Indo-Guyanese
A LOTE speaking community in Richmond Hills, NY
Brenda Mangru and Madhu Pillai
The Indo-Guyanese Americans use their
dialect of English as a LOTE in everyday activities in Richmond Hills,
which is a community in Queens, New York that has a high concentrated
Indo-Guyanese American population. Although the Indo-Guyanese Americans
speak English fluently the dialect they use is very different in everyday
communication among the group. Richmond Hills is composed of many
immigrants but the Indo-Guyanese American is the largest and they have
created a cultural link to their homeland in the area by starting cultural
associations, charity organizations, grocery stores, restaurants, jewelry
shops, and places of prayer. Through extensive research and one-on-one
interviews, the richness of the Indo-Guyanese American culture became
clear.
The Indo-Guyanese originated in India.
After the abolition of slavery Indians were brought into Guyana as
indentured servants. This group of Indians was of Hindu religion and
spoke Hindi. Among the Hindus, some were Muslims who spoke Urdu and
others were Christians. Many of the Hindus that are Indo-Guyanese worship
Satya Sai Baba and they have "Centers for Satya Sai Baba" throughout
Queens. India and Guyana were both part of the British Empire and thus
English was use widely and the main languages of both India and Guyana are
partly English. This group of Indo-Guyanese became large and now Guyana
has 51.0% Indo-Guyanese (Guyana Chronicle). Many of these Indo-Guyanese
started immigrate to the United States and Canada. One of the largest
communities of the Indo-Guyanese is in Richmond Hills, New York.
Within the community, Guyanese English
is the primary LOTE in use within the community. Other LOTE's used in the
area are, Hindi, Cantonese, and Spanish. This variation of languages can
be accounted for by the demographics of the community. Richmond Hills is
mainly composed of immigrants from China, India, Guyana, and Caribbean.
The population is comprised of immigrants and their first generation
American born children. The Majority of the population consists of both
Indo-Guyanese (those born in Guyana who have Indian ancestry) and
Afro-Guyanese (those born in Guyana who have African Ancestry). There is
also a concentration of South East Indians and Latin Americans within the
community. This is taken into account through observations of grocery
stores and restaurants within the area.
The official language of Guyana is
English, spoken with an accent and a set of words and terms that differ
from many other English speakers in the US. Other languages spoken are
Hindi and a few Amerindian dialects. Those Indo-Guyanese who migrate here
from Guyana most often speak English and there are few who speak Hindi
because of their Indian descent. Those who do not speak Hindi have in a
sense lost touch with their motherland, India after immigrating to Guyana.
When walking down Liberty Avenue, one
will be overwhelmed by the various Guyanese stores in operation. Among
there were Trinidadian owned stores as well as South East Indian and Latin
American stores. The South East Indian and Latin American stores were less
common than were Guyanese and Trinidadian. Most of these stores were
restaurants consisting of traditional Guyanese foods, grocery stores, and
Jewelry stores promising to use the very yellow and pure Guyanese gold in
their jewelry. There were also some Guyanese and Trinidadian owned stores,
which sold clothes typically worn in India. It was here that we saw the
influence of South East India on the Indo Guyanese population. In addition
to these stores were also a few video stores specializing in South Eastern
Indian movies with English subtitles for those who did not understand
Hindi. Not only did the first generation Indo-Guyanese Americans have a
need to learn about their Guyanese and Indian origin, but the
Indo-Guyanese who migrated to the United States had a need to keep in
touch with their distant Indian origin. They enjoy movies, music,
literature and language of both Guyana and India.
From home to school the Indo-Guyanese
American students vary their use of English. In schools, Indo Guyanese
students learn how to speak English with an American accent. This accent
however, soon fades and becomes more native Guyanese when they leave
school and go home to their families. While researching this paper, we
came across a High School aged girl, named Maleeni, who told us of her
experiences as an Indo-Guyanese American. This girl's family migrated from
Guyana to New York in the mid 1970's. She was born and raised in Richmond
Hills Before attending school, Maleeni learned, from her parents, to speak
English like a Guyanese would. Once, she started school however, she was
taught something a bit different. "In school, I learned to speak without
my Guyanese accent. At home, if I speak that way, my parents think I'm
trying to be American. It's like they think I'm losing my culture."
Maleeni confirmed to us that she has other friends of both Trinidadian and
Guyanese descent that have similar feelings. However, she did add that she
was never taught by her schoolteachers to hide her culture, it was more a
matter of them telling her to speak "properly."
As we continued our conversation,
Maleeni began speaking of her experiences in High School. In her
experience attending Richmond Hills High School, there was more pride in
Guyanese culture. There are after school activities set up for people of
Guyanese descent. For example, there is a Caribbean Culture Club set up
which has members with descent from all Countries in the Caribbean and
certain countries in South America. Although she was used to speaking
American English with her school friends, after joining this club,
speaking Guyanese English became more of the norm for her when in the
presence of her schoolmates. She also added that many of the Chinese and
Hispanic students received ESL but the Indo-Guyanese students did not.
