Indentured Labor: New Arrivals

Labor shortages after abolition led to the importation of indentured workers, primarily from India but also from China, Africa, and even Europe. Between 1854 and 1889, over 93,000 Indians arrived in the French Caribbean.

"Our ancestors came thinking they'd return to India after five years," explains Priya Ramsaran, whose great-grandparents came to Guadeloupe. "But plantation owners made return difficult. So Indians recreated home here—temples, festivals, food. We became Caribbean while remaining Indian."

This period created new cultural layers: - Hindu and Muslim religious practices - Indian culinary traditions (colombo, roti) - Musical influences (tassa drumming) - Agricultural knowledge (rice cultivation)