193 comments
Coolie is not related to and indian person. Coolie is a porter who carries bags from train to cars to get paid.There is no realtion to being indian by calling one a coolie.Any person can be called a coolie, the definition is explained above. Thank you.
Actually their defination is correct. Coolie is any mixed person that looks indian that has some African decent. It may not be familiar to you but they are correct.
Both are wrong; Coolie is a derogatory term used to describe unskilled laborers, the term is Asian in Origin. A Dougla describes a person who has mixed ancestry usually of African and Indian decent. I know in Jamaica it is wrongly used to describe someone of Indian or mixed Indian decent. And after the movie Coolie with AB in it does not mean the term refers to only porters but to all unskilled.
It's almost as if words can mean different things in different places.
Please. Let's stop being PC. No one in Trinidad uses coolie to refer other anyone else, other than those people who are purely of East Indian descent. It may not be nice. But it's a derogatory word that is specifically aimed at that racial group.
Ook, forgive my earlier typo.
Growing up in the 50's..the blacks call us (East Indians) coolie...the correct spelling Kuli....Today I am A proud COOLIE........Negro
I doh know about all that buh from what I know coolie mean acting way to Indian lol it's actually not a insult , I'm half trini and Guyanese lol
The word collie is Hindi so it's used to describe someone who carries load on their heads example luggage to the train or from the train. Anyone who carries load on their heads, one who is very proud of my heritage .
coolie.... negro people call East Indian in Trinidad coolie .its considered a derogatory word. but its actual a term use in India for people who carry load\baggage on there head
We all know about Trinidad but according to "Dictionary.com:"<br /> 1. An unskilled laborer, especially formerly in China and India. <br /> 2. An unskilled laborer employed cheaply, especially one brought from Asia. <br /> 3. A contemptuous term used to refer to an Asian, especially an Indian living in South Africa.<br /> I wish we would all decide to stop using that word. It reeks of
I wish we would all decide to stop using that word. It reeks of degradation and racism.
Coolie comes from the Hindi word "kuli" which means slave or unskilled manual labourer. <br /><br /> Dougla comes from the Hindi word "doogala" which means mixed race or impure breed.
Hey Caribbean people, the truth is, regardless of the correct definition of 'coolie', today it is used to refer to any East Indian person regardless of their status in society. In the Guyana you're either black, coolie, dougla or bufiano; but if someone doesn't like being called those names then just respect that.
And to think, I almost tattooed the word "Cooli" on my left arm. It' truly a blessing to over stand all perceptions. So powerful it caused the drawing tone become framed rather than engraved upon my skin. Peace and Love.
How disrespectful
Actually, coolie also refers to Chinese laborers. From Wikipedia: A coolie (alternatively spelled cooli, cooly, kuli, quli, koelie and other such variations), during the 19th and early 20th century, was a label applied to a person from Asia, particularly if they were from Southern China, the Indian subcontinent, the Philippines or Indonesia. Today, it is also a contemporary racial slur for people
of Asian descent, particularly in South Africa.
It is another racist term for trini Indians. It is what it is.
The term here is correct if you are Jamaican. Coolie is not an offensive term in Jamaica. My family is black and coolie, for generations we've used the term and we use it proudly. Outside of Jamaica I've heard it can be a problem. But as far as Jamaicans go, Coolie is what we Indians and mixed race people call ourselves.
It does not matter what the origin s are. What matters is that it is an offensive and derogatory word used to describe East Indians in the Caribbean and elsewhere. It is said with contempt and with the intention to hurt.It is neither funny nor polite. The term is just as hurtful as the other word used to describe Africans. We both feel the insult and the pain of non acceptance.
The definition is correct that's what people call me nd my family we are from Jamaica but we are originally Indians mixed with Africans
We use the word Coolie to describe Black and Indian mix. My family is from Jamaica.
I used to live in the Philippines and they called Indians Boombais
I personally think that it is crazy to refer to a person or to use racial slurs to describe a person.
