The Changing Burial Rites, Rituals and Practices of a Transplanted Population: The Funeral Rites of the Hindu Population in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana

This chapter investigates the changing burial rites, practices, and rituals of the East Indian peoples in the Caribbean. It should be recalled that the East Indians were not part of the original population of these islands but were transported from India in 1838 as indentured laborers to the various colonies. Many East Indians were recruited from the East Indian port of Uttar Pradesh and the majority were common low caste “chamar.” It should be noted that the chamar caste was one of the “untouchable communities” of India and were traditionally considered outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes. Apart from the chamars a few East Indians proclaimed that they were Brahmins or priests, and a few came as “missionaries.” When they arrived in the British colony (Trinidad acquired independence in 1962, Guyana in 1966), because they were not fluent in English, many of the practices brought by the East Indians, who predominantly were Hindus, were considered taboo. For instance, marriage “under bamboo” was considered a non-legal form of union until 2019 in Trinidad and Tobago. Child marriage, much practiced in India, was also considered illegal. So, too, were numerous burial rites, rituals, and practices, including cremation on the banks of a river or suttee. Over time, however, in keeping with the legal, societal, and environmental demands of the society, while maintaining their religious beliefs, the rituals, practices and rites were modified to be more palatable to the other groups. This chapter will accordingly examine the funerary, rites and practices of the Hindus as presently practiced in India and the extent these were adopted and modified to allow for acceptance by a wider host society in the Caribbean islands.