What is the definition of a Trinidadian and where and how do mixed people fit in?
In terms of citizenship, any person born in Trinidad &Tobago (T&T) to parents who are citizens, assume citizenship as a birthright. A person born outside of T&T to a Trinidadian parent or who marries a citizen of T&T may obtain citizenship.
But I think the answer you are looking for is more like this…a Trinidadian is any person born and raised in T&T. One can argue that someone born in Trinidad does not necessarily have to be raised on the island to be considered Trinidadian. However, the uniqueness of Trini culture is such that you have to be raised there in order to understand being Trinidadian.
T&T is a country of mixed folk. It’s history has created such a melting pot of ethnicities and cultures that it’s hard to imagine unless one has actually lived there. Colonization by the Spaniards in 1498 brought an influx of Europeans to an island already populated by Amerindians. The slave trade brought thousands of Africans to work the sugar cane fields. At the end of slavery large numbers of East Indians were brought in as indentured laborers to work the fields. Chinese laborers were brought in as well. And there was also an influx of Middle Eastern peoples, mainly Lebanese and Syrians.
The resulting ethnic make-up of the country is now roughly 40% of African decent; 40% of Indian decent; 1 – 3% each of European, Chinese and Middle Eastern; the remaining 17% or so are mixed, with a sprinkling of Amerindians. The majority of the mixed population are of African and East Indian decent, referred to as "dougla". But there are also people of other mixed races.
So to answer your question, mixed people fit right in.
HOTEP: I will respond to the last question first. There are other things that should be taken into consideration before the definition of a Trinidadian can make sense. This question normally comes up whenever there are discussions about race. People try to confuse the issue with that of nationality. One must remember that the word RACE the way it is commonly known is a European concept popularized in the United States. I have always said that all people share a common ancestry and there is sufficient evidence to prove this. How people look and think was derived from their historical experiences including their responses to climate, vegetation, and the colonization of both people and information. The colonization of information is responsible for the problems people are having untangling themselves from racial and gender prejudices and other fears. Too many people still believe that they can measure the level of development of other peoples, especially indigenous peoples, by their physi