Im a jamacian mixed with indian. I think where i come from in Jamaica i think it is a correct term to describe a mixed person. Im one by the way. I have a question, why do people call it rude to call people coolies?
Why would anyone want to be compared to an 'unskilled labourer'. Really?? Only people that don't know any better still use that term - or refer to themselves as this .....
Words can mean different things depending on the country or culture using it. So the word coolie can be a derogatory term in Trinidad used to describe those of Indian decent, or a term used to describe someone of mixed ethnicity in Jamaica and still hold its original meaning to describe a labor in Asian countries. Knowledge is power, how will you use it?
Dictionary meaning is irrelevant as yaadies never went to a dictionary and decide to call people coolie from it. People look cool skined cause a dem heritage and get called coolie. If yuh fat yah fattie, if yuh black yah Blakie. Come on man surely unuh know how Jamaicans or caribbeans stay don't over think it or take offence by it. Labelling is not a good thing because of the western worlds
Someone of east Indian descent. Meaning your ancestors from India were taken to Guyana as immigrants. The term "coolie" was given to the Indians working on the plantations in the west indies by the European "whites" who were they're masters. Both my parents were born in Guyana, so I asked my coolie relatives.My mom side of the family is dougla and coolie, My dad's side is afro-guyanese.
You dum people coolie is a hindu word that's means laborer in English people that is from east indian decent and that is pure Indian blooded they are called that so if they are mix with anything else black asian European etc the are not coolie they are just mix it does not matter if their half indian the are not coolie , if you are not pure east indian blooded you are not a coolie
The birtish used to call them that when they were ruleing india that's where they got the word from then when the British fooled their dum ass and bring them to the caribbean and south America they used that word towards them cause they came as labors to work for the birtish in the caribbean and south America the only type of person that are supposed to called coolie are pure east indian people
So if your from Guyana india Pakistan Bangladesh ski lanka and trindad any country and your pure full blooded indian your are a coolie and if your mix indian you are not coolie you are categories to be Dougla or mix that's y it's important to know your history folks
Here in Jamaica Coolie is merely a universal identifier for a group of people because we can't be bothered to determine what % you are of any race. From u have a toops a indian in you, you are a coolie. Most if not all Jamaicans of Indian descent proudly identify as coolie. All the same, I will try not to use this word to any non-Jamaicans because I just can't be bothered with the intricacies.
I am a born Jamaican wid all dew respect, "but seriously!" bwoy dem comments mek mi glad to be a Jamaican the most liberal caribbean country ever. We welcome anyone whether Coolie, Indian, White, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Haitian, etc. I myself have relative of Indian descent and mi call dem Coolie it nuh bother dem cause we nuh stereotypes.
There shouldn't be any confusion there are different meanings for some the same words everywhere. My stepfather is from Jamaica and to this day he still will call a mixes breed a Coolie.The word "Coolie", in Jamaica, refers to one of Adrian decent or one who appears to be black mixed with Indian decent. The word is typically used for black people with silkier hair textures. Its not offensive guys.
Waah gwaan people James from Jamaica. Well there we find it disrespectful to describe people from there nationality so wi a gi dem Nicknames, The word coolie there is mostly used to describe indians , But mi sometime use it to describe someone who is cool. Lil Everybody is welcome in Jamaica, and if you don't like to be called like that... No problem
I'm Dougla (British, Jamaican, Indian) Suh basically fi mi it nuh mattah weh yuh waan fi call mi Bredda Nigga ain't bad either
In St. Maarten, Coolie is a compliment. It describes someones hair. Curly hair ppl are described as a coolie. Whether mixed or not you a coolie or have coolie hair once you have curly hair. Knowledge is power. If we really knew the true meaning and origin of the word we would not take it as a compliment.
Take it from an old head, educated, Jamaican- coolie is not a nice term. We called people from India coolies, which means workers. We called them that because they came as indentured servants and ruined the laborers' struggle for better pay and working conditions. Jamaicans were never divisive but to people from India and to a lesser extent to the Chinese. Call me a coolie and we are fighting.
