Portuguese immigrants in Guyana
Encyclopedia
The history of Portuguese Guyanese community is relates directly with the end of slavery
. After the abolition of slavery in 1807, the planters of British Guiana
sought alternative sources of labour. They were eager to recruit white labourers in order to bolster the proportion of white to coloured
residents in the colony.
In 1834, the first Portuguese people
arrived from the Portuguese
island of Madeira
, having been sponsored by a coalition of planters and by the colonial government. Between 1834 and 1882, some 30,645 Portuguese arrived in Guyana, the vast majority from Madeira, but others from the Azores
Islands. Mixed race Portuguese speaking elements from Cape Verde
and Brazil
also were brought in.
The Madeiran Portuguese, or simply Madeirans as they came to be known, soon shunned working in the fields given the high mortality rate due to tropical diseases. They settled in Georgetown
, New Amsterdam
and other towns in Guyana and dedicated themselves into the venture of the retail and wholesale trades. By 1851, 173 out of 296 shops in Georgetown were Portuguese-owned, while the figure was 28 out of 52 in New Amsterdam. In 1891, Portuguese numbered 4.3% of the population of Guyana.
The Portuguese of Guiana faced considerable discrimination from both the black
Creole
s and the white British
ruling class. The former believed them to be opportunists and lackies of the white establishment while the latter considered the Portuguese inferior due to their Catholic
and Mediterranean racial
roots. The Portuguese are white
. But the white ruling class knew that, although the Portuguese were racially European
, they were also indigent peasants from Madeira.
Tensions boiled over on a number of occasions and Georgetown experienced a spate of race riots, most notably in 1856 and 1898. On both occasions, disgruntled black Creoles directed their anger against Portuguese-owned shops and widespread looting occurred leading to damages of over $30,000 and over $200,000 respectively.
Eventually, although the Portuguese are called by the British inferior, the Portuguese were given more privileges by other whites and assimilated becoming part of Guyanese society. They anglicized
their surnames and began to speak English
as their primary language. However, during the struggle for independence, the Portuguese came to be identified with the British colonial establishment while the ethnic Indo-Guyanese
and Afro-Guyanese
fought over power. The 1964 killing of the civil servant Arthur Abraham
, an ethnic Portuguese, led many to emigrate before Britain introduced restrictions. Many Portuguese Guyanese now live in London
, Toronto
, other parts of the Caribbean and the United States
. Today they make up a small percent of the population of the country, and are demanding that they should be called Europeans. There may be a little bit higher birthrate among them in present.
Some have advanced the idea that the Portuguese presence in the Guianas predates 1834. Portuguese Sephardic Jews had settled in neighbouring Dutch Guiana
in the 17th century before the Dutch arrived. Portuguese Jewish
communities also exist in Aruba
, Barbados
and Curaçao
. Some of the Portuguese in Guyana may have their origins in these Dutch-speaking Portuguese groups. They were known as the "Curaçao Portuguese" within the larger Portuguese community.
Ivor Mendonca
is a descendant of Madeiran immigrants to Guyana.
A reliable reference for the afformed information is "The Colony Of British Guyana and Its Labouring Population" by H. V. P Bronkhurst.
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. After the abolition of slavery in 1807, the planters of British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
sought alternative sources of labour. They were eager to recruit white labourers in order to bolster the proportion of white to coloured
Colored
Colored is a term once widely used in the United States to describe black people and Native Americans...
residents in the colony.
In 1834, the first Portuguese people
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
arrived from the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
island of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, having been sponsored by a coalition of planters and by the colonial government. Between 1834 and 1882, some 30,645 Portuguese arrived in Guyana, the vast majority from Madeira, but others from the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
Islands. Mixed race Portuguese speaking elements from Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
also were brought in.
