Indo-Mauritians are

Mauritians Mauritians (singular Mauritian; french: Mauricien; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a multi-ethnic society, with notable groups of people of South Asian (notably ...

who trace their ethnic ancestry to

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

or other parts of South Asia.

History

During the administration of the

French East India Company The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in th ...

(until 1767) and subsequent French rule at least 12,000 workers arrived from India between 1721 and 1810 before the abolition of slavery. These first Indian immigrants came from various parts of India such as Pondicherry, Karikal, Yanaon, Bengal and others. They worked under contract as skilled stonemasons, blacksmiths, and carpenters although hundreds of them were slaves. After the legislative changes of 1767 these Indian immigrants were allowed to start businesses, buy land and own slaves. Following the November 1810 British Invasion from the northern coast, the island came under

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...

. With the liberation of about 65,000 African and Malagasy slaves after the 1833 abolition of slavery the Franco-Mauritian plantation owners and sugar oligarchs resorted to

indentured labourers Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment, ...

, or

Coolie A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a term for a low-wage labourer, typically of South Asian or East Asian descent. The word ''coolie'' was first popularized in the 16th century by European traders acros ...

s, from various parts of India to work in their fields. Between 1834 and 1920, nearly 700,000 Indian indentured laborers arrived at Aapravasi ghat, an embankment located in the harbor of Port-Louis. Mauritius thus became the British colony's largest recipient of indentured migrants. Indentured labourers were mostly brought from the Bhojpuri speaking regions of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

and

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

, with a large number of

Tamils The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Drav ...

, Telugus and

Marathis The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...

amongst them. The descendants of these indentured labourers make up two-thirds of the island's current population. As free immigrants, these later arrivals were commonly employed by the British in the armed forces, police forces, as security personnel with a substantial portion of immigrants from

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

and

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

arriving as traders, businessmen, and merchants. In the late 19th to early 20th century, Chinese men in Mauritius married

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

women due to both a lack of Chinese women and the higher numbers of Indian women on the island. The 1921 census in Mauritius counted that Indian women there had a total of 148 children fathered by Chinese men. These Chinese were mostly traders.

Demographics

Today the population consists of mainly

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

with

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

minorities. The mother tongue of almost all Mauritians is the

Mauritian Creole Mauritian Creole or Morisien (formerly Morisyen) ( mfe, kreol morisien, links=no ) is a French-based creole language spoken in Mauritius. English words are included in the standardized version of the language. In addition, the slaves and in ...

, while a minority of Indo-Mauritians still use both their ancestral language and Creole at home. Indo-Mauritian use their ancestral languages mostly in religious activities, some of them include

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri (;Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries
, Oxford U ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, Marathi,

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

are already compulsory). The languages learnt in decreasing order are

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

, Marathi,

and

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri (;Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries
, Oxford U ...

. Mauritian Creoles can opt for

as the third language. Choice is usually based on ethno-religious background with

and Marathi chosen by

who belong to the respective ethnicities and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

from the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

Indian influence

Indo-Mauritians have influenced Mauritian culture, dominating the economic, public sector and political faces of the island. Mauritian politics have been historically dominated by the Indo-Mauritian community due to their majority as a whole on the electoral platform. All presidents except

Karl Offmann Karl Auguste Offmann, GCSK (25 November 1940 – 12 March 2022) was a Mauritian politician who briefly served as the president of Mauritius from 2002 to 2003. After two of his successive predecessors had resigned over their refusal to sign ...

and all prime ministers except for Paul Berenger have been members of the community. Most Hindu celebrations are public holidays. Indian influence is felt in religion, cuisine and arts. Indian influence is also felt on music wherein the island has its own groups of Bhojpuri and Tamil bands. Indian films are also widely popular.

Notable people

* Amode Ibrahim Atchia *

Viveka Babajee Viveka Babajee (27 May 1973 – 25 June 2010) was a Mauritian model and actress. She held the titles of Miss Mauritius World 1993 and Miss Mauritius Universe 1994. She was best known for her KamaSutra condom advertisements in the 1990s, and f ...

Sheila Bappoo Sheilabai Bappoo (born Rama on 16 June 1947 in Beau Bassin, Mauritius) is a Mauritius politician, Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Senior Citizens Welfare & Reform Institutions in Mauritius from 2005 to 2010. She also held th ...

* Rashid Beebeejaun * Sunil Benimadhu * Basdeo Bissoondoyal *

Sookdeo Bissoondoyal Sookdeo Bissoondoyal (25 December 1908 – 18 August 1977) was a Mauritian politician and one of the leading figures in the independence movement. Early life Sookdeo Bissoondoyal was born in Tyack in 1908. He had two brothers Basdeo and Soogri ...

Harish Boodhoo Harisun Boodhoo more commonly known as Harish Boodhoo, (born in Belle Terre, Vacoas-Phoenix, Mauritius on 12 September 1946) is a Mauritian political figure who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius from 11 June 1982 to 21 August 1983. He ...