I am from new York what I know is when they say coolie people is people who is from the Caribbean islands or who is one.
All I know is that in the movie "GHANDI" when the conductor on the train was speaking to Mr. Ghandi and referred to him as "coolie" the conductor meant it in the same way southerners called African Americans "niggers, black boys, jungle bunnies, spear chuckers and sambo".
Yup that's pretty much the accurate definition
In St.Vincent and the Grenadines, anyone who has curly or naturally straight hair is referred to as coolie. The term is not strictly saved for people who definitely have Indian in them. My hair is naturally curly, I have no Indian in me whatsoever yet people refer to me as coolie all the time. Guess the word has different meanings depending on where you are. No reason to argue though!#OneCaribbean
This whole debate is centered around semantics, words have always changed meanings based on the era and the culture of people. Coolie may have originated from the Hindi word, Kuli or it may not have. I have always been referred to as Creole, which simply means a mixed race. For us it specifically refers to our roots, French, Indian, African descent.
It is what it is. It's offensive to some and not to others. Peace and Love👍🏽😊
Regardless, people we are all humans.
The word Coolie, is a derogatory term used by the English to define slaves from India and China. Weather indentured or not, they were given the title of indentured servants to feel superior to African slaves. Divide and conquer, just as was done in the past and modern day. Just as they did in Rwanda with the Hutu and the tutsi's, just as was done on the island of Hispanola with Dominicans and Hait
Haitians. The "N" word means tired and lazy.. If people accept this, then anyone of any race should be able to use this word, even Caucasians. Just because Cool** and Ni**er, have become terms of Endearment, in social circles doesn't mean it's right or should be used. I am a West Indian American, woman of East Indian descent . My husband is a West Indian American man of African descent.
I dare someone to call my daughter a coo••e, or my son a N***er, it would be over. Stop staying simple and stupid elevate these words have no place in society. Terms of endearment my ass. Wake up.. This topic can be so deep and can go further, but I will just chill. Stupid shit
In Belize, most people refer to the East Indians as 'Coolie'. My ma tha one. Tha nuh fi mek people tek offense. Different words have different meanings in different places. Key word: different. 🙄 Bless up
Coolie mean unskilled worker referring to people from only east Indian descent. Where as doulga is people mixed with Indian and African descent. Stop being so ignorant and stupid. For some people throughout the world coolie is a racial slur, is an equal to nigger. So don't call anyone coolie if your not from full Indian descent cause if you do you are racist.
Nobody cares lol we call them coolie
In life, one word can carry multiple meanings. Who is anyone to tell the other person that they are using the word in the wrong way or for the wrong thing. It all boils down to respect for a person's wishes. If they don't want to be called by a certain term for whatever reason accept that but don't you dare tell another that they shouldn't be ok with a word because you're not. "Freedom" Peace out!
Me myself have straight black hair, im english, my mother is white english and my father is jamaican but wid black curly hair..ppl always ask where im from?? Ive been called indian, šouth american, italian, mexican, phillipino..all sorts!! Wen i tell them my heritage they're quite surprised! Sum of my english black mates, their jamaican mum say 'coolie' wen ive told them..never botherd me! Peace!
Say something, keep it civil.... keep tracing back to the origin, and you will get lost. Especially if there is no documentation. The world is changing. Along with those changes, literature may be carved into something new. What means one thing in the East will not always be the same in the West.
Much of human history is superseded so there is no wrong answer. Yet another theory: It is a British word used to describe labours brought from Asia (Indian, Chinese and other). The reason the word is known in India is because the British introduced the word.
I live in England with a whole set of Jamaicans . They seem to think the word coolie means black and Indian. Clearly they don't know there history. I was watching a documentary called how Britain re-invented slavery. The British used the word coolie to describe the East Indian migrants . In Guyana and Trinidad where there majority of East Indians went they call Indian and black Dougla.
