Jamaica	Asians in the Americas
General Overview  Brief Description  Demographic Resources  Sources Official Census  Foreign Affairs/Immigration  Municipal Registries  Parochial Records  Information/Research Resources, Dissertations and Scholars  Societies and Associations  Embassies  Miscellaneous

General Overview

Ethnic Groups:black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1% Religions: Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual cults 34.7% Languages: English, Creole [1]

Visit the CIA World Factbook for more information on this country http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/jm.html

Brief Description

Arrival of Asian Peoples:

The first East Indian indentured laborers arrived in Jamaica 1845 aboard the Blundell Hunter. [2] [3] Approximately 700 ships from China carrying immigrants arrived in Latin America and the Caribbean between 1847-1884. Two ships from Panama carrying Chinese immigrants arrived in Jamaica in 1854. [4] Top of Page

Geographic and Labor Concentration:

Asians who came to Jamaica as indentured laborers generally worked on estates or (sugar) plantations. [5] Top of Page

Demographic and Historical Information:

36,412 East Indians were reported to have immigrated to Jamaica as indentured laborers between 1845-1917. [6] 1,152 Chinese immigrants arrived in Jamaica between 1834-1918. [7] Top of Page

Demographic Resources

Official Census:

Statistical Agency and Contact Statistical Institute of Jamaica 97B Church Street P.O. Box 643 Kingston, Jamaica phone: 1-876-967-2680/89 fax: 1-876-967-4859 Main U.S. Repository New York Public Library 188 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 (212) 592-7000 http://www.nypl.org/research/sibl/index.html Population Research Center (University of Texas) 1800 Main Building The University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas 78712-1127 phone: (512) 471-5514 fax: (512) 471-4886 http://www.prc.utexas.edu/ Note the use of race/ethnic category, citizenship, nationality, birthplace, language, customs (dress, food), [religion], etc. 1844 Country: Indian Colour of Persons: White, Coloured, Black [8] 1861 Native Country: British West Indies, China, East India, French West Indies, India Colour of Persons: White, Brown, Black [9] 1871 "Same as that of 1861 plus religion..." [10] 1881 Country of Birth: B.W.I., United Kingdom, U.S.A., Cuba, Panama, India, China, Elsewhere Abroad [11] 1891 Country of Birth: B.W.I., United Kingdom, U.S.A., Cuba, Panama, India, China, Elsewhere Abroad [12] 1911 Race: White, Coloured, Black, East Indian, Chinese, Not Specified [13] Religions of the People: Church of England, Baptist, Christian, Evangelistic Mission, Methodist, Wesleyan, United, Presbyterian Church of Jamaica, Church of Scotland, Moravian, Roman Catholic, Congregationalist, Hindu, Pagan, Seventh Day Adventist, Salvation Army, Friends, Jewish, Bedwardite, No Religion, Others numbering less than 1,000 each, Not Specified (for years 1911, 1881, 1871) [14] Birthplaces of the People: Ceylon, India, China, Japan, Phillipine Islands, Turkey in Asia [15] 1921 "Similar to 1911, in the scope was name, relation to family head, age as of last birthday, sex, marital status, race, occupation (not cross-classified by age, however), literacy and school attendance, religion, country of birth, nationality of foreign born, infimities, and housing." [16] 1943 Place of Birth: Includes table (Table 15) comparing census results of 1881, 1891, 1911, 1921, and 1943 (for population born outside Jamaica) India, China, Syria (1891-1943), Other Countries not specified [17] Includes table (Table 19) comparing years 1942, 1941, 1940, 1939, 1938, 1936-1937, 1931-1935, 1921-1930, 1911-1920, 1901-1910, Before 1901, not specified for countries: Hong Kong, India, China, Other Countries and not specified. [18] Race: Black, Coloured, White, British Isles Races, European Races, Chinese and Chin. Col., East Indian and E.I. Col., Syrian and Syr. Col., Other Races and not specified [19] Religion: Adventist, Anglican, Baptist, Bedwardite, Bible Student, Brethren, Buddhist, Christian, Christian Science, Church of God, Congregationalist, Confucian, Evangelical Association, Friends, Hindhu, Jewish, Methodist, Mission, Moravian, Non-Denominational/No Religion, Pentecostal, Plymouth Brethren, Pocomania, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Salvation Army, Other Religions not specified [20] 1953 Racial Origin: Black, Coloured, White, Chinese, East Indian, Other and not stated [21] Includes table (Table 23) comparing 1881, 1891, 1911, 1921, 1943, and 1953 for racial categories CBlack, Coloured, White, Chinese, Chinese Coloured, East Indian, East Indian Coloured, Other Races, Not Specified [22] Religious Denomination: Anglican, Baptist, Methodis, Roman Catholic, Church of God, Presbyterian, Adventist, Moravian, Congregationalist, Salvation Army, Other Religions, No Religion, Not Specified. [23] 1960 Country of Birth: India, Other Commonwealth Countries, China, Elsewhere [24] Race: African, European, East Indian, Chinese or Japanese, Syrian, Afro-European, Afro-East Indian, Afro-Chinese, Other [25] (Reports do no include "Japanese" as a separate category) [26] Religious Denominations: Adventist, Anglican, Baptist, Brethren/Plymouth Brethren, Christian Science, Church of God, Congregational, Friends, Hindu, Jewish, Methodist, Moravian, Pentecostal, Pocomania, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Salvation Army, Other Religion, No Religion, Not Specified [27] 1970 Ethnic Origin: Chinese, East Indian, Mixed, Other Races [28] Major Religion: Anglican, Baptist (Orthodox), Hindu Satst, Church of God, Methodist, Moravian, Muslim A.N.J., Presby./Congr., Roman Cath., Sev. Day Advtst., Not Stated [29] 1982 data unavailable 1992 data unavailable 2001 Ethnic Groups: Black, Chinese, Mixed, East Indian, White, Other, Not Stated Place of Birth: USA, UK, Canada, Caribbean Country, India, S.E. Asia, Other, Not Stated [30] Top of Page

