that arrived in the wake of indentured Indians – the “passenger” Indians. There are, however, myths and stereotypes associated with indentured and “passenger” Indian migration to Natal, a few briefly alluded to below.

First, Indian migration to Natal consisted of two groups: indentured and “passenger”. The latter paid their own passage to Natal and were not bound by contractual labour. They arrived following the settlement of indentured labourers in Natal from 1860 onwards. Like their indentured counterparts, they were British subjects, but unlike the labourers, were subject to normal immigration laws.

The arrival of indentured Indians was sanctioned by Law 14 of 1859, which governed their socio-economic mobility in Natal. They came under the Office of the Protector of Indian Immigrants, which registered their arrival, births, deaths and marriages.

The differentiated status between “passenger” and indentured immigrants also created a social hierarchy, stigmatisation and stereotyping of one group over the other decades later.

“Passenger” immigrants, because of their non-labouring status, endogamous social practices and religious affiliation (the vast majority were Gujarati-speaking Hindus and Muslims) were perceived as the “superior” class of Indians and assigned labels such as “Arabs” and “Banias”.

Indentured Indians, in most instances, were labelled “coolies”, “samy” and “Madrassees”. These historical stereotypes hindered to some extent social contact between the two groups for many decades.

Giving evidence at the Indian Immigrants (Wragg) Commission 1885-1887, George Mutukistna, an indentured Indian, alluded to a social hierarchy that existed between “passenger” and indentured Indians: “The little feeling of caste which exists in Natal, is kept up by the Mauritius Indian merchants, who think themselves better because they are rich and who think that, by observing caste distinctions, they can set themselves apart from the Natal Indian people.”

Some “passenger” Indians, because they arrived under a different migration status, wanted to distinguish themselves from indentured labourers.

In an affidavit in 1907, Kuarjee Ramajee, of Durban, made a formal application for a domicile certificate and stated: “That I am a native of India ... That I am not an indentured Indian and also hold no pass under any act.”

Second, the “passenger” immigrant often conjures images

of the rich Gujarati trader. However, the “passenger” Indians are a misunderstood category.

They were not all wealthy, and they did not always have a solid commercial background. Many came from impoverished backgrounds. There were, amongst them, a few who had a commercial background, for example, the pioneer traders, amongst them Aboobaker Amod, and Moosa Hajee Cassim.

They were men of means, with multiple trade branches and international networks that established businesses in Natal and the Transvaal. But the vast majority of “passenger” Indians were struggling immigrants who were seeking an escape from the poverty of the rural villages in India in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

They came mainly from agricultural backgrounds. They were cultivators, petty farmers, peasants, husbandmen, field hands and labourers. Among them were many skilled and semi-skilled

artisans who plied their castebased trade earning a livelihood as shoemakers, goldsmiths, carpenters, potters, laundry workers and tailors.

They had little or no finance on arrival but, largely through kin, caste and village network, were able to secure employment as assistants, accountants, clerks, store managers, supervisors, and salesman.

Many who engaged in commerce in Natal, the Cape and the Transvaal were small-scale traders and often described themselves as a “storekeeper”. Others took on non-commercial menial jobs: hawking, “togt” (casual) work, stable hand, bricklayer, fireman, railway worker, and some had to eke out a living by working as cooks at hotels and as hired hands in shops. It was only after they had managed to save money that they established a business or went into partnership.

Second, Calcutta and Madras are associated with indentured migration. However, a small percentage of “passenger” Indians also came from the southern parts of India, embarking from Madras in the south, originating from the Andhra districts of Chittoor, Ganjam Godavery, and Vizagapatam and were predominantly Tamil and Telugu speaking.

For example, Coottean together with her husband migrated as “passenger” Indians to Natal in the late 1880s, and in 1908, Manuel Arokiaswamy Francis described himself as “a free passenger … I have paid the cost of my own passage from India (Madras)”.

A re-assessment of aspects of Indian migration to Natal allows for a broader analysis of the indenture history. It debunks popular stereotypes and assists in breaking down labels used to separate immigrant groups.

1860 A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY

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2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

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