Hinduism is followed in Martinique by a small number of

Indo-Martiniquais Indo-Martiniquais are an ethnic group of Martinique, compromising approximately 10% of the population of the island. The Indo-Martiniquais are descendants of indentured labourers of the nineteenth century from India of primarily Tamil people, Tamil ...

. As of 2007, Hinduism constituted 0.3% of the population of Martinique.

History

After the abolition of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in 1848, plantation owners filled their need for laborers by importing

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

ns from

the subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

, starting in 1853. These immigrants brought with them their Hindu religion. Many Hindu

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

s are still in use in Martinique and, in 1987, a personal description of their secret ceremonies was published by a Hindu participant. The symbols, gestures and myths of Hinduism were an important inspiration to the French artist

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

, who visited Martinique in 1887.

Demographics

Though

comprise approximately 10% of the population of the island of

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 ...

, only a few 15% of them are still Hindus. Hindus and quimboiseurs (another religion in Martinique) consider themselves also to be Catholic due to the lack of connection with the Hindus worldwide. Maldevidan Spiritists is a syncretic religion in Martinique which combine aspects of the Hindu religion with Catholicism associating the principal deity, Maldevidan ( Madurai Veeran), with Jesus Christ and the second most important deity, Mari-eman ( Mariamman), with the Virgin Mary. This is common in the northern regions of the island with many shrines and gathering places throughout the region. Rituals include playing drums, dancing on sharpened machetes, and sacrificing animals such as roosters and sheep.

Contemporary Status

Hinduism in Martinique constitutes a variation of popular Tamil Hinduism, which was characterized by the practice of animal sacrifice, the veneration of village deities and the use of the Tamil language as the ceremonial language, although the language has lost its usage in the plantation and post-plantation society. The central figures of Hindus here are Hindu goddess Mariamman known locally as ''Mariémen'' and Madurai Veeran locally known as ''Madevilen''. There is a historic Hindu temple in

Basse-Pointe Basse-Pointe (; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Baspwent) is a town and commune in the French overseas department and region, and island of Martinique. Geography Climate Basse-Pointe has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classificati ...

in Martinique built in the 19th century, which is still in use. In recent years there has been a revival of Hinduism in Martinique, including Hindu mela programmes.

References

Adherents.com

Religion in Martinique

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