Author: Dkaran

Deonarine Karan

English 1101

Professor Carrie Hall

 

“The Backstory of the word Coolie”

      Guyana is the only South American nation in which English is the official language. Although, Guyana is in South America it’s considered to be part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. The majority of the population, however, speak Guyanese Creole, an English-based creole language, as a first language. Guyana is part of the Anglophone Caribbean. British Guiana was the name of the British colony, part of the British West Indies, on the northern coast of South America, now known as the independent nation of Guyana.  Have you ever heard the term “Coolie” before? Now used in the Caribbean (primarily Guyana & Trinidad) to refer to anyone of East Indian origin. The word today is usually associated with the history of the Caribbean, in fact, “coolie” had been used as a slur against low-wage, immigrant laborers in the United States. “It’s widely believed that the word “coolie” is derived from the South Indian language Tamil, in which the word “kuli” means wages (“A History Of Indentured Labor Gives ‘Coolie’ Its Sting” by Lakshmi Gandhi). The word coolie can be mistaken for the word “dougla. But “dougla” is someone that is a mixed with both african and indian descent. A coolie is a person that is only of full indian descent. But the dictionary definition of coolie says we are unskilled native laborer in India, China, or some other Asian countries. Many West Indians that come to New York live in Richmond Hill, Queens its a diverse neighborhood with many ethnicities like Jamaican, Trini, Guyanese, Dominican, and Puerto Rican.

               East and South Asians that traveled to the Americas as part of a system of indentured labor used throughout the British colonies. The word would enter the English language in the 1830s, as the indentured labor system gained currency as a replacement for the use of slavery in the British Empire. Although the word “coolie” is primarily associated today with the histories of the Caribbean and South America, indentured labor was a widespread in the mid-19th century America. The workers would work for low wages and live in poor living conditions, the word “coolie” became a derogatory code for Asians in the United States. The anti-Chinese labor sentiment was so high that in 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed an “anti-coolie” bill that “banned transportation of ‘coolies’ in ships owned by citizens of the United States of America.” Chinese labor and the “coolies” would surface again during the construction of the Panama Canal. After intense initial resistance, the Theodore Roosevelt administration elected to allow “coolie labor” to work on the canal in 1906. The decision to use “coolie labor” on the canal was a reversal of course for Theodore Roosevelt. The anti-Asian sentiment that existed in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, the word “coolie” was also used by fashion designers to describe Asian inspired clothes and accessories. There were “Coolie hats”, “Coolie coats” and “coolie pajamas”. In 1950, Spring Training was about to begin, Jimmy Powers from the New York Daily accused Branch Rickey (Jackie Robinson manger) of paying his players “coolie wages” after two members of the team were reportedly asked to take pay cuts.

               (The Chinese Coolie trade) Indian workforce was brought to a halt in 1839, Guyana proprietors were pressed to consider further alternatives. According to Clementi, the first hint that British Guyana should look to China for a supply of free labour dated back to 1811 but  not until January 1853 that the first shipment of 262 Chinese ‘coolies’ arrived in the colony on board the Glentanner. Two years later migration to the colony was “suspended due to financial pressures. For example, (Guyanese) Girl: Ay coolie bai wah yuh do? Boy: Nothing coolie gyal meh deh hea,( Trini) Girl: Ay coolie bwoy, i tell yuh tuh put di ting ova der in di corna. Boy: Coolie gyul ah do it , and ( Jamaican)  Girl: Wha gwan dey rude bwoy, Boy: Nuttin, we guh lock it up tonite. Coolie even refers to West Indian descent who have spend years and many more years to consider whether it is really chicken curry or curried chicken. People from Trinidad would say it’s Curried Chicken and people from where I’m from (Guyana) would say chicken curry but at the end there both the same.

            My parents were born and raised in Guyana and my ancestors were from India. Guyana

is one of the original colonies of the British West Indies and, although not located in the Caribbean Sea. It is home to a number of ethnic and racial identities, including peoples of African, Indian, Chinese, European and Amerindian descent. Today, the word “coolie” has largely faded from use everyday life. But for many in the Caribbean community, the word is a painful reminder of the troubled history of indentured labor in the Americas.

 

Works Cited:

Williams, Karen. “Coolie: A History.” Google, Google, 2015, www.google.com/amp/s/mediadiversified.org/2016/06/29/coolie-a-history/amp/.

“Coolie Trade in the 19th Century.” College of Liberal Arts | University of Minnesota, 16 June 2015, cla.umn.edu/ihrc/news-events/other/coolie-trade-19th-century.

               Guyana is the only South American nation in which English is the official language. The majority of the population, however, speak Guyanese Creole, an English-based creole language, as a first language. Guyana is part of the Anglophone Caribbean. British Guiana was the name of the British colony, part of the British West Indies, on the northern coast of South America, now known as the independent nation of Guyana.  Have you ever heard the term “Coolie” before? The word today is usually associated with the history of the Caribbean, in fact, “coolie” had been used as a slur against low-wage, immigrant laborers in the United States. “It’s widely believed that the word “coolie” is derived from the South Indian language Tamil, in which the word “kuli” means wages (“A History Of Indentured Labor Gives ‘Coolie’ Its Sting” by Lakshmi Gandhi). But the dictionary definition of coolie says we are unskilled native laborer in India, China, or some other Asian countries.