I don't know what happen in Jamaica where they changed it up and found that coolie meant Indian and black . But if Guyana and Trinidad seem to know there history very well, why don't Jamaicans know anything about there history ? Please some of you go to school or use YouTube/wiki to learn something. Clearly some of you are lost .
Its Marathi for servant or labourer not Hindi
My dad has Indian descent and so do i .I have had good hair growing up but I never remembered anyone calling me coolie .To me one you are mixed with Indian descent you are coolie which means -person of Indian descent or person with Indian hair.
It is what it is, sometimes we tend to use words incorrectly. We always use the word cooley to mean a person who is mix with indian and black. But as
It is what it is, sometimes we tend to use words incorrectly. We always use the word cooley to mean a person who is mix with indian and black but the fact is, we were using the word incorrectly we do that a lot of times. Education is good
i Guyanese and I doan take offense...
You may want to read Savitri's Garden by Fisal Ally, I've explained the term, please visit www.fisalally.com for some free eBooks, and to learn the truth about the term "coolie"
In Savitri's Garden, Chapter 8, I explained 3 definitions. 1) Coolie meaning porters, baggage carriers etc.. (unskilled labor)..These people were not promised to Guyana 2) Coolie meaning skilled agricultural labourers, e.g the Dhangurs from the hills (coolies or hill-coolies) of Chota Nagpur...These people were promised to the planters in British Guiana (Guyana) to cultivate their plantations.
3) Indian of Various classes - People of all kinds of classes arrived in British Guiana in 1838 and not the coolies as were promised to cultivate the plantations. According to Sherif Whinfied in Berbice, there was not even one hill-coolie (coolie), meaning the experienced agricultural laborers in Guiana; the people came from places like Agra, Beneras, Lucknow etc...they were Indian of all classes
The main things to understand is, the planters were serious about getting good workers, and this is why Gladstone and his friends were promised the "hill-coolies" or short "coolies" from the hills of Chota Nagpur because of their skills in agriculture and that could handle the conditions...they were not promised porters (useless for the fields), but the recruiters grabbed anybody from the north...
The recruiters grabbed anybody they could fool and kidnapped and put them on the ship...these people were not from the coolie class, they were cooks, clerks, priests, beggars etc...However, because they planters were expecting the "hill-coolies" (coolies) skilled agricultural labourers, they thought the "coolies" arrived...but they did not arrive..the wrong class arrived, but the name coolie stuck
In other words, there were no coolies that arrived in Guyana. If the coolies did arrive, they were very little like under 10%. And you could conclude the same for Jamaica, Trinidad and everywhere else in the world. However, in Mauritius, many Hill-coolies (coolies) from the hills did arrive there, because the planters were serious, and would ship back the unskilled labourers to India....
Summary - So when we speak of "coolie" for Guyana, we are not speaking of porters etc.., we are only speaking of the skilled agricultural labourers. Why would the planters ask for porters, when they could request the skilled agricultural labourers? However, they did not arrive. It was Indians of various classes that arrived in Guyana and the Caribbean, and not Indians from the coolie class ...
Back in the 1800s, when the planters were speaking of coolies to cultivate the sugar plantations in Mauritius, British Guiana (Guyana), Jamaica, Trinidad etc...They were only speaking of the skilled and experienced agricultural laborers also called coolies. They were not speaking of baggage carriers and porters. The whole internet is messed up, along with many books, using the wrong definition...
For example, because Mauiritius is very close to India, when the recruiters tried to ship anybody such as a cook, a clerk, a beggar, the planters would get upset and ship them back to India because they were not experienced in agriculture. The planters knew that people that had no agricultural experience will soon run away from the plantation; now apply that to Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad.
