Information AboutIndo-canadian |
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Indo Canadians are Canadians whose origin traces back to the nation of India . The term Indian is not commonly used to describe people of ancestral origin from India since it has been used in the past and present to refer to the Aboriginal s of Canada. The term East Indian is also used to distinguish people of ancestral origin from India from people from the Caribbean , since they are sometimes referred to as West Indian . Another term, NRI (non-resident Indian), is used by Indians in India to refer to Indians abroad, including Canada. According to Statistics Canada in 2001, there were 713,330¹ people who consider themselves as being Indo-Canadians¹. The main concentration of the Indo-Canadian population is centred in the Greater Vancouver Area and the Greater Toronto Area , however there are growing communities in Calgary , Edmonton and Montreal . HISTORY Reasons for moving The Indo-Canadian community started around the beginning of the twentieth century. The pioneers were men, mostly Sikh s from the Punjab ; many were Veteran s of the British Army . In 1897 a contingent of Sikh Soldier s participated in the parade to celebrate Queen Victoria 's Diamond Jubilee in London , England. On their subsequent journey home, they visited the western coast of Canada , primarily British Columbia which at the time was very sparsely populated and the Canadian government wanted to settle in order to prevent a takeover of the territory by the United States . Upon retiring from the army, some of these men found their pensions to be inadequate, or else their lands in the clutches of money-lenders. They decided to try their fortunes in the countries they had visited. They joined an Indian Diaspora , which included people from Burma through Malaya , the East Indies , the Philippines and China . They were able to get work in the Police force and some were employed as night-watchmen by British firms. Others started small businesses of their own or drove taxis. These were modest beginnings but they had bigger ideas. At that time thousands of Chinese and Japan ese migrants were going to Canada and the United States and sending substantial sums of money back to their families at home. The Sikhs, who had seen Canada, recommended the '' New World '' to fellow Sikh people who were in a position to venture out and seek new fortunes. They were guaranteed jobs by agents of big Canadian combines like the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Hudson Bay Company . Overcoming their initial reluctance to go to these countries due to the treatment of Orientals by the white population, many young men chose to go, having been assured that they would not meet the same fate. They were British Subject s; Canada was a part of the British Empire ; and the British Empire owed much to the Sikhs. Queen Victoria had proclaimed in 1858 that throughout the empire the people of India that they would enjoy "equal privileges with white people without discrimination of colour, creed or race." Initial settlement However, upon arrival to British Columbia and Washington , the first Sikh immigrants faced widespread racism by the local white Canadians and Americans. Most of the white Canadians feared workers who desired less pay, and that an influx of more immigrants would threaten their jobs. As a result there were a series of race riots that targeted the Sikh immigrants, who were beat up by mobs of angry Canadians. These mobs not only targeted Indians, but also other Asian group such as the Chinese immigrants working on the railroad at the time. From the social pressure most decided to return back to India, while a few stayed behind. To protect the interests of the Canadian population on the west coast of Canada, who did not want Indians to immigrate to Canada, the Canadian government prevented Indian men from bringing their wives and children until 1919, which was another considerable factor why they decided to leave Canada. The restrictions by the Canadian government increased on Indians, and policies were put in place in 1907 to prevent Indians who had the right to vote from voting in future general elections. Furthermore, government quotas were established to cap the number of Indians allowed to immigrate to Canada in the early 20th century. This was part of a policy adopted by Canada to ensure that the country retained its primarily European demographic, and was similar to American and Australian immigration policies at the time. These quotas only allowed fewer than 100 people from India a year until 1957, when it was marginally increased (to 300 people a year). In comparison to the quotas established for Indians, people from Europe immigrated freely without quotas in large numbers during that time to Canada, numbering in the tens of thousands yearly. Recent settlement Policies changed rapidly during the second half of the 20th century. The Canadian government re-enfranchised the Indo-Canadian community with the right to vote in 1947. In 1967 all immigration quotas based on specific ethnic groups were scrapped in Canada. The social view in Canada towards people of other ethnic backgrounds was more open, and Canada was facing declining immigration from European countries, since these European countries had booming postwar economies, and thus more people decided to remain in their home countries. Canada introduced an immigration policy that was based on a point system, with each applicant being assessed on their trade skills and the need for these skills in Canada. This allowed many more Indians to immigrate in large numbers. In the 1970s, thousands of immigrants came yearly and mainly settled in Vancouver and Toronto. In the 1980s and early 1990s, tens of thousands of