The disappearance of Aboriginals
The first inhabitants of Barbados were Amerindians (Kalinagos and Tainos) from South America. They were the first Europeans to arrive on the island. Between 1536 and 1550, raids by Spanish slave traders ravaged the population of Ichirouganaim (the island's native name), who decided to flee to other islands. When the British landed in 1627 to take possession of the island, it was virtually uninhabited. As a result, there are no descendants of the "First Nations" on Barbados today.
Afro-Barbadians
The vast majority of the Barbadian population is black (91%) or of mixed race (4%). Following the boom in sugar cane cultivation, British colonists, short of manpower, quickly resorted to slavery on a massive scale. A veritable trade in flesh was organized between Europe, Africa and the New World, and millions of Africans, the vast majority from the west of the continent (present-day Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, etc.), were torn from their families and lands to be sold as merchandise. In 1635, the first slavery code was put in place, and by 1684, the black population was twice that of the white, a proportion that would only increase as the population grew naturally, more slaves were imported and the white population emigrated to other islands or to North America. After almost 200 years of mistreatment and deprivation of freedom for several generations, the abolition of slavery was declared and a long process of decolonization began, with the Afro-Barbadians (or Afro-Bajans) taking control of Barbados' destiny.
White Barbadians
White Europeans form Barbados' largest minority. Some are descendants of the first English, Scottish and Irish settlers, who arrived as early as the 17th century, while others are more recent arrivals. Among them are deported prisoners, many of them Irish under Cromwell, and indenturedservants. The latter signed a contract to work for seven years in exchange for payment of their transatlantic voyage and land or capital at the end of the contract. Nicknamed " poor whites " or, more pejoratively, " redlegs " because of the sunburn they received while working, they were often at a disadvantage in Barbadian society, and sometimes allied with Afro-Barbadians on common grievances. By contrast, the settlers who became planters, merchants and businessmen prospered, forming the island's political and economic elite for three centuries. Since Barbados' independence in 1966, most white Europeans have emigrated to the UK, and political power has passed to the black majority.
The Indian community
Barbados' second largest minority is from the Indian subcontinent. The first to arrive on the island were Bengali silk merchants. Although few in number, they eventually married Barbadian women and blended into the island's melting pot. In the 1930s, a new wave of Indian immigration arrived via Guyana. Forestry workers, mostly from the state of Gujarat, came to Barbados in search of a better life. Many of them became itinerant traders, traveling from village to village and offering their wares to people who couldn't get to the city to shop. Many of them still work in the trade sector today. Of the 3,000 or so Indo-Barbadians, around 2,000 are from Gujarat, most of them Muslims (they make up the bulk of the island's Muslim community).
Other minorities
Other ethnic groups found in Barbados include East Asians (mainly Chinese and Hong Kongers) and people from the Middle East (particularly Syrians and Lebanese).
The Jewish community
Persecuted by the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition, many Sephardic Jews fled to New Holland, the Brazilian colony of the Netherlands around Recife. When Portugal conquered New Holland in 1654, Jews were forced to convert or leave. Some opted for Barbados, bringing with them sugar cane and all the expertise needed to grow and process it.
Suspicious of the new arrivals' success and their desire to trade with the Dutch, the British imposed discriminatory measures on October 23, 1668. The Jews were banned from all forms of trade, deprived of the right to buy slaves and forced to live in a ghetto in Bridgetown. Despite this, the community grew, and by 1679 there were almost 300 Jews living in Barbados.
Most of these measures were lifted in 1702 and completely abolished in 1802. In the following years, the community continued to grow until 1831, when Hurricane Louisiana devastated the island and its economy. The Nidhe Israel synagogue in Bridgetown, built when the first Jews arrived, is destroyed. It was rebuilt, but the Sephardic community continued to decline, either through emigration or assimilation. In 1929, the last Sephardic Jew left the island.
The onset of the Second World War restored the Jewish presence in Barbados. As early as 1931, many Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe, fearing the rise of Nazism, settled in Barbados. The synagogue was restored to worship in 1987, and a museum was installed in 2008. The area around the synagogue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Languages
English is the official language of Barbados, the language of administration, education, communication and public services. More precisely, it is British English, with its own spelling and pronunciation standards (apart from a few minor differences).
Nevertheless, in everyday life, Bajan is the predominant language. This Creole dialect is the language spoken by most Barbadians. It is essentially a blend of English and African languages, with its own grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.
