Much has already been written on Indian Arrival Day in Guyana in the local dailies, namely Indian recruitment, emigration, sea voyage, plantation experience, repatriation and how the Indian society has evolved and devolved since indentured emancipation in 1920, among other themes. I wish not to repeat that information. Rather, I will analyse the most hated word in Indian historiography, which is ‘Coolie’, the Indian ‘C’ word.
The word ‘coolie’ appears to have derived from Hindi kuli or from Tamil kuli, meaning wages. The use of the word in Indian communities towards low-wage labourers bore no negative connotation. The word became pejorative when Europeans began to transport Asian labourers to their overseas colonies to work on their tropical sugar plantations. The word became a permanent slur when Europeans used it during the period of indentureship in nineteenth and twentieth centuries and when it was copied and used by other colonised ethnic groups during and after the above period. While the word was applied to low-wage Asian laborers, Chinese included, it became synonymous with Indian indentured labourers and their descendants in British, Dutch and French colonies.
Over the years, a number of literary writers such as Rajkumari Singh, Khal Torabully, David Dabydeen and Guiatra Bahadur have tried to destigmatise and desensitise the word, imbuing it with positive connotations. For example, Rajkumari Singh writes “in return for our HERITAGE what greater tribute can we pay to them than to keep alive the name by which they were called COOLIE is a beautiful word that conjures up poignancy, tears, defeats and achievements? The word must not be left to die out, buried and forgotten in the past. It must be given a new lease of life” (1973).
Among Indians themselves, the word is used to enhance endearment and empowerment. Some common expressions among Indians are: “Coolie bhai like he dhal and rice, ah Coolie head hard, man” reflecting a sense of camaraderie. However, I argue here that the ideology and the negative reality of the word still exist, which has caused the descendants of indentured Indians in the Caribbean enormous pain. I call this pain Coolieology.
Those who use the word in scholarship or in society reveal ignorance. The word Coolie is the most explosive word in the Caribbean Indian experience. No other word has come close to having the same ability to insult. This epithet belongs in a league of its own. Some use it casually, especially among Indians themselves. Some use it defiantly. Do you remember Moses Nagamootoo’s Coolie remark in Parliament? It is impossible to say the word without expanding your mouth and showing your teeth. The word exists in other languages. The word is spelled differently in different places but the poisonous meaning is the same.
The word has deep roots going back to the days of indenture, the plantation prison. Consider the following epithet that has survived indenture, “pork and spice, Coolie watered rice.” This epithet is not only used by other ethnic groups but also by Indians. For instance, upper class and urban Indians when angry and frustrated with their children often accuse them of acting like country coolie. To people who have been poor ever since they arrived in the Caribbean, tradition is what they have. The word disrupts this tradition. The word enrages them.
If there is any solace associated with this word is that it is one of those words that binds and unifies the descendants of indentured Indians around the globe. It reminds them of their sordid history and makes them aware that a majority of them are still dragging the chains of indenture. Many have not emancipated themselves from indenture. They have yet to find a niche in the Caribbean, despite having been in the region for over 175 years.
I believe that the word has not been discussed enough for us to fully understand when it should or should not be used. The attempt to put a positive spin on the word rings hollow and is restricted to the literary field. Moreover, the word is yet to be considered a hate speech or a racial slur, and there is no disgrace for using it. I urge that there should be more discussion on the word and a penalty applied when using it. If not, Coolieology is here to stay and an Indian in the Caribbean, especially where he or she is in the minority, will certainly hear this: “Ernie menial money Moe, catch a coolie and bit he toe.”([email protected]).