immigrants continued to move from India into Canada. According to Statistics Canada , since the late 1990s roughly 25,000-30,000 Indians arrive each year (which is now the second-most populous cultural group immigrating to Canada each year, behind Chinese immigrants who are the largest group). The settlement pattern in the last two decades is still mainly focused around Toronto and Vancouver, but other cities such as Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal have also become desirable due to growing economic prospects in these cities. Timeline of Immigration to Canada of Indo-Canadian s ( Source ) ''This is adapted from the 2001 census conducted by Statistics Canada'' INDIANS MOVING TO CANADA FROM OTHER COUNTRIES Indians from Africa Although the vast majority of Indo-Canadians are either recent immigrants from India, or second and third generation Indo-Canadians, there are groups of Indo-Canadians that have moved from other parts of the world. In the 1970s, 50,000 Indian Ugandan s were forced out of Uganda by Idi Amin , and were not permitted to resettle back in India by the Indian government. As a result, most opted to settle in the UK or Canada . Many of the Indian immigrants from Uganda are of Ismaili background. Indians in recent years have also moved from other African nations such as Kenya , Tanzania , Zambia and South Africa due to political turmoil and prejudice against Indians in these countries. Suhana Meharchand is a television newscaster of Indian descent from South Africa, who currently works for the CBC . Indians from the Caribbean and South America There is a significant immigrant population of Indians and people of Indian descent from Trinidad And Tobago as well as Guyana also known as Indo-Trinidadian and Indo-Guyanese respectively (This branch of the Indian Diaspora is distinct in ethnicity and culture from the various indigenous South American Native populations). The Indo-Caribbean community has developed a unique cultural blend of both Indian, Western and Black culture due to a long period of isolation from India, and thus some members either associate themselves primarily with the Indo-Canadian community, solely with the Caribbean community, or with both. They mainly live within the Greater Toronto Area . One notable celebrity from this community is Ian Hanomansing , a long-time news host and writer with the CBC . Indians from the UK and America Some Indians have immigrated from the UK and America due to both economic and family reasons. Indians move for economic prospects to Canada's economy and job market has been performing well against many European and some American states. Indians move also due to Arranged Marriage s that are carried out by families or by internet-based Matrimonial websites, or by non-arranged marriages. Lastly, individuals have decided to settle in Canada in order to reunite their family who may have settle in both America and UK and not in Canada. Indians from the Middle East Many Indians have been moving from countries in the Middle East to North America. These individuals are mainly Indian-born male workers who engaged in contract employment in the Middle East, and thereafter used the opportunity as a stepping-stone in a permanent move to a Western country such as Canada. Indians from Oceania Indians have long been settled in certain parts of Oceania , mainly on the island of Fiji , where they compromise approximately 50% of the island's population. Since Fiji's independence, increased hostility between the native Fijian population and the Indo-Fijian population has led to several significant confrontations politically. Therefore, some Indo-Fijians are moving from the island due to political instability and ethnic conflict. INDO-CANADIAN DEMOGRAPHICS Population settlement According to Statistics Canada in the 2001 census, the top 10 cities in which Indo-Canadians reside:
''Refer to reference 2'' Toronto Settlement in Toronto by Indians has occurred increasingly since the point system was introduced to allow immigrants into Canada . Initially, most Indians moved to areas close to Pearson International Airport such as Malton and Brampton in the Northwest of Toronto , the East End in Scarborough and Markham , and mid and west ends of the city such as in East York , North York and Etobicoke . Over the past two decades however, more Indians have been moving to areas outside of Toronto , such as in Mississauga , Oakville , Burlington in the west, and Richmond Hill in the north. The highest density concentrations of Indo-Canadians can be found in Brampton / Mississauga and Scarborough / Markham . In fact there are so many Sikh Punjabis living in Springdale, a town in Brampton , that it is commonly referred to as "Singhdale" by the local Sikh community. Toronto's little India can be found on Gerrard Street East , which is also referred to as Gerrard India Bazaar . Here there are many shops with Indian and other South Asian related items for sale such as Indian clothing, Bollywood movies, and Restaurants. Toronto's Indo Canadian community is fairly diverse and includes people primarily of Punjabi , Gujurati , Tamil , Keralite , Bengali , and Sindhi ethnic backgrounds. Vancouver The settlement of Indo-Canadians in Vancouver can be evidenced throughout the city, however the largest concentrations are primarily found within the suburb of Surrey . Most Indo-Canadians within Vancouver are of Sikh Punjabi origin. The little India in Vancouver is located in Punjabi Market . Religion Indo-Canadians are from very diverse religious backgrounds compared to many other ethnics groups, which is due in part to India's multireligious population. Unlike in India however, representation of various minority religious groups is much higher amongst the Indo-Canadian population. For instance