Dougla people (plural ''Douglas'') are Caribbean people who are of mixed

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

and

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 ...

descent. The word ''Dougla'' (also Dugla or Dogla) is used throughout the Dutch and

English-speaking Caribbean The Commonwealth Caribbean is the region of the Caribbean with English-speaking countries and territories, which once constituted the Caribbean portion of the British Empire and are now part of the Commonwealth of Nations. The term includes ma ...

Definition

The word ''Dougla'' originated from doogala (), which is a

Caribbean Hindustani Caribbean Hindustani is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by Indo-Caribbeans and the Indo-Caribbean diaspora. It is mainly based on the Bhojpuri and Awadhi dialects. These Hindustani dialects were the most spoken dialects by the Indians who came as i ...

word that literally means "two-necks" and may mean "many", "much" or "a mix". In the West Indies, the word is used only for

mixed race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

Afro-Indians. The word has its etymological roots in Hindi, where "do" means "two" and "gala" means "throat," potentially referring to people who could speak Indian and African languages. The 2012 Guyana census identified 29.25% of the population as

Afro-Guyanese Afro-Guyanese are generally descended from the enslaved people brought to Guyana from the coast of West Africa to work on sugar plantations during the era of the Atlantic slave trade. Coming from a wide array of backgrounds and enduring condition ...

, 39.83% as

Indo-Guyanese Indo-Guyanese or Indian-Guyanese, are people of Indian origin who are Guyanese nationals tracing their ancestry to India and the wider subcontinent. They are the descendants of indentured servants and settlers who migrated from India beginnin ...

, and 19.88% as "mixed," recognized as mostly representing the offspring of the former two groups. In the

French West Indies The French West Indies or French Antilles (french: Antilles françaises, ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy fwansez) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two overseas departments of: ** Guadeloupe, ...

(

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

), mixed Afro-Indian people used to be called Batazendyen or Chapé-Kouli.

History

There are sporadic records of Indo-Euro interracial relationships, both consensual and nonconsensual, before any ethnic mixing of the African and Indian variety. Other Indo-based types of mixed heritage (Indo-Chinese (

Chindians Chindian ( zh, c=中印人, p=Zhōngyìnrén, cy=Jūngyanyàn; ta, சிந்தியன்; is an informal term used to refer to a person of mixed Chinese and Indian ancestry; i.e. from any of the host of ethnic groups native to modern Chi ...

), Indo-Latino/Hispanic (Tegli), Indo-English (

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The ''Oxford English ...

s), Indo-Portuguese (

Luso-Indian Luso-Indians or Portuguese-Indian, is a subgroup of the larger multiracial ethnic creole people of Luso-Asians. Luso-Indians are people who have mixed varied Indian subcontinent and European Portuguese ancestry or people of Portuguese descent b ...

s), Indo-Irish (

Irish Indians An Irish Indian is an Indian citizen who is fully or partially of Irish descent, who is aware of such ancestry and remains connected, to some degree, to Irish culture and also can be an Irish-born person who is of Indian origin. As per article 36 ...

), Indo-Scottish (

Scottish-Indian Scottish-Indians are Indian citizens of mixed Indian and Scots ancestry or people of Scottish descent born or living in India. Like Irish Indians, a Scottish-Indian can be categorized as an Anglo-Indian. Scottish Indians celebrate Scottish cult ...

s), Indo-

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, Indo-

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

and Indo-

Amerindian The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the Am ...

) tended to identify as one of the older, unmixed ethnic strains on the island: Afro, Indo, Amerindian or Euro or passing as one of them.

In Trinidad culture

In 1961, the

calypsonian A calypsonian,Definition of CALYPSO
Mighty Dougla Cletus Ali, better known as Mighty Dougla, was a Trinidadian calypsonian who won the island's Calypso King title in 1961. Career From the Hell Yard area of Port of Spain, Ali was a popular calypsonian in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was bor ...