Foreign Affairs/Immigration:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade 21 Dominica Drive POB 624 Kingston, Jamaica 5 phone: 1-876-926-4220 fax: 1-846-929-6733 email: mfaftjam@cwjamaica.com Ministry of National Security and Justice Director of Immigration and Citizenship 12 Ocean Boulevard Kingston Mall Kingston, Jamaica 10 phone: 1-876-922-0080 fax: 1-876-922-6950 email: inform@infochan.com http://www.mnsj.gov.jm/index.htm Top of Page

Municipal Registries:

The Registrar's General Department of Jamaica Twickenham Park St. Catherine, Jamaica phone: 1-876-984-3041-5 fax: 1-876-749-6757 email: information@rgd.gov.jm http://www.rgd.gov.jm/ Top of Page

Parochial Records:

Jamaica Council of Churches 14 South Avenue Kingston, Jamaica 10 phone: 1-876-926-0974 email: jchurch_99@yahoo.com Anglican Bishop of Jamaica Church House 2 Caledonia Avenue Kingston, Jamaica 5 phone:1-876-926-6609 fax: 1-876-968-0618 Baha'i Faith National Spiritual Assembly 208 Mountain View Avenue Kingston, Jamaica 6 phone: 1-876-927-7051 fax: 1-876-978-2344 Baptist Union 6 Hope Road Kingston, Jamaica 10 phone: 1-876-927-8128 Church of God in Jamaica 35A Hope Road Kingston, Jamaica 10 phone: 1-876-927-8128 Rastafarianism Royal Ethiopian Judah Coptic Church Kingston (not officially incorporated) Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kingston in Jamaica 21 Hopefield Avenue POB 43 Kingston, Jamaica 6 phone: 1-876-927-9915 fax: 1-876-927-4487 email: rcabkgn@cwjamaica.com Seventh-Day Adventist Church 56 James Street Kingston, Jamaica phone: 1-876-922-7440 fax: 1-876-922-1901 Top of Page

Information/Research Resources, Dissertations and Scholars:

