The first people of Mauritius: Where do we come from?
While the dodo bird is famous around the world, the island where it used to live is less known, particularly in the Americas, Caribbean and Oceania regions. Many Mauritians can relate to these interesting conversations about Mauritius that one experience as you meet and talk with people from different corners of the globe:
“I’m Mauritian…No I’m not from Mauritania but Mauritius, the island”
“Yes it is an African country…an island in South Western Indian Ocean…about 800 km East of Madagascar…Oh, you also don’t know where Madagascar is found?
And more than once, I’ve found myself drawing imaginary lines in the air roughly indicating the locations of different islands in relation to the better known South Africa.
While at times, some questions can be frustrating, overall these experiences can make you think more and more about your origin. It may also come a time when that need to look into the past, to connect with the island’s and your own history, just cannot be shaken off. As you dig more and more for information, ensue frequent moments of surprises, more questioning and also emotional discomfort as you feel like you belong to many places but also nowhere at the same time.
A land with no indigenous people
When I say that Mauritius was uninhabited before it was colonised, I always expect surprised expressions. And I’m rarely disappointed. Indeed, the island has no native human population and it never did.
There was a time though when I wished that this part of our history was different and I envied others that could identify with specific tribes with hundreds or thousands of years of unique history, culture and traditional knowledge.
Then, I had an enlightening discussion with a Haitian on the very first day I visited the country, a few years back. Through Marco’s stories, I learned about the destruction of the indigenous population (the Taíno people), his own interrogations about their genetic legacy within the current Haitian population, about colonisation by the French and the Haitian revolution.
Upon more reflection, it thus dawned on me that if Mauritius had a native population, it’s history would probably be more tainted. I prefer to not imagine what would have been the fate of a native population here upon the arrival of colonists. There is already a sense of loss, particularly for Mauritians of African descent, even though we are not always able to pin point where it is stemming from.
People from different corners of Africa and Asia were brought to the island to provide labour and with them, came a rich diversity of culture, spiritual beliefs, languages and traditional knowledge. But over time much was lost with cultural homogenisation particularly within the slave community.
So where are we from?
With no indigenous people, the Mauritian population is a relatively young one, shaped over a period of a little more than 200 years, under different colonial regimes. While a small proportion of Mauritians are direct descendants of French colonists, the majority of Mauritians can link their ancestry to people brought here through slavery and indentured immigration.
Mauritians with African ancestry can trace their origins to people from West Africa, East Africa (Mozambique/Swahili coast) and Madagascar that were sold into slavery as well as possibly to “Liberated Africans” from similar regions.
With the abolition of slavery in the 1830s, indentured labour was not only provided from India but also from other regions and countries including East Africa, Madagascar, Comoros Islands, France, China and Yemen.
A genetic study within the Mauritian population also found that African lineages were mostly from Madagascar and East Africa with minor influences from West Central and West Africa.
Indo-Mauritians, who now constitute about two thirds of the total population are mostly descendants of Indians who came in the 1830s as indentured labourers. However, Indians were also brought in Mauritius earlier, as slaves, and they do not seem to have contributed to the strong Indian cultural traits found in the Mauritian population possibly due to assimilation and intermarriages.
A genetic analysis of the Indian lineages in Mauritius indicate that they originated mostly from the Northern part of India followed by the Southeast and then West India.
During the earlier years of colonisation, the Dutch did not only bring Indians but also Chinese people to provide labour. However, there are no known descendants from this group. A bigger influx of Chinese immigrants occurred from 1840 to 1844 when immigration from India was temporarily suspended.
Being Mauritian today
To people that know about Mauritius, the island is often seen as being beautifully multicultural, which it is. But unless you come from a very privileged background and live with rose-tinted glasses, few Mauritians can and will deny that the Mauritian population is far from being united in its ‘Mauritianism’ and there is still much healing to be done.
Some groups of people still feel more connected to the countries of their ancestors as opposed to the one they were born in and grew up in. We have a complex history that forces us to navigate multiple identities. But we are no longer Indians, Chinese, Senegalese, French, Malagasy, Mozambicans etc.
As Mauritians, it is important to embrace our diverse origins and acknowledge the legacy of slavery. And hopefully more and more people will understand that we can identify with specific ethnic groups, without having to segregate ourselves into conflicting “Us” and “them” categories, where the “Us” is often equated to being better or superior.