(born Cletus Ali) described the predicament of Douglas:

Notable Douglas

* Cletus Ali, Trinidadian musician, better known as Mighty Dougla *

Tatyana Ali Tatyana Marisol Ali is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from 1990 to 1996. She starred as Tyana Jones on the TV One original series ''Love That Girl!'', an ...

Indo-Trinidadian Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians or Indian-Trinidadians and Tobagonians, are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Trinidad and Tobago whose ancestors came from India and the wider subcontinent beginning in 1845. Indo-Trinidadians and ...

/ Afro-Panamanian American actress * Esther Anderson, actress (United Kingdom; born in Jamaica) *

Johnson Beharry Colour Sergeant Johnson Gideon Beharry, (born 26 July 1979) is a British Army soldier who, on 18 March 2005, was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces, for saving me ...

, Grenadian British soldier in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

* Melissa Bell,

Jamaican British British Jamaicans (or Jamaican British people) are British people who were born in Jamaica or who are of Jamaican descent. The community is well into its third generation and consists of around 300,000 individuals, the second-largest Jamaican ...

singer and mother of

Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series ''The X Factor'' in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syc ...

* Foxy Brown, rapper (United States; Trinidadian and Tobagonian background) *

, British Jamaican singer and daughter of Melissa Bell *

Super Cat William Anthony Maragh (born 25 June 1963),Huey, Steve " Super Cat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 18 July 2010 also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican deejay who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall mo ...

, Jamaican deejayBarrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae'', Rough Guides, , p. 286 *

Sabrina Colie Sabrina Diana Colie is an actor and film and theatre director. She was born in Mandeville, Jamaica and resides in New York City. Education Colie completed her elementary education at Mt. St. Joseph Preparatory and high school and sixth form at ...

, actress (United States; born in Jamaica) *

Mervyn Dymally Mervyn Malcolm Dymally (May 12, 1926 – October 7, 2012) was an American politician from California. He served in the California State Assembly (1963–66) and the California State Senate (1967–75) as the 41st Lieutenant Governor of Californi ...

, Trinidadian American politician * Special Ed, rapper (United States; Jamaican background) *

Marlene Malahoo Forte Marlene Patricia Malahoo Forte is a Jamaican politician. She currently serves as Jamaica's Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs and was the Attorney General of Jamaica from 7 March 2016 to 10 January 2022. She served as a Senator for ...

, politician (Jamaica) *

Amy Ashwood Garvey Amy Ashwood Garvey (''née'' Ashwood; 10 January 1897 – 3 May 1969) was a Jamaican Pan-Africanist activist. She was a director of the Black Star Line Steamship Corporation, and along with her former husband Marcus Garvey she founded the ''Neg ...

, activist (Jamaica) *

Masaba Gupta Masaba Gupta (born 2 November 1989) is an Indian fashion designer and an actress with her own label called House of Masaba. Early life Masaba Gupta was born in 1989 and is the daughter of Indian actress Neena Gupta and West Indies cricketer V ...

, actress and fashion designer (Antiguan and Indian) *

Lisa Hanna Lisa Rene Shanti Hanna (born August 20, 1975) is a Jamaican politician and beauty queen who was crowned Miss World 1993, becoming the third Jamaican to win the title. A member of the opposition People's National Party, Hanna currently serves a ...

, Miss World 1993, MP Saint Ann South Eastern *

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

Vice-President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of the United States (Jamaican and South Indian) *

Maya Harris Maya Lakshmi Harris (born January 30, 1967) is an American lawyer, public policy advocate, and writer. Harris was one of three senior policy advisors for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign's policy agenda and she also served as chair o ...

, lawyer and writer (Jamaican and South Indian) *

Lester Holt Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959) is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''Dateline NBC''. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' following the ...

, U.S. news anchor and journalistToday Show: "Lester and Jenna trace their Jamaican roots"
Aired on September 9, 2012 *

Kenny J Kenwrick Joseph (15 July 1952 – 2 January 2022), known professionally as Kenny J, was a Trinidad and Tobago calypsonian and Assistant Superintendent of Police who was best known for his soca parang hits including ''The Paint Brush''. Music ...

