What It Means To Be West Indian And Caribbean
To be West Indian does not only mean you are from the Caribbean region. One can not simply define a West Indian in one word or phrase. To really take apart the meaning of being West Indian one must look at the differences and similarities these Islands have between each other. This is what makes these islands so diverse. What makes all these tiny islands that we see on a map so different from each other are the many languages, the religions, culture, their economies, and ethnicities. The many languages that are spoken in this region include Spanish, Dutch, French and English. Another difference is culture, for example in Cuba we can see that they are Spanish influence and mainly the religion they practice in Catholicism. On the contrary Trinidad and Tobago they are majorly Indian and the religion practiced is Hindu.
The reason for all these differences is that back when settlers came from the East, they came from different countries in the East. They all bought their different cultures, beliefs and mixed with the indigenous people of the islands, along with the slaves that were being sold to work in the islands from the Europeans. Slavery plays a huge roll in a West Indian peoples identities, this is what Caribbean has in common with each other. The long history of slavery and what people lived in these times is essence as to what is means to be West Indian as well as the way they identify themselves. Today’s Caribbean people are the sons and daughters of slavery. The transformation in to Blackness has unified and given social mobilization around the Caribbean project of freedom and equality.
Depending on who is defining a West Indian, if it is a West Indian defining himself or herself as to someone from the outside defining a West Indian, because of this West Indian identity is contextual. You can be a person looking in and you may signal West Indian people as black or immigrant. But to West Indians themselves they may consider themselves as to be from where they are from about their country. The people in the Caribbean see themselves as independent regions that have different languages, beliefs and cultures. They do not necessarily see themselves as similar, they don’t see themselves as Africans or West Indians. What unites and also defines West Indians, is the diaspora that we see on the outside in. The nations that the Caribbean’s migrated to like the US or Canada, we see how this helped the economic state of this region. We also see how each Caribbean region is celebrated with festivities and carnivals here in the United States. The Caribbean communities celebrate and have a sense of satisfaction and pride toward their own cultures.
In conclusion, the factors that make up being a West Indian is not just about which island you are from or what language of dialect you speak. The essence of being a West Indian is the obstacles and struggles they have overcome to be the thriving nations they are today. It is to be of a culture so rich and to share the differences that make up what the West Indies is.
Sources:
- Empires Crossroads; A History Of The Caribbean From Columbus To Present Day; Carrie Gibson 2014
- https://youtu.be/L0iv-hUsQTs
- https://youtu.be/bnizsn7pdW0