The coolies the planters were referring to back in 1838 were the hill-coolies (coolies from the hills of Chota Nagpur - often meaning the Dhangurs) because they were already trained and experienced agricultural workers in India working the British Indigo plantations. They can get the work done. They were not speaking of unskilled labourers such as baggage carriers and porters;
But what happened is, for example, because there was 1838 famine in norther india, there were many people migrating for work, and the recruiters (duffadars and arkatis) would grab anybody they can trick and fool and put them on the ship to Guyana. However, the planters in Britain didn't know that. The planters in Britain though that the experienced agricultural labourers were heading for Guyana...
so the planters thought that the coolies (hill-coolies) were in Guyana. Many died because they could not do the hard work. The Anti-Slavery Society tried to cancel the contract and have all the Indians shipped back to India because of the high death rate.But the word coolie got stuck - it's a misnomer.The Indians that arrived in Guyana, Trinidad, Jamica were not coolies...but the label got stuck
I'm proud to be a COOLIE
Coolie is derogatory preiod
Greeting all. I use it as my name and live to redefine the meaning. I have embraced it with love during my stay abroad as a way to stand out and stay grounded to my identity. I can spit a Brit and US accent but I don't give the word(s) negative power over me. If you think it offensive, teach your younger ones by encouraging them NOT to use it. It has become a term of endearment/endorsement to me.
The word"coolie" as a reference to Indian people is equally equivalent to calling a black man the "N" word.
Apples and oranges
"Satman aka Coolie 1" you're right about not giving words negative power over us. Amen
Okay are we done with this discission
Jamaicans are not the only ones that used it in that way other Caribbean islands say it as well
I accidentally referred to a Trini girl as 'coolie' and it was an issue. Just to say, the word coolie is accepted as a normal word in Guyana so I just have to watch my tongue when speaking otherwise. My view is that different regions have different meanings to words. No single definition is the correct one.
Please do not even say this word. It is derogatory. Like the "N" word. Jamaicans especially need an education on using this word. They think its normal. In fact people do not go around calling someone by their ethnic name. I do not go around and call someone "hey negro" or "white man over there"... I am sometimes being called "Indian". Love and respect for others changes it all.
coolie means load carrier but its a derogatory term used to describe people of indian descent, because after slavery blacks didnt wan't to work on plantations so they brought in the indians.
Why do Nigro ppl hair get hard fast?
A person who is of Indian descent is a coolie.
im a born british from high wycombe, england my family are from st vincent with indian background i see my self as coolie since ive been growning up the name indian didnt really exist to me
Once you have they will call you coolie😂
Once you have curly hair they will call you coolie😂
I made some notes on coolie back in Nov 2016...The term coolie is a misnomer, in the way the term Indian becomes the name for Native Americans. This began when "Coolies" were promised to the British Guiana (Guyana) planters to enter Guyana in 1838 to work in agriculture. They were only speaking of the coolies from the hills of Chota Nagpur (northwest of Calcutta). Part 1
Part II. The people in the hills were already trained by the British and others to work in agriculture, and they were skilled experienced agricultural labourers. This is where the term coolie comes from. Because they were in the hills, they were known as the "Hill Coolies." There were coolies from the lower land, but they were not preferred. They ones in the hills were preferred because of experie
Part III. So the term coolie already originated in India for this group of experienced agricultural labourers. But what happened is, the hills were being depleted of coolies for Mauritius, and the recruiters (Duffadars and recruiters) tricked anyone from the north from places like Allahabad, Agra Behar, Beneras to come down to Calcutta and board the ships. So they shipped the wrong class
Part IV - You can read the book "Savtri's Garden" - But the planters thought they got coolies, but they were not coolies, they shipped mainly unskilled labourers of all classes such as priests, cooks, etc...and not the agricultural labourers who were given the name Coolie - SO STOP LYING TO YOURSELVES YOUR ANCESTERS WERE NOT THE EXPERIENCED AGRICULTURISTS (NOT COOLIES)
Wow. Y'all same family The oldest tribes of Jews ( the real ones) Migrated to India and other parts Africa and on to the Americas and Caribbean. We are dark, some fair, mostly Brown and black. Just like us coolies. The original slaves who are also ( negro) i.e.... Hebrew. Also known as westindian, Guyanese , yard man, pInt is most coolies and negroes are Hebrews who migrated new lands
Coolie doesn't mean anything
Since I could remember i was told that I was a beautiful coolie. I honestly don't see how our ancestors could offend a person who has some of the same attributes. If your a coolie I think that you should embrace it. Peace and love
Why is it that Jamaicans and other islands refer to light skinned people and darker skinned people as coolie, is it just because they have nicer hair
What are you saying????
