Indentureship and the story of Indo-Guyanese names

By Harry Hergash

May 5 is now celebrated annually in Guyana as a national holiday, termed Arrival Day, to commemorate the arrival of various indentured immigrant groups in the country. Previously, this date, which is the anniversary of the arrival of the first ship bringing Indian indentured labourers to the country, was celebrated by the Indo-Guyanese community under the name Indian Arrival Day.
The history books inform us that between 1838 and 1917, around 240,000 emigrants from India were recruited to work as labourers on the sugar plantations of the then colony called British Guiana, now Guyana. Currently, their descendants, referred to as Indo-Guyanese, comprise around 40 per cent of the population and constitute the largest ethnic group in the country.
The Indian labourers came with their culture, of which personal names are a fundamental component, serving as a clue to ancestry, heritage, religion, and social mores. In this article, I look at the sources and evolution of Indo-Guyanese personal names, a subject that, as far as I am aware, has not been given much attention by scholars. In putting together this piece, I have relied on indentureship literature, reviews of my own and my wife’s ancestral records, information from individuals who have conducted searches for ancestors, and public sources of information.
The major source of the ancestors of Indo-Guyanese was the northern region, or Hindi belt, of India, mainly the present-day provinces of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and surrounding areas. This region accounts for around 85 per cent of the arrivals. The remaining 15 per cent came from the southern or Tamil-speaking region that now constitutes Tamil Nadu and surrounding areas. In relation to religion, around 85 per cent were Hindus, and about 15 per cent were Muslims. The percentage of Christians was negligible.
Among the Hindus in Guyana, the regional difference in surnames is clearly discernible. The northerners have surnames based on the Hindi language, with some of the most popular being the original Prasad (sanctified offering or gracious gift) and its local variations, Persaud and Prashad; Singh (lion, a metaphor for lion-hearted); and names with the prefix “Ram”, as in Ramotar, the surname of a former President of Guyana, and a name that is a local adaptation of Ramavtar, which translates to an incarnation of Ram.
The southerners have surnames based on the Tamil language, with the most popular ending in «sammy” (lord), as in Veerasammy (brave lord) and Ramsammy (Lord Ram), or in “mootoo” (a local adaptation of “muthu”, meaning pearl), as in Nagamootoo, a former Prime Minister of Guyana, a name that translates literally to “serpent’s pearl”. On the other hand, the most popular Muslim surnames are Khan, originally a title of Mongolic origin for a ruler or leader brought to India by the Turkish rulers; Baksh (of Persian origin, meaning “fortune/gift” or “bestower”), which came by way of the Persian rulers or its anglicised version, Bacchus; and Mohamed as well as Ali, which are names of Arabic/Quranic origin.
Generally, in India during the period of indentureship, the Hindu first name of a child was given by the priest based on astrology and caste. A common practice for the lower castes was to be named after the day on which the child was born. The upper castes were offered more elegant names or names related to Hindu deities. A similar practice continued with the early generations of Indo-Guyanese children.
In northern India, the two upper caste groups, the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas, have last names that are restricted to their castes. To this day in Guyana, individuals with last names such as Doobay, Panday, Sharma, Tiwari, and a few others are recognised as Brahmins. Individuals with the last name “Singh” are recognised as Kshatriyas. In bygone years in India, Doobey implied a Brahmin who is knowledgeable in two Vedas; Pandey implied a Brahmin who is in charge of temple rituals; Sharma implied a Brahmin who is a religious scholar; Tiwari implied a Brahmin who is knowledgeable in three Vedas; and Singh implied a warrior or administrator. In Guyana, while the caste system existed among the early Tamil-speaking southerners, not much is known, as it may have disappeared quickly due to the relatively small size of the community and their adaptation of Christianity and North Indian practices.