in India, Sikhs comprise 2% of the population of India, Hindus 80-82%, Muslims 13.4% and Christians 2.4%. Amongst the Indo-Canadian population however, Sikhs represent 33.5%, Hindus 27%, Muslims 17.5% and Christians 16.5%. This difference may be due to the fact that members of these religious minorities in India choose to actively immigrate to outside countries more so than the Hindu majority in India. Places of worship Indians have been building places of worship for their respective faiths since the first settlers arrived to Canada. There are well over 100 Sikh societies/ Gurdwara s in Canada alone, and the same number of Hindu societies/temples as well. Hindu temples are usually established by separate Indian ethnic communities. For instance, there are separate temples for North and South Indians, due to different customs and languages spoken. There are also many Islamic societies and mosques throughout Canada, which have been established and supported by Non-Indian and Indian Muslims alike. Most Indian Christians do not have their own specific churches however, instead attending churches established previously by other Christian Canadians. A renowned Sikh Gurdwara is located in Brampton, which is called the Dixie Gurdwara . It is a fairly large complex compared to most other Gurdwaras across Canada, and even contains a sports ground behind the Gurdwara for playing Kabadi . Similarly within Brampton , the largest Hindu temple in Canada is located on Gore Road, which is called the Hindu Sabha Mandir. The entire Mandir is 32,000 sq feet and hosts numerous events on the Hindu religious calendar. Many Indian and Pakistani Muslims worship at one of the largest mosques in Canada, the ISNA Centre , located in Mississauga. The facility contains a mosque, high school, community centre, banquet hall and funeral service available for all Muslim Canadians. Language Indo-Canadians speak a variety of languages, reflecting the cultural and ethinic diversity of the Indian subcontinent. The most widely spoken South Asian language is Punjabi , which is spoken by people Punjab , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh or Delhi in India. Some speakers of Punjabi in Canada may also be Pakistani and they come from Punjab Province in Pakistan . The next most widely spoken language spoken by South Asians is Tamil . These individuals hail from the state of Tamil Nadu in India, but most speakers in Canada of the Tamil language come from Sri Lanka . Urdu is primarily spoken by Muslim South Asians from North India and Pakistan, and is very similar to Hindi however it uses a modified Arabic script and contains many Arabic and Persian Loan Word s. Hindi is a language mainly spoken by Indo-Canadians from across North India, however individuals of Indian descent from Africa and the Caribbean may also speak it as well. Hindi uses the Devangari script and does not contain Persian or Arabic Loan Words . Gujurati is language spoken exclusively by people from the Indian state of Gujarat . Bengali is spoken by individuals from the state of West Bengal , as well as by the people of Bangladesh , and thus it is not exclusively spoken by Indo-Canadians in canada, but also by Bangladeshi s. Lastly, Malayalam is a language spoken throughout South India only and in such States as Karnataka and Kerala . Age The majority of Indo-Canadians fall into an age range that is lower than that of other Canadian groups. Age Breakdown of People of South Asian Origin ''This table is adapted from the 2001 Census conducted by Statistics Canada. Note that it includes all people residing in Canada whose origin traces back to the Indian Subcontinent.'' Income Income characteristics of Indo-Canadians Source ''Adapted from Census 2001 by Statistics Canada'' Education Highest level of schooling of Indo-Canadians Source ''Adapted from the 2001 census by Statistics Canada'' INDO-CANADIAN CULTURE Indo-Canadian culture is closely linked to each specific Indian group's religious and ethnic backgrounds. For instance, Hindu Punjabi's cultural practices differ compared to Hindu Gujurati 's and Sikh Punjabi 's due to either the difference in ethnicity or religion. Such cultural aspects have been preserved fairly well due to Canada's open policy of Multiculturalism , as opposed to a policy of Assimilation practiced by the United States and the United Kingdom . The cultures and languages of various Indian communities have been able to thrive in part due to the freedom of these communities to establish structures and institutions for religious worship, social interaction and cultural practices. In particular, Punjabi culture and language have been reinforced in Canada through radio and television. Alternatively, Indo-Canadian culture has developed its own identity compared to other non-resident Indians and from people in India. It is not uncommon to find youth disinterested with traditional Indian cultural elements and events, instead identifying with mainstream North American cultural mores. However such individuals exist in a minority and there are many youth that maintain a balance between western and eastern cultural values, and occasionally fusing the two to produce a new product, such as the new generation of Bhangra incorporating hip hop based rhythm. For instance, Sikh youth often mix in traditional Bhangra, which uses Punjabi instruments with hip hop beats. as well as including rap with Black music entertainers. Notable entertainers include Raghav and Jazzy Bains . The concept of Dating is mainly a North American practice, which has been adopted by the Indo-Canadian community as well as casual talk of sex and the practicing of Premarital Sex . The empowerment of Indo-Canadian women who often work as much as Indo-Canadian men and have the same rights, compared to their