What the heck is good hair! Why are people in this 21st century still ignorant? Why, Why, Why!
If you are of indian descent you are a coolie thats just how it is known.
I DONT GET IT!!
Nuh seh nothing
We should all just remember that no one is better then anyone. We are all here for the same thing it dosent matter..what ever the word is just be respectful. Different places different things.. just be aware of ur surrounding.and watch what u say wen ur around others..
I have stop using this word a long time ago...
Have you guys ever heard of dialects
I am Canadian (Sri Lankan).@ The Bay in Masonvill, London-ON, girl at the counter insisted TWICE that 'we Indian people' were called 'coolie' people in Jamaica (she is 'light-bronze' Jamaican with German mix). Said it twice and I said - We are NOT Indian, we are Sri Lankan. She apoligized, I made a mental note to do some research before judging - she is INSULTING Indians/browns! The Bay is Racist?
It is a word racially used but a lot of Caribbean folks don't know this so to label people who use it as racist is a bit steep. Same as the word negro...comes from a root word in Spanish which mean black /dead and a lot of people in America use it like it is nothing. Knowledge is understanding things from another perspective...we all need a bit more of this
Coolie is referred to a person of Indian Origin in South Africa in a derogatory sense. It’s highly offensive to call a brown skinned person a Coolie.
So, in Canada all Jamaicans/TT blacks who are barbers, chefs or do other labour (streamlined) jobs have NO REGARD for Indians and South Asians who do executive jobs. Canada has some serious HUBRISm to deal with. They do consider all brown people 'coolie' people. Canada is on a path of self-destruction because the OLIGOPOLY wants to sweep racism under the mat for their advantage!
LMAO Like seriously
You're all correct! There is actually a very good wikipedia page about this term, and it DOES mean very different things in different countries, with both positive and negative connotations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolie
I'm a Trinidadian of Indian ancestry. Yes, we are called "coolies" and it's an offensive term here. However, I call other people as "coolies" when it suits my fancy. Feel offended if you wish, which was my intent in the first place
What the #%&! was that?
I work in a school and the kids ask me if I'm coolie. I ask them not to use that phrase as it has negative connotations. The correct term is of Asian heritage or mixed race heritage. I explain some people could find the term as offensive as the N word. However, I do not use the C word or the N word as a matter of principle, those words were coined by the colonizers.
Yea! We all need to stop calling people nsmes. Back in guyana they say koli buck niggar.
Well growing up we used to use the word coolie as degrading intention and coolie a name to be proud of, in school I remember they get tease, one of the things used to be said, was coolie shit pon calaloo and turn round naym it
In Jamaica, both full and half black Indians get called the C word. I never cared to use the term growing up, even before I learned it was offensive, but Jamaican Indians and half Indians call themselves the word too because it's become so normalized. My parents still use it now and then, out of habit, but I've made it a point of duty to correct them when they slip up.
my uncle married an indian. so i have a mixed afircan indian cousin.
Grew up in Canada and wrote "The Trilogy of Savitri's Garden" about the Indians that left India in 1838 for Guyana. When they arrived in Guyana, the Sheriff found out that the Coolies were not shipped to Guyana (maybe about 10%) - they shipped all kinds of other classes that could not do the agricultural sugarcane field work (THEY WERE NOT COOLIES) and thus many died and escaped from the plantatio
wow
Chris you is from AMERICA
At the end of the day as someone mentioned above. Different cultures have different names for different things. It doesn't make it the wrong or right word. It's that cultures word for a particular thing or group or object. My dad is of East Indian ancestry and in Jamaica they are referred to as coolie, a lot of the Indians yhere use it to.
