Indentured Labour a new system of slavery Sikh Experience in East Africa Sewa Singh Kalsi

The presence of Sikh communities throughout the world highlights one of the fascinating stories of an immigrant community which originated in the Punjab, India, more than five hundred years ago. This article focuses on the experience of Punjabi/Sikh indentured craftsmen who were recruited to build the East African Railway network in the 1890/1900s. This East African experience is one of the vital components of the episode of the export of Indian labour overseas between 1820 and 1920; Hugh Tinker describes it as A new system of slavery. Broadly speaking, the presence of Sikh communities throughout the world can be explained in terms of colonial links, freedom of movement within the British Empire and the passing of the Slave Trade Abolition Bill in 1807. Historical Context: the Birth of British India Britain, like other European countries, began to trade with India during the Mughal period; the East India Company established their factories/ warehouses in the coastal areas of India. Until 1757, the Company continued functioning as traders; but the successful outcome of the battle of Plessey in 1757 fundamentally transformed the fortunes of the East India Company, who emerged as rulers of India. The British/Sikh connection began in 1849 after the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the annexing of the Punjab in 1849 giving Britain total control of the sub-continent of India. The impact of British rule in the Punjab brought a dramatic change in the fortunes of Sikh craftsmen who had a very low status within the social structure of Indian society. They were regarded as kammis (servants) who were not only attached to agricultural patrons but also worked for them according to the traditional system of jajmani (a patron-client relationship in which the client is paid in kind instead of cash). Apart from making and repairing agricultural implements, a carpenter was also required to provide services linked with the social rituals - weddings and deaths. For example, a carpenter would supply a wooden plank (patri) on which the ritual of mayian (a ritual rubbing of paste on the would-be bride or groom before a wedding) is carried out;

moreover this was the index of his inferior status as well. In Indic culture givers of food have a superior status to the receivers of food. With the annexation of the Punjab, Sikh village craftsmen began to move to new industrial centres in India, and to migrate particularly to East Africa. The East African experience transformed the fortunes of Sikh craftsmen who, for the first time in their lives, enjoyed the dignity of being members of their biradari (brotherhood) living in major industrial towns of East Africa. Life in East Africa Sikh craftsmen are one of the most orthodox caste groups. In East Africa they began to establish their own Sikh temples and they showed a remarkable capacity for restructuring their traditional institutions for example, observing the rules of Sikh visible identity and the traditional system of arranged marriage. Most importantly they established their first gurdwara in Nairobi in 1900. Now they began to take pride in their craft-related status and assert their so called Ramgarhia Sikh identity instead of the village kammi (servant). As a result of their newly acquired economic success, the Sikh craftsmen began to establish their caste-based gurdwara (known as Ramgarhia Gurdwaras) all over East Africa. The pride in their traditional caste status, along with their loyalty to the Sikh tradition, are the most significant pointers to towards understanding the psychological endeavour of a low caste group for claiming a new, equal social status within the wider in this case Sikh social structure. By the time of their second phase of migration, from East Africa to England, the Ramgarhia Sikhs had established their caste-based institutions in almost all towns of East Africa. Most importantly, these institutions emerged as a symbol of their Ramgarhia Sikh identity. Although the Sikh community in East Africa was listed as part of the Asian community within the British-style caste system, this in fact worked very well in their favour. They were sandwiched between the Whites/Europeans and local Africans. The Sikh community thoroughly exploited their newly-imposed British-style caste status. It meant no meaningful interaction with the Europeans/Whites nor with the African population. It is important to note that (except for the top positions) the

so-called Asians virtually controlled the government institutions within the administrative hierarchy. Their children went to Asian schools, but were educated following the British-model of education, leading to public examinations; some were also sent to England by their parents for university education. Most importantly, the migration of Sikh craftsmen to East Africa continued until 1950, albeit with some immigration restrictions; and as there were no restrictions on bringing spouses from the Punjab, by the 1960s a vibrant Sikh community had developed in East Africa. By this time many Sikhs wee working in banks, post offices and the police force and their second generation had begun entering the professions, becoming teachers, doctors, lawyers and accountants. Some of them became highly successful building contractors and owners of automobile businesses all over East Africa. The late 1960s and the 1970s were the most difficult years in the life of East African Asians, who were diplomatically forced to leave East Africa by the East African governments who were actively engaged in instituting the policy of Africanization. As most East African Sikhs, like other Asians, had opted for British citizenship, they moved to England and once again began to restructure their religious and social institutions. They brought with them the experience of living away from the Punjab for more than seventy years and this helped them to adjust to their new station in the UK. Interestingly, these Sikhs continue to take great pride in their East African identity and make every effort to choose spouses with East African connections. At Sikh weddings it is intriguing to note how they start talking to each other in Sohaili (an East African language) and exclude people with no East African connections. The name of Mota Singh Judge, who hails from East Africa, is always mentioned with extraordinary pride in East Africaness and Ramgarhia identity.

Conclusion Although the story of indentured labour is painful, the East African experience also signifies the capacity of human beings not only for survival, but also a capacity to employ such strategies as may be available to them to prosper. even to achieve upward mobility. This has been demonstrated by East African Asians in general and

East African Sikhs in particular. Yet the stories of pioneer indentured Sikh craftsmen also highlight the hardships they faced in the early 1920s such as living in corrugated iron-sheet houses, cooking their own meals after long days of hard labour and walking to Nairobi workshops in groups of five or six to protect themselves from wild animals. We could not however find a single example where someone had left East Africa owing to the harsh life situation in the early years. The story of the Ramgarhia Sikhs is one of the remarkable episodes in the East African experience. It is important however not to forget the painful aspects of indentured labour as we remember in this case its positive impact on the lives of this particular group. References Bhachu, P. (1985) Twice Migrants: East African Sikh Settlers in Britain. London. Tavistock Publications. Kalsi, Sewa Singh (1992) The Evolution of a Sikh Community in Britain: Religions and Social Change among the Sikhs of Leeds and Bradford. Leeds, Community Religions Monograph Series, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Leeds. Kalsi, Sewa Singh, (1999) Simple Guide to Sikhism. Folkestone, Global Books Ltd. (Available from Global Books Ltd., P.O.Box 219, Folkestone, Kent CT20 3LZ). Tinker, Hugh (1974) A New System of Slavery: The Export of Indian Labour Overseas 1830-1920. London, Oxford University Press.