               East and South Asians that traveled to the Americas as part of a system of indentured labor used throughout the British colonies. The word would enter the English language in the 1830s, as the indentured labor system gained currency as a replacement for the use of slavery in the British Empire. Although the word “coolie” is primarily associated today with the histories of the Caribbean and South America, indentured labor was a widespread in the mid-19th century America. The workers would work for low wages and live in poor living conditions, the word “coolie” became a derogatory code for Asians in the United States. The anti-Chinese labor sentiment was so high that in 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed an “anti-coolie” bill that “banned transportation of ‘coolies’ in ships owned by citizens of the United States of America.” Chinese labor and the “coolies” would surface again during the construction of the Panama Canal. After intense initial resistance, the Theodore Roosevelt administration elected to allow “coolie labor” to work on the canal in 1906. The decision to use “coolie labor” on the canal was a reversal of course for Theodore Roosevelt. The anti-Asian sentiment that existed in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, the word “coolie” was also used by fashion designers to describe Asian inspired clothes and accessories. There were “Coolie hats”, “Coolie coats” and “coolie pajamas”. In 1950, Spring Training was about to begin, Jimmy Powers from the New York Daily accused Branch Rickey (Jackie Robinson manger) of paying his players “coolie wages” after two members of the team were reportedly asked to take pay cuts.

               (The Chinese Coolie trade) Indian workforce was brought to a halt in 1839, Guyana proprietors were pressed to consider further alternatives. According to Clementi, the first hint that British Guyana should look to China for a supply of free labour dated back to 1811 but  not until January 1853 that the first shipment of 262 Chinese ‘coolies’ arrived in the colony on board the Glentanner. Two years later migration to the colony was “suspended due to financial pressures. My parents were born and raised in Guyana and my ancestors were from India. Guyana is one of the original colonies of the British West Indies and, although not located in the Caribbean Sea. It is home to a number of ethnic and racial identities, including peoples of African, Indian, Chinese, European and Amerindian descent. Today, the word “coolie” has largely faded from use everyday life. But for many in the Caribbean community, the word is a painful reminder of the troubled history of indentured labor in the Americas.

Coolie was related to Asian labourers especially our ancestors that came from India. The word coolie is not only used in English but came from the Turkish words for slave. Although the word coolie is not used that commonly, people in German and Dutch use the word “Koelie” with the same pronunciation which means backbreaking, humiliating, and labor. The word was used in the American military during the Vietnam war, when “coolie” was referred to Asian farmers and labourers working in the American areas. American designers also used coolie for Asian-inspired clothing like coolie pajamas, coolie hats, and coolie coats. In the 1950s, Branch Rickey who hired Jackie Robinson was accused of paying players “coolie wages”. Coolie money was the money that enslaved people were allowed to earn by working for people other than their enslavers. Guyanese political scholar Walter Rodney cited that, “Indenture, unlike slavery, was constantly producing free citizens in large numbers”. The Guyanese political scholar identified the indentured labour system as one of the common practices of exploitation that African and Indian Guyanese fought against, until it ended. The conception of change which the Guyanese workers entertained during the war was by no means restricted to the exploration of the interior. On a number of vital fronts they were prepared to wage a struggle against the forces of oppression. The conception of change which the Guyanese workers entertained during the war was by no means restricted to the exploration of the interior. On a number of vital fronts they were prepared to wage a struggle against the forces of oppression.

•Coolie: an unskilled native laborer in India, China, and some other Asian countries.

In the story, “The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz he shows a superstition from Santo Domingo called “”fukú”. But the fukú ain’t just ancient history, a ghost story from the past with no power to scare.  I found Junot Diaz story to be very interesting he connects with the readers by sharing factual evidence like the assassination of John F. Kennedy then followed by the reason why we lost the war in Iraq. For example, Kennedy was the one who green-lighted the assassination of Trujillo in 1961, who ordered the CIA to deliver arms to the Island but intelligence experts failed to tell him that whoever killed Trujillo, their family would suffer a fukú so dreadful it would make the one that attached itself to the Admiral jojote in comparison. I don’t believe in old history superstitions but I think the Kennedy family was affected by the curse, Kick Kennedy died in a plane crash and Ted Kennedy survived a plane crash and he even wondered if his family fell victim to an “awful” curse. Another reason was the soldiers that was in Santo Domingo that was shipped off to Iraq was cursed by fukú it was gift of Diaz’s people to America, a small repayment for the unjust war. I never believed in any superstitions till the day I read “ The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”, the events that happen couldn’t been a mistake after leaving Santo Domingo. I know different cultures and nationalities have many tales that involve curses that dates back to ancient history.

The speaker is Ta-Nehisi Coates, he wants everyone to know that words take on a meaning within a context. For example, right names depend on right relationships, a fact so basic to human speech that without it, human language might well collapse. Coates brings up the subject that we should get rid of the worst and derogatory words spoken in our country. Coates brings this subject up now because it’s happening in everyday life even in sports where they use the word “ nigger” and think it’s okay. Coates is trying to reach people all around the world because he brings up different races and sexualities. The purpose of this piece is to inform us of the ways words can affect our language and minds. He’s trying to change hateful words that affect our culture, nationhood, and community. The tone of this essay is informative. He shares his experiences,“Two of my Jewish acquaintances once joked that I’d make a good Jew-yeah because I certainly am good with money”. I like Coates essay that everyone should have equal standard for their language and we should find a way to get rid of all the hateful words to make the  world a better place.