counterparts in India, is also due to the presence of being raised within North America. Indo-Canadian women primarily wear western clothing, and are able to show their body more freely in Canada, which is often still socially unacceptable by commoners in India, and thus a product of being raised in North America as well. The use of Canadian/American slang by Indo-Canadians is also a product of the preexisting culture, and differs from those Indians who live in the UK, India or any other part of the world. Television and radio There are numerous radio programs that represent Indo-Canadian culture. One notable program is Geetmala radio, hosted by Darshan and Arvinder Sahota (also longtime television hosts of Indo-Canadian program, Eye on Asia). A number of Canadian television networks broadcast programming that features Indo-Canadian culture. One prominent multicultural/multireligious channel, Vision TV , presents a nonstop marathon of Indo-Canadian shows on Saturdays. These television shows often highlight Indo-Canadian events in Canada, and also show events from India involving Indians who reside there. In addition, other networks such as Omni Television, CityTV and local Cable access channels also present local Indo-Canadian content, and Indian content from India.'' In recent years, there has been an establishment of Indian television networks from India on Canadian Television. Shan Chandrasehkhar, an established Indo-Canadian who pioneered the one of the first Indo-Canadian television shows in Canada, made a deal with the CRTC to allow Indian television networks based in India to send a direct feed to Canada. In doing so, he branded these channels under his own company known as the Asian Television Network . Since 1997, Indo-Canadians can subscribe to channels from India via purchasing TV channel packages from their local satellite/cable companies. Indo-Canadians view such networks as Zee TV , B4U , Sony Entertainment Television , and Aaj Tak to name a few. Although Indo-Canadians are privileged to have many television shows and programs available to them to watch, there is a lack of representation of Indo-Canadians on Canadian television as a whole, which is similar to the case of Hispanic Americans on American television. Indo-Canadians make up roughly 3% of the population, yet they are hardly visible on any major Canadian television network shows as characters or even on television commercials compared to other ethnic groups such as Chinese and Black Canadians, who make up a similar percentage of the Canadian population. Indians in the UK on the other hand make up a similar proportion of the population in the UK, but have increased representation on such shows as East Enders and Coronation Street . Marriage Arranged and non-arranged marriage Marriage is an important cultural element amongst many Indo-Canadians, due to their Indian heritage and religious background. Arranged Marriage - which is still widely practiced in India - is practiced in Canada widely as well, but to a lesser extent. Marriages are sometimes still arranged by parents within their specific caste/Indian ethnic community. Sometimes however, it may be difficult to find someone of the same Indian ethnic background with desired characteristics, and thus people now opt to use Matrimonial services such as Shaadi.com in order to find a marriage partner. Marriage practices amongst Indo-Canadians are more liberal than their Indian counterparts, with caste only sometimes considered, and dowry almost non-existent. Marriage does also occur commonly by "love", which means the partners choose themselves rather than have their parents arrange the marriage. Dating is practiced among many Indo-Canadians, but it is not as prevalent compared to other Canadians because some families maintain traditional Indian values. Cross-cultural and interracial marriage The phenomenon of cross-cultural and Interracial Marriage has been present in Canada for some years, however the Indo-Canadian community rarely engages in it compared to other immigrant groups such as Oriental Asians, and Black Canadians (see the Table below). Table of number of Biracial (White and other) people for various ethnic groups in Canada ''Source: Statistics Canada, Census 2001'' The reason why many South Asians, including Indo-Canadians, do not marry outside their community is due to the presence of strong cultural links and family pressure. It is often unacceptable for even some liberal Indo-Canadians to have their children marry outside their community. However, cross cultural and interracial marriages do exist. Cross cultural marriages are those that occur between Indo-Canadians and other South Asians which differ in their ethnic background (as in Punjabi or Gujurati ), or by religious background. These types of marriages - especially those between different ethnic backgrounds - does occur more often than those between different religions, with the exception between Hindu and Sikh , since many Punjabis of both backgrounds may intermarry with one another. Interracial Marriage s amongst Indo-Canadians mainly occur between a White Canadian and an Indian, and is rarely seen between an Indian and a person of another race such as Black or Asian . These marriages occurred more so when initial Indians settled in Canada, isolated from Indian culture and community, or when Indo-Canadians live in a community with few other Indians. Notable celebrities of Biracial (Indian and White background) are Emanuel Sandhu , Lisa Ray and Shaun Majumder . NOTABLE INDO-CANADIANS, PAST AND PRESENT Actors and directors
Athletes
Entertainers
Politicians and activists
Writers and journalists
Other
FILMS WITH INDO-CANADIAN SUBJECT MATTER
REFERENCES AND EXTERNAL LINKS
SEE ALSO
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