The Indo-Guyanese who are
Christian attend a local church but there are a lot more Hindus than
Christians. The Hindus have religious ceremonies at their houses monthly
and they attend a temple. There is one located in Flushing, Queens. There
is an up and coming group that worships Sathya and Sai Baba and hey have
various centers for bahjans, a group prayer ceremony with songs. After
attending one of these ceremonies, we saw their devotion by the energy and
feeling with which they sung the songs.
Songs and dances are a major part of the
shows the various Indo-Guyanese Associations put together. Such
organizations in the area are the Hindu Caribbean American Cultural and
Arts Association, The Indo-Caribbean Federation of North America, and the
Association of Guyanese-Americans. There are other associations for the
Chinese and South Indians active in the area in a small way. The
Indo-Guyanese organizations listed above teach the youth about their
cultural origins and let them show it off on stage by performing dances,
songs, and plays. The development of the cultural groups in the area had
made a necessity for announcements of community news.
The Caribbean Journal has taken the task
to inform Indo-Guyanese and other Guyanese of their accomplishments and
news worthy information. Editor in Chief, Mr. Prem Misir Ph.D. showed that
the literary news the journal provides allows a viable mean of
communication. This journal is published weekly and distributed through
the mainland and selected stores in the area. Indo-Guyanese grocery stores
sell magazines and newspapers with information about the goings on in
Guyana as well as. These newspapers are all published in the standard
written for m of English. Publications in other languages can be found as
well. Chinese (which happens to be another LOTE used in the neighborhood)
newspapers can be found in stores throughout the neighborhood as well.
Newspapers allow people to provide
services to help people. In the newspaper, we saw services fro
Indo-Guyanese such as tax returns, airline tickets and visas, filling out
forms, applications and escort service for the elderly. There were also
advertisements for charity organizations for children in Guyana and India.
These services show the solid foundation that the Indo-Guyanese and other
Caribbeans have established in Richmond Hills.
Alden Gumpti is an Indo-Guyanese
American, now 20 years old, was born in Guyana and raised in Richmond
Hills, NY from the age of four. His great grandparents were born in India
and immigrated to Guyana. In Guyana, they settled down and raised their
family who lived there fro three generations. Then, with the generation of
his parents, the family moved to the United States. Alden has siblings who
were born in the United States after the arrival of his family. He
however, is Guyanese by birth.
When Alden came to this country, he was
already speaking with a thick Guyanese accent. It was going to school in
Richmond Hills that gave him the ability to vary his accent. In school he
learned the way to speak "standard" American English. He says that this
ability helps him in a number of situations. His father, for example kept
his thick Guyanese accent, and found it difficult to communicate with
people outside of the community. He told us that his father, who speaks
rather quickly, must sometimes repeat himself and slow down his words in
order to be understood.
When one speaks to Alden, there is a
slight Guyanese accent that can be heard through his New York accent. This
accent however is even more noticeable when he is speaking to a family
member, a friend, or even a West Indian storeowner in his neighborhood.
Although it is English that is being spoken, there is something about the
accent and phrasing that makes is difficult for a non-speaker, or someone
who is not familiar with the accent to comprehend. When we addressed this
fact, he told us that with his non-West Indian friends he has to try to
eliminate his accent because they wouldn't understand him.
The Indo-Guyanese community in Richmond
Hills is growing in social strength and political influence daily. This
group has established community organizations for cultural and religious
growth for generations to come. Local publications have established
communication and stored have established distribution of goods from their
home country. This group has been able to live along side other LOTE
speaking communities and have the main influence in the Richmond Hills
community. Through personal knowledge, interviews of Indo-Guyanese
immigrants and Indo-Guyanese American students, and references to
newspapers and the local establishments of Indo-Guyanese one can see the
strength of the community and the richness in culture that they hold high
and promote.
Works Cited (References)
The Association of Guyanese Americans. 126-17 liberty ave., Richmond Hill,
NY 11419
Atlantic West Indian Grocery, 130-02 101 ave South Richmond Hills,
718-805-6964.
Caribbean Journal, PO Box 180306, Richmond Hill, NY 11418, Phone/fax (718)
845-8760
Guyana Chronicle.
www.landofsixpeople.com, People; facts about Guyana
Population Distribution, 2001
Guyana Gold, 124-08 Liberty Ave South Richmond Hills, 718-843 1365
Guyana Solidarity Movement of New York, 101 37 123rd street, Richmond
Hill, NY 11419, 718 849-2513
Hindu Caribbean American Cultural Arts Association, 131-21 Liberty Ave.,
Richmond Hill, NY 11419
The Indo Caribbean Federation of North America, Inc. 129-18 Liberty Ave.,
Richmond Hill NY 11419
Little Guyana Bake Shop, 116-44 Liberty Ave South Richmond Hills,
718-843-6530
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