The Madeiran Portuguese, or simply Madeirans as they came to be known, soon shunned working in the fields given the high mortality rate due to tropical diseases. They settled in Georgetown
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
, New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam, Guyana
New Amsterdam , located in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region, 62 miles from the capital, Georgetown, is one of the largest towns in Guyana. It is located four miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean mouth of the Berbice River, on its eastern bank, immediately south of the Canje River...
and other towns in Guyana and dedicated themselves into the venture of the retail and wholesale trades. By 1851, 173 out of 296 shops in Georgetown were Portuguese-owned, while the figure was 28 out of 52 in New Amsterdam. In 1891, Portuguese numbered 4.3% of the population of Guyana.
The Portuguese of Guiana faced considerable discrimination from both the black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
s and the white British
White British
White British was an ethnicity classification used in the 2001 United Kingdom Census. As a result of the census, 50,366,497 people in the United Kingdom were classified as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: White Scottish and Other White...
ruling class. The former believed them to be opportunists and lackies of the white establishment while the latter considered the Portuguese inferior due to their Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and Mediterranean racial
Mediterranean race
The Mediterranean race was one of the three sub-categories into which the Caucasian race and the people of Europe were divided by anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, following the publication of William Z. Ripley's book The Races of Europe...
roots. The Portuguese are white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
. But the white ruling class knew that, although the Portuguese were racially European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
, they were also indigent peasants from Madeira.
Tensions boiled over on a number of occasions and Georgetown experienced a spate of race riots, most notably in 1856 and 1898. On both occasions, disgruntled black Creoles directed their anger against Portuguese-owned shops and widespread looting occurred leading to damages of over $30,000 and over $200,000 respectively.
Eventually, although the Portuguese are called by the British inferior, the Portuguese were given more privileges by other whites and assimilated becoming part of Guyanese society. They anglicized
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
their surnames and began to speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as their primary language. However, during the struggle for independence, the Portuguese came to be identified with the British colonial establishment while the ethnic Indo-Guyanese
Indo-Guyanese
Indo-Guyanese are mostly descendants of indentured labourers from India who are citizens or nationals of Guyana. They are often referred to as Indians or East Indians...
and Afro-Guyanese
Afro-Guyanese
Afro-Guyanese people are the inhabitants of Guyana of Black African origin...
fought over power. The 1964 killing of the civil servant Arthur Abraham
Arthur Abraham
Arthur Abraham is an Armenian-German professional boxer HyeFighter residing in Berlin, Germany. He was IBF world middleweight champion from 2005 to 2009, making ten successful defences of his title...
, an ethnic Portuguese, led many to emigrate before Britain introduced restrictions. Many Portuguese Guyanese now live in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, other parts of the Caribbean and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Today they make up a small percent of the population of the country, and are demanding that they should be called Europeans. There may be a little bit higher birthrate among them in present.
Some have advanced the idea that the Portuguese presence in the Guianas predates 1834. Portuguese Sephardic Jews had settled in neighbouring Dutch Guiana
Dutch Guiana
Dutch Guiana, also known as Netherlands Guyana or Dutch Guyana , is the name given to various Dutch colonies on the northern coast of South America, created by the Dutch West India Company...
in the 17th century before the Dutch arrived. Portuguese Jewish
Spanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the Jewish communities of the Iberian peninsula and who shaped communities mainly in Western Europe and the Americas from the late 16th century on...
communities also exist in Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
and Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. Some of the Portuguese in Guyana may have their origins in these Dutch-speaking Portuguese groups. They were known as the "Curaçao Portuguese" within the larger Portuguese community.
Ivor Mendonca
Ivor Mendonca
Leon Ivor Mendonca is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 2 Tests in 1962.His parents are Ineas Mendonca and Osmond Mendonca. Ivor Mendonca is the oldest of 10 brothers and sisters....
is a descendant of Madeiran immigrants to Guyana.
A reliable reference for the afformed information is "The Colony Of British Guyana and Its Labouring Population" by H. V. P Bronkhurst.