, calysonian *

Diana King Diana King (born 8 November 1970) is a Jamaican-American singer-songwriter who performs a mixture and fusion of reggae, reggae fusion and dancehall. They were born to an Indo-Jamaican mother and an Afro-Jamaican father. They are best known f ...

, singer (United States; born in Jamaica) *

Jeffery Kissoon Jeffery Kissoon (born 4 September 1947) is an actor with credits in British theatre, television, film and radio. He has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company at venues such as the Royal National Theatre, under directors including Peter ...

, actor *

Sonnet L'Abbé Sonnet L'Abbé, is a Canadian poet, editor, professor and critic. As a poet, L'Abbé writes about national identity, race, gender and language. Career L'Abbé has a PhD in English literature from the University of British Columbia, a master's d ...

Guyanese Canadian Guyanese Canadians are Canadian citizens of Guyanese descent or Guyana-born persons who reside in Canada. The following are notable Canadians of Guyanese descent: Notable Guyanese Canadians Entertainers *Anjulie - singer *Dave Baksh - lead g ...

poet *

Sir Trevor McDonald Sir Trevor McDonald (born George McDonald; 16 August 1939) is a Trinidadian-British newsreader and journalist, best known for his career as a news presenter with ITN. McDonald was knighted in 1999 for his services to journalism. Career ...

, Trinidadian British news anchor and journalist *

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

, singer, rapper (United States; born in Trinidad and Tobago) *

Nicole Narain Nicole Narain (born July 28, 1974) is an American model, actress and Playboy Playmate of Afro-Caribbean descent. Career She was chosen as ''Playboy'''s Playmate of the Month in January 2002 and has appeared in numerous ''Playboy'' videos. ...

, model and actress * Rajee Narinesingh, LGBT activist (United States; Trinidadian and Tobagonian background) * Furdjel Narsingh, footballer (Netherlands; Surinamese background) * Luciano Narsingh, footballer (Netherlands; Surinamese background) *

Roxanne Persaud Roxanne Persaud (born March 1, 1966) is a Guyanese-American politician. She is a Democrat and a member of the New York Senate for the 19th district, which includes portions of Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, ...

, politician (United States; born in Guyana) * Yendi Phillips, model (Jamaica) *

Thara Prashad Thara Natalie Prashad (born January 16, 1982), also known as Thara, is an American R&B singer and model. Her father is Indo-Guyanese while her mother is part Irish and part African-American. Formerly signed to the Desert Storm label most known f ...

, singer and model * Gema Ramkeesoon, social worker and women's rights activist (Trinidad and Tobago) *

Kumar Rocker Kumar Rocker (born November 22, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers organization. He played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball, Vanderbilt Commodores. He was sele ...

, American baseball player (African American and Telugu) * Kenneth Salick,

chutney soca In Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname, chutney soca music is a crossover style of music incorporating soca and calypso elements and English, Hindustani, and Hinglish lyrics, chutney music, with Western instruments such as the guitar, pi ...

singer *

Krishmar Santokie Krishmar Santokie (born 20 December 1984) is a cricketer who plays for Jamaica and has represented the West Indies at international Twenty20 level. He bowls left-arm medium pace and is a lower order batsman. Domestic career He represented the Guy ...

, cricketer * Abrahim Simmonds, youth advocate (Jamaica) *

Toni-Ann Singh Toni-Ann Singh (born February 1996) is a Jamaican beauty queen who won Miss World 2019. She was previously crowned Miss Jamaica World 2019 and is the fourth woman from Jamaica to win Miss World. She is also the longest-reigning Miss World in th ...

, Miss World 2019 (Jamaica) *

XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...

, rapper *

Justine Skye Justine Indira Skyers (born August 24, 1995), known professionally as Justine Skye, is an American singer. Skye, whose initial fame was from Tumblr, found a career in the music industry and signed with Atlantic Records at the age of 19. Early l ...

, entertainer (Jamaica) * Joyce Vincent, British woman whose death went unnoticed for over two years (Grenadian of Black and Indian ancestry)

Definition

History

In Trinidad culture

Notable Douglas

See also

References

Further reading