* Satcam Boolell *

Dayendranath Burrenchobay Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay, KBE, CMG, CVO, GCSK, (24 March 1919 – 29 March 1999) was born in Plaine Magnien, Mauritius and served as the fourth governor-general of Mauritius. Early life and education Dayendranath Burrenchobay grew ...

Angidi Chettiar Angidi Verriah Chettiar CBE (அங்கிடி செட்டியார்) (29 April 1928 – 15 September 2010) was a Mauritian politician who served twice as the second vice president of Mauritius until his death in September 2010. E ...

Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra (born in Great Britain) is a Mauritian lawyer, politician and diplomat. She is the head of the Public Bodies Appeal Tribunal (PBAT), which settles disputes of civil servants and local communities in matters related to re ...

* Kishore Deerpalsing *

Alan Ganoo Alan Ganoo (born 17 January 1951) is a Mauritian politician who has been elected to serve as member of the Legislative Assembly and National Assembly on 9 occasions. Early life and education Alan Ganoo was born in Port Louis, his father was ...

* Hurrylall Goburdhun *

Ramchundur Goburdhun Ramchundur Goburdhun (15 August 1911 – 29 November 1992) was an Indo-Mauritian diplomat best known for his role in the " Maneli Affair" of 1963, an attempt to end the Vietnam war. Early life and family Goburdhun was born in a middle class Indo ...

* Ameenah Gurib-Fakim *

Maya Hanoomanjee Santi Bai 'Maya' Hanoomanjee Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, GCSK (Hindi:माया हनुमानजी Born GHOSE, on 5 October 1952) is the High Commissioner of Mauritius to India. She is a Mauritian politician and former Ci ...

* Mahesh Jadu * Kher Jagatsingh * Anerood Jugnauth *

Pravind Jugnauth Pravind Kumar Jugnauth (born 25 December 1961) is a Mauritian politician serving as the prime minister of Mauritius since January 2017. Jugnauth has been the leader of the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) party since April 2003. He has held a n ...

* Misha Mansoor * Abdool Razack Mohamed *

Prem Nababsing Paramhamsa Nababsing, more commonly known as Prem Nababsing (24 November 1940 – 21 October 2017), was a Mauritian politician and MMM minister. Early life Nababsing was born in Camp Diable, in the Savanne district of Mauritius. His father was ...

* William Newton *

Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay (Tamil: ''அரி ரங்க கோவிந்தசாமி பிள்ளை''; born 14 June 1945) was the chief justice of Mauritius from 1996 until 2007, when he was succeeded by Y. K. J. Yeung Sik Yuen. E ...

* Navin Ramgoolam *

Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (in traditional Hindi: Shivsagar Ram Gulam) (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985; often referred to as ''Chacha Ramgoolam'' or ''SSR'') was a Mauritian physician, politician, and statesman. He served as the island's o ...

Veerasamy Ringadoo Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo, GCMG, GCSK, QC, (born Vīracāmi Riṅkāṭu; 20 October 1920 – 9 September 2000) was a Mauritian politician, minister, the sixth and last governor-general of Mauritius from 1986 to 1992, and then the first presid ...

Prithvirajsing Roopun Prithvirajsing Roopun () GCSK (born 24 May 1959), also known as Pradeep Singh Roopun, is a Mauritian politician serving as the seventh president of Mauritius since 2019. Early life, education, career and family life Prithvirajsing Roopun was b ...

* Rama Sithanen * Harry Krishnan Tirvengadum *

Khal Torabully Khal Torabully is a Mauritian poet. Born in Mauritius in 1956, in the capital city Port Louis, his father was a Trinidadian sailor and his mother was a descendant of migrants from India and Malaya. Work Khal Torabully left for Lyon in 1976, ...

Cassam Uteem Cassam Uteem, GCSK (born in Port Louis on 22 March 1941) is a Mauritian political figure who served as the second president of Mauritius from 30 June 1992 to 15 February 2002. He is the longest served president of Mauritius, having served for ...

Dev Virahsawmy Dev Virahsawmy (born 1942 in Quartier-Militaire, Mauritius), is a politician, playwright, poet and advocate of the Mauritian Creole language. Though he writes easily in both French and English, Virahsawmy is most renowned for his efforts to popula ...

* Vikash Dhorasoo

Sports

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

is the most popular sport amongst

. Vikash Dhorasoo, who played for French football team, is of Indo-Mauritian origin.

Notes and references

Footnotes

Notations

Mauritius: History, Geography, Government, and CultureSouth Asian Indentured Labor - Online Archive of Research and Resources
- an online archive and living syllabus of text-based resources related to Indian indentureship, with country-specific resources related to Indians indentured to Mauritius {{Indian diaspora Asian diaspora in Mauritius