The evolution of names commenced in India at the time of issuance of the Emigration Pass (official document equivalent to a passport). Indian names were recorded on the pass based on how the British registering agent felt the name sounded, as well as on his cultural experience. In Guyana and the West Indies, Bacchus is the surname of many Muslims. However, a Google search would indicate Bacchus was originally not an Islamic or Arabic name. Instead, it is the name of the Roman god of wine and is of Greek and Latin origin. The Muslim name would have been Baksh, which came to India with the Persians. Because Bacchus, as a Muslim name, is common in Guyana and other countries that received indentured Indian labourers, it is highly likely some British officials recorded Bacchus as the name of many of the emigrants instead of Baksh. The same can be said of many Hindu names, e.g., “Murugan” recorded as “Morgan” or “Persaud” recorded as “Prasad”.
In Guyana, Anglicisation and similar changes occurred. However, without conducting an adequate sample of ancestral records and local birth registries, it is not possible to be certain which changes took place in India and which occurred locally. In any case, it is clear that many Indian names were anglicised. Some obvious examples are Ramsahoye/Ramsahoi, which are adaptations of Ramsahai (helper of Ram); Narine/Narain, which are adaptations of Narayana (referring to Lord Vishnu); and Chandrowti/Chandroutie, which are adaptations of Chandravatti (moon-like, possessor of beauty). Changes also occurred by the indentured labourers themselves or their descendants. Some converted to Christianity and took on completely new names.
These days, without delving into Guyanese history, no one would realise that the name Dr William Hewley Wharton is that of an Indo-Guyanese. He is a pioneer in Guyana’s medical history, being the first Indo-Guyanese to study medicine in Britain and graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 1899. Likewise, according to the website, http://windrush75.com/joseph-clara-luckhoo, the name of the patriarch of the very famous legal family Luckhoo was Lokhoa upon arrival.
During the early 20th century, Indo-Guyanese children were given more traditional names along the lines of those in India. Later generations became more adventurous. Hindu first names started to cross caste lines, and names became more elegant and meaningful. By the early 1950s, Indian cinema began to have an impact on Indian first names. Names of Indian actors and actresses, as well as the names of movie characters, started to be given to children. This trend now continues with greater frequency.
In Guyana, a couple of very popular female first names seem to be a religious reversal of what occurs in India. Nadira, which is of Arabic origin and a Muslim name in India, is considered a Hindu name in Guyana. Asha, a Hindu name in India, is considered a Muslim name in Guyana. Also, the last names of two prominent Muslim business families from the 1950s and 1960s in Guyana would be considered Hindu in India. Sankar, as in Sankar Brothers, is another name for the Hindu deity Lord Shiva. “Gajraj”, as in Gajraj and Sons, literally translates to “King of Elephants” and is often linked to the Hindu deity Lord Ganesha.
As the Indian labourers and their children settled in Guyana, they had to be accommodated in a legal system requiring a first name and a last name, labelled on all legal forms during the colonial days as “Christian name” and “surname”, respectively. Since the Emigration Pass of the Indian indentured labourers only had the person’s first name and his or her father’s first name, in Guyana the father’s first name often became the last name of the children.
In the next generation, when these children became parents, again the father›s first name became the last name of the children. From this point forward, the Last Name became fixed for subsequent generations. Supporting this fact, in his autobiography «Glimpses of a Global Life», Sir Shridath Ramphal, one of the most famous Indo-Guyanese, states that his last name, Ramphal, was the first name of his indentured paternal grandfather.
For this historical reason, many brothers who were born during or soon after the end of indentureship have children with different last names, making it difficult to establish relationships when historical memory is lost. Despite the preceding, some Brahmins and Kshatriyas were able to maintain their original caste last names, which have been passed down to following generations. It is likely that in the early years of indentureship, when upper-caste individuals were not favoured for recruitment, some claimed lower status to be accepted.
After reaching Guyana, they reclaimed their former status and were able to fit into the legal system for themselves and their children. However, in Trinidad, the late distinguished history professor, Dr Brinsley Samaroo, coined the unflattering phrase “Brahmin of the Boat” to describe individuals who, after arrival in Trinidad, claimed to be Brahmins.
The evolution of Indo-Guyanese names commenced from the time the ancestors departed India. Over the years in Guyana, changes continued and will continue due to increasing Anglicisation, Christianisation, loss of the Hindu caste system, and racial and religious intermarriages.
However, Indian cultural heritage… age will persist.