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UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Aifoor MI 48I06-I346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 FESTIVALS, RITUALS AND ETHNICITY AMONG EAST INDIANS IN TRINIDAD DISSERTATION Presented in Partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ratimaya Sinha Bush, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1997 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Ojo Arewa, Adviser Professor Erika Bourguignon Professor Amy Zaharlick A dviser Department of Anthropology UMI Number: 9731596 Copyright 1997 by Bush, Ratimaya Sinha All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9731596 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright by Ratimaya Sinha Bush 1997 ABSTRACT This research was conducted In order to examine definitions of East Indian identity among a group in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It was found that in defining "Indianness", religion played a key role, especially symbols taken from the Hindu epic The Ramayana. Even non-Hindu Indians spoke of the protagonists of this text, Rama and Sita, as the ideal role models and made parallels between Lanka (the capital of Ravana, the demon king of T h e Ramayana ) and Trinidad. In using symbols from The Ramayana. East Indians in Trinidad have been able to unite and set themselves apart from Trinidadians of African descent. Hindu cultural symbols have thus been politicized. It will be demonstrated that relations between the two major groups - Africans and East Indians, are vital to the emergence of East Indian identity. The structuralist method was used to explicate the manner in which East Indians in Trinidad identify and distinguish themselves from Trinidadians of African descent. i i To my mother 111 ACKNOWLEDGMENTTS I wish to thank my adviser, Ojo Arewa, for his support and encouragement. I also wish to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Erika Bourguignon and Amy Zaharlick, for intellectual guidance and friendship. To my friends in Trinidad, I would like to extend a warm thanks and appreciation, especially to Manwanti Charran, Ruby Ramdial, Jamila Edoo and Mr. and Mrs. Nock. My father, Indranand Sinha, was generous in funding my research and was of great help in providing translations of Sanskrit words and texts. I would like to thank my brother, Yoganand Sinha, for allowing me to quote from his dissertation. Most of all, I would like to acknowledge the very enthusiastic encouragement that I received from my wonderfui husband, Gary, who accompanied me to Trinidad, and has been of invaluable help in every facet of my life. I V VITA December 30,1956.......................... Born - Bihar, India 1978...................................................... B.A. Anthropology Michigan State University 1988...................................................... M.A. Anthropology The Ohio State University 1988 - 1993, 1995........................... Graduate Teaching Associate The Ohio State University 1995-Present................................... Instructor of Anthropology Wright State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Anthropology Studies in: Anthropological Theory, History of Anthropology, Anthropology of Religion, Ethnography of the Caribbean TABLE OF CONTEhfTS Page Abstract i i Dedication................................................................................................................... 111 Acknowledgments I v Vita............................................................................................................................... V Chapters: 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Significance of the study ................................................................. 6 Symbols .............................................................................................. 11 Methodology ....................................................................................... 1 6 2. The Setting ...................................................................................................... 22 The CanblDean ................................................................................... 22 Early History ...................................................................................... 38 East Indians in Trinidad .................................................................. 41 3. Relations between Indians and Africans .............................................. 60 Historical factors............................................................................. 61 Political antagonisms ..................................................................... 6 2 Geographical conditions ................................................................ 6 4 Black Power...................................................................................... 6 8 Recent relations .............................................................................. 7 3 4. Religious Organizations .............................................................................. 7 6 Sanatan Dharma ............................................................................. 7 6 AryaSamaj ....................................................................................... 80 vi Muslims 8 2 Christians 8 4 Temples 8 8 5. The Religious Practitioner..............................................................................92 Becoming a pandit 9 4 Pandit families 9 9 Role of the pandit ........................................................................... 99 6. Festivals ........................................................................................................ 102 Carnival............................................................................................. 104 Hosay ............................................................................................... 106 Phagwa ............................................................................................ 110 Diwali................................................................................................ 117 La Divina Pastora .......................................................................... 120 7. Rituals ........................................................................................................... 123 Puja ................................................................................................... 127 Puja Sequence ................................................................................ 128 Yagna ................................................................................................ 1 30 A typical yagna ................................................................................ 133 Functions of the yagna and the puja .......................................142 8. Analytical Approaches ............................................................................... 145 Ritual and symbol ........................................................................... 145 Structual analysis ............................................................................1 52 "Binary oppositions" ....................................................................... 154 9. Conclusion..................................................................................................... 179 Appendix A; Chronology ....................................................................................... 1 8 3 Appendix B: Trinidad and Tobago Statistics ............................................... 185 Glossary .................................................................................................................... 1 86 Bibliography .............................................................................................................. 19 3 vi i CHAPTER 1 im’RODUCTION The Caribbean region, due to its multi-ethnic nature, presents researchers with a broad array of problems to be investigated. Widely different nationalities, religions, languages and cultural traditions