A Forgotten Diaspora: Forced Indian Migration to the Cape Colony, 1658 to 1834
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A Forgotten Diaspora: Forced Indian Migration to the Cape Colony, 1658 to 1834 Parbavati Rama A doctoral dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor Philosophiae in Population Studies, Department of Statistics and Population Studies University of the Western Cape. Supervisors: Prof. Robert C.-H. Shell and Prof. Nancy Stiegler May 2015 KEYWORDS Age and sex structure of slaves Census Ceylon Demographic profile Diaspora Dutch East India Company (DEIC) India, Bengal, Coromandel Coast Malabar Coast i ABSTRACT This thesis aims to explore Indian forced migration to the Cape Colony from 1658 to 1834. The ‗forgotten diaspora‘ of its title refers to the first Indians who had come to the shores of South Africa, long before the arrival—between 1860 and 1911—of the indentured Indians. This diaspora has been forgotten, partially because these migrants came as slaves. The author uses data extracted from the newly transcribed Master of the Orphan Chamber (MOOC) series and slave transfers which are housed in the Western Cape Provincial Archives and Records Service (WCARS). The Cape colonial data is considered among the best in the world. Earlier historians such as Victor de Kock, Anna Böeseken, Frank Bradlow and Margaret Cairns, have made us aware of their existence primarily through Transportenkennis and Schepenkennis (transport and shipping information) documents in the Deeds Registry. Not nearly enough, however, is known about these Indian slaves, especially about those who arrived between 1731 and 1834. These lacunae include the number of arrivals; their sex ratios; ages and origins; and the circumstances under which they came. This thesis aims to construct a census of Indian slaves brought to the Cape from 1658 to 1834—along the lines of Philip Curtin's aggregated census of the Trans- Atlantic slave trade, but based on individual case level data coded directly from primary sources. This is the first time the size of the creole population born at the Cape will be established. ii DECLARATION I declare that A Forgotten Diaspora: Forced Indian Migration to the Cape Colony, 1658 to 1834 is my own work, that it has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in any other university, and that all the sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by complete references. PARBAVATI RAMA May 2015 Signed: ............................................ iii DEDICATION ―In Cape Town resides part of the soul of many nations and cultures, priceless threads in the rich diversity of our African nation.‖ President Nelson Mandela This thesis is dedicated to the memory of all the Cape slaves. iv Figure 1: Natives of Arrakan sell Bengali slaves to the Dutch at Pipely in 1676 Source: Anonymous, Rijks Museum v ABBREVIATIONS DEIC Dutch East India Company (English for VOC) DO Deeds Office GIS Geographical Information Systems MOOC Master of the Orphan Chamber SO Slave Office SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences TANAP Towards a New Age of Partnership TECP Transcription of Estate Papers TESCP Transcription of Estate and Slave Papers of the Cape of Good Hope UCT University of Cape Town UWC University of the Western Cape VOC Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (Dutch for DEIC) WCARS Western Cape Provincial Archives and Records Service vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The successful completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the help of a number of individuals, without whom, I might not have met my objectives in doing this research. I want to give thanks, in particular, to the following people for their invaluable help and support. My first thanks must go to the late Professor Robert Shell, who has left footprints in the sands of time—ones that all potential researchers like me would hope to follow even if to accomplish only a fragment of his successes. He gently introduced me into the world of historical demography in the 2000s, and I had the immeasurable privilege of learning from him the skills associated with this fascinating subject. I will always remember him as a champion of Cape slavery, and be eternally grateful for his understanding and support —and for sharing his immense knowledge of Cape and global slavery with me, as well as his sage advice, informed opinions, suggestions and ideas, all of which guided me in the writing of this thesis. His insight into historical demography and sociology was remarkable, allowing me to see historical and contemporary global events in a new light. His recent passing has left an immense void in South African historiography as his innovative historical scholarship has left an indelible mark on an understanding of so much of Cape history, particularly of the history of slavery. He is also missed as an exemplary teacher: one who was courageous, insightful and generous in his criticism and his willingness to impart his knowledge and wisdom to anyone who shared his passion for truth. I am most grateful to Professor Nancy Stiegler, Head of the Department of Statistics and Population Studies, for her extensive and knowledgeable supervisory guidance. I am also deeply indebted to her for her unceasing patience, her support, her understanding and her unfailing encouragement. My thanks also go to Professor Renette Blignaut for her kindness and understanding. In particular, I greatly appreciated her assistance with the statistical analyses. vii I thank Dr Sandra Rowoldt Shell, not only for being present at all my presentations, but also for giving me strength and support throughout the research and writing of this study. Her constructive comments helped me through all the concerns associated with thesis writing. I am grateful to Xandre Probyn for helping me with my writing, sitting through the presentations and giving me generous support throughout. I would also like to thank Tanya Barben for all her professional, skilled and patient assistance. Nesbert Zinyakatira of UCT went out of his way to accommodate me by giving me his time and help, as did Bonita Kleyn-Magolie of CPUT in the creation of the GIS maps for the thesis. I deeply appreciate the valuable inputs and time given so willingly by Sandra Matanyaire Gonçalves, Donna Corns and Joline Young when sitting in on my presentations during our special seminar sessions in the Gardens. My thanks also go to Leslie Selbourne for helping me to negotiate my way through the administrative maze that is part of the thesis writing process. I am very grateful to the National Research Foundation (NRF) for funding my research. Finally, I am profoundly grateful to friends and family members who have supported me throughout the writing of the thesis. It is, however, to my son Danesh and my daughter Hanita that my most heartfelt thanks go. They have been unwavering in their support of me throughout my long academic adventure. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS KEYWORDS .................................................................................................................................. i ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... ii DECLARATION.......................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION.............................................................................................................................. iv ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................................. 1 THE CONTEXT OF THE STUDY ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND LABOUR ISSUES ....................................................................................... 1 1.3 THE DATA SET .............................................................................................................................................. 5 1.4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .................................................................................................................... 6 1.5 AIM OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................................................................... 7 1.6 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................................................ 8 1.7 ORGANISATION OF THE REMAINDER OF THE THESIS ................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER 2 ................................................................................................................................ 10 METHODOLOGY: A CLIOMETRIC APPROACH ............................................................. 10 2.1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................