Online Resources Jamaica Information Service (JIS) http://www.jis.gov.jm/ Jamaica Online Resource Library http://members.tripod.com/~jamaica_wi/jamaica2.htm National Library of Jamaica http://www.nlj.org.jm/ Dissertations Bouknight-Davis, Gail. Markers of Ethnicity: A Theoretical Perspective of East Indians in Kingston, Jamaica. Brown University, 1996. Chang, Ching Chieh. The Chinese in Latin America: A Preliminary Geographical Survey with Special Reference to Cuba and Jamaica. University of Maryland, College Park, 1956. Ehrlich, Allen S. East Indian Cane Workers in Jamaica. University of Michigan, 1969. Lee, Russell Dwight. The Perils of Ethnic Success: The Rise and Flight of the Chinese Traders in Jamaica. Harvard University, 1979. Look Lai, Walton. Sugar Plantations and Indentured Labor: Migrations from China and India to the British West Indies, 1838-1918 (Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, British Guiana). New York University, 1991. Sohal, Harinder Singh. The East Indian Indentureship System in Jamaica 1845-1917. University of Waterloo, 1980. Top of Page

Societies and Associations:

Top of Page

Embassies:

India 4 Retreat Avenue POB 446 Kingston, Jamaica 6 phone: 1-876-927-0486 fax: 1-876-978-280 Japan Mutual Life Centre North Tower, 6th Floor 2 Oxford Road Kingston, Jamaica 10 phone: 1-876-929-3338 fax: 1-876-968-1373 People's Republic of China 8 Seaview Avenue Kingston, Jamaica 10 phone: 1-876-927-0850 Top of Page

Miscellaneous:

Number of Indentured East Indian Immigrants from 1899-1913 as reported in Statistical Abstract for the Several British Self-Governing Dominions, Colonies, Possessions, and Protectorates in Each Year from 1899-1913. [17] 1900--661 1901--Nil 1902--Nil 1903--659 1904--Nil 1905--812 1906--814 1907--609 1908--417 1909--1,118 1910--Nil 1911--813 1912--836 1913--1,442 Top of Page

Sources

[1] http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/. Accessed 01/20/2002. [2] Ramdin, Ron. Arising from Bondage: A History of the Indo-Caribbean People. New York: I.B. Tauris Publishers, 2000. p. 8. [3] Shepard, Verene A. Emancipation and Immigration: A Pan-Caribbean Overview. Jamaica: Alpha Boys' School Printery. 1999. p. 20. [4] Look Lai, Walton. Indentured Labor, Caribbean Sugar: Chinese and Indian Migrants to the British West Indies 1838-1918. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1993. p. 42. [5] Ramdin, Ron. Arising from Bondage: A History of the Indo-Caribbean People. New York: I.B. Tauris Publishers, 2000. [6] Ibid. pp. 16, 133. [7] Look Lai, Walton. Indentured Labor, Caribbean Sugar: Chinese and Indian Migrants to the British West Indies 1838-1918. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1993. p. 19. [8] Higman, B.W. (Ed.) The Jamaica Censuses of 1844 and 1861: A New Edition, Derived from the Manuscript and Printed Schedules in the Jamaica Archives. Kingston: University of the West Indies Social History Project, 1980. [9] Ibid. [10] Goyer, Doreen S. The Handbook of National Population Censuses : Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1983. p. 225 [11] Statistical Abstract for the Several British Self-Governing Dominions, Colonies, Possessions, and Protectorates in Each Year From 1899-1913. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, Eyre and Spottiswoode Ltd., 1915. p. 14 [12] Ibid. [13] Census of Jamaica and Its Dependencies. Kingston: Government Printing Office, 1912. p. 7. [14] Ibid. pp. 10-11 [15] Ibid. p. 70 [16] Goyer, Doreen S. The Handbook of National Population Censuses : Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1983. p. 225. [17] Eighth Census of Jamaica and Its Dependencies 1943. Population, Housing, and Agriculture. Kingston: The Government Printer, 1945. p. 7 [18] Ibid. p. 15. [19] Ibid. p. 52. [20] Ibid. p. 140. [21] Report on A Sample Survey of the Population of Jamaica Oct./Nov. 1953. Kingston: Department of Statistics, 1957. p. 46. [22] Ibid. p. 47. [23] Ibid. p. 58. [24] West Indies Population Census 1960. Bulletin No. 20. (Jamaica). Kingston: Department of Statistics, 1962. p. 16. [25] Ibid. Preface [26] Ibid. p. 2. [27] Ibid. p. 27. [28] 1970 Population Census of the Commonwealth of the Caribbean. Vol. 7. Race and Religion. Kingston: The Herald Limited, 1976. p. 1 [29] Ibid. p. 93 [30] http://www.statinja.com/census.html. Accessed 12/01/2001. Top of Page