Indian heritage.

“Our ancestors are from India. They came to Saint Lucia and other Caribbean islands as indentured laborers to work on the sugar cane plantations. They worked on contracts and when these ended, they had the option to remain on the island or return to India. Some chose to stay and this is how we came about.
We were taught many of the traditions especially song and food. Many of the songs were meant to capture what they experienced on the voyage traveling to an unknown destination and they sang a lot to God. Over time the Indian culture has evolved and the modern Indians are not always able to understand the older language. It is very difficult to translate word for word. However we try to keep the culture alive. Today we are wearing our traditional Shalwa and we will be performing some songs as well.”