There*
It’s a heavily racialized word!! I don’t care if you’re Jamaican don’t use it!! It’s only to be used by indo Caribbean people!! No exceptions!!
Does that mean there are no indo carribean people in Jamaica?
here
I am proud to be called a collie. My children, while not born in the Caribbean are proud collies. They even have tea shirts with the work Collie on the back.
whatever...
Lol y’all so bothered
Most bigots and racists get self satisfaction by using old words to insult people they are 'forced' to serve - like a 'whitish' person from TT who has to serve a customer from Sri Lanka (true story) who is doing well. So they say things like 'you Guys' or 'We love coolie people like you' without calling them Sir or Madam. So the shops like The Bay, Restaurants, etc lose business...
I believe they are different well some of them I'm with a coolie n he's nun y'all said
My great grandparents were east Indians who came to Belize. They say all east Indians in Belize came from Jamaica.
Have anyone heard the last name, Gilhary, Sadassi, Pirtu, Wailey, Ramcharan in Jamaica or probably Trinidad?
Interestingly enough I looked this up a minute ago after having a conversation with my husband, you see My daddy’s nickname for me was coolie I guess not because I was a worker but because of all his eight children I was the one with long silk fine hair. I’ve had other nicknames by people in my neighborhood like moye, lala etc . Each one was a term of endearment, always said with pure love,
This conversationreally teach me, man, more than it occur to mi before. Very intelligent spread of thought and listning.
We use words loosely in the caribbean, I read in an article that a" DOUGLA" as used in India were ppl whose parents belonged to different castes. It is derogatory meaning bastard and mutt. So then most Indians in the Caribbean are themselves Douglas.So before we use terms to describe others think if we would like to be called the same.
Coolie is people from east indian decent, black and indian is dougla or mixed. I never here coolie people being mixed with black and indian.
Ah wah dis hay😒, Coolie is a term used in Guyana everyday rass to refer to persons of Indian decent✌. Coolie bai/coolie gal we use um everyday in de Village, I neverrrrrrr met any Coolie person that felt offended yet when I call dem dat rass. Plus it even get de coolie bai song by "Mystic" check it out on YouTube deh 😎. In Guyana we call Amerindians "Buck", Africans "Black man/oman etc😒
Also "Coolie" is nah nobody that mixed with black and Indian 🙄🙄🙄🙄, A "Dougla" is someone mixed with Black and Indian get ayo facts straight ✌✌✌
Coolie and Nigga is the same thing only coolie ppl can use it
Thanks for the education, people. I used to use it as it was a term that I grew up with, amongst older Jamaicans. I wont use it anymore. Most people only use it in the context of the black and Asian mix. The wide, younger majority do not know the true definition. One converted person, after today !
Where I come from coolie is a child who is half black and half Indian and proud to be so, no derogatory meaning
I m from new York what I read is coolie is pure Indian descent and doogla is Indian and African descent.im Indian and African descent.but in new York it mostly go by the hair.
Who write this shit!!!!!????? A Coolie is not a person of mixed African and Indian descent, that's what we in Trinidad call a Dougla....please get it right!!! A Coolie is a term used to describe a person who is normally an unskilled labourer, mostly poor that carries a load. Only ignorant and illiterate people in Trinidad use the words, Nigga and Coolie. Stop this nonsense eh!!!!
I does know d word “coolie” as indian in tnt🤷🏾
Based on some of he responses here, some----some, not most-----of ya chupid.
So, by definition, nasty-mouth Supercat is a coolie man, right?
All you black people who think it is ok to call Indians and mixed race people “Coolie,” how do you like you and your kids being called “Nigga” Both are disrespectful and demoralising terms used to humiliate others. Treat people the way you want them to treat you or shut your stupid, foul mouths. No sensible person who truly respect Indians or mixed race people would call them
The C word is a derogatory term and many people still don’t know and use it loosely. We have to educate ourselves so we don’t make mistakes that offend people.
U doh study which avenue I walking dung. Ah go traverse every avenue in north southern Cuba tuh find yuh and light yuh up like a cigar
Stop with the comments do u see me saying that junk why don't we are nice to each other.
https://www.facebook.com/Exposing-Racism-in-Guyana-105969807798176/ Here’s the context it’s used in!! - Exposing racism in Guyana
https://www.facebook.com/Exposing-Racism-in-Guyana-105969807798176/
Be nice people
In guyana it's a word for Indian (slightly derogatory) In jamaica it's not derogatory it means indian or mixed (duggla in guynana) Obviously started off from indentured times when all indians and chinese were poor workers.
Iam janaican Indian Mixs mother side
@Hothead Pickney - I care. I heard a friend say this about a family who's son recently died. I will most likely not be her 'friend' any more, because I felt so offended on their behalf. But I also realise that the 'culture' says it's okay. It's not.
Coolie is now regarded as derogatory and/or a racial slur in the Americas (more so the Caribbean), Oceania, and Africa / Southeast Asia – in reference to other people from Asia. The term differs from the word Dougla which refers to people of mixed African and Indian ancestry. Coolie is instead used to refer to people of fully blooded Indian descent.
Coolie is an offensive term regardless of what some other Jamaicans say. My mother is mixed race Jamaican and my father was direct from Punjab India. He was a farmer. The N word is not acceptable either. For the record my mother is part original Arawak along with European and African ancestry. People don't call most Jamaicans African though that's where the overwhelming majority originate.
yea bredda jamaica is mostly arawak,european and some african mixed
I have never heard of someone being offended of being called a coolie in Jamaica. Why because the meaning has long been separated from the term. I'm sure people find it offensive else where but people don't use the word coolie as an offensive word in Jamaica.
The Bredda that claims he's a teacher he'll have known that Jamaica is a Majority Black African Country with a small percentage of mixed then an even small coolie/indian & Chinese population then the descendants of colonizers who for some reason never left our island. We're Majority BLACK AFRICAN People. The mixed & minority doesn't represent us.✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿 Also Coolie
I don’t know what that person is saying. Jamaica is out of many one people and yes it’s majority black but that does not mean to use the word “coolie”, are you dumb or are you dumber??? Would you like the Jamaican Indians call yuh “nigga” GTFOH ..i’ll cuss anyone who say that word. Damn fool. Common sense is common sense, using it in derogatory way then wah nyam we curry. Move
I heard they teased my family in school back in the days “bout coolie hair” and all ah dem and them grandpickney a buy “Indian hair” now..get from me wid dat crap. Bout “it’s ok to use the word in Ja” no the hell it’s not. It will be ok, when it’s ok to say nigga. Gweh
I live in india. East. Seven seas from the west. Before the pandemic, somebody who looked like an expat called me a ni***r while shooting hoops. Socked him. After the lockdown ended, I went to the railway station in khakhis and a red shirt..not looking my best. Not my worst either. A lady tapped me on my shoulder and said, aap mere coolie banoge? That literally means, will u be my coolie?..f*ckery
The bredda "jamaican yardman" , don't you hear the word is offensive, educate yourself , dummy!
I'm trying to work out the meaning of Moy(e) Young - my nan was often called this by the chinese people in town - but said with affection. Does anyone know what this means ?
Coolie, and Duggla are offensive terms. I am Indian. Since I was a child, I disliked the term “Coolie”. It was always used as a curse term. I was called the Coolie Gal and I have detested the term with a great passion and, I still do. In my family, Duggla was never used. My Daadee Ma (Grandmother in Hindi) would have a conniption. People need to stop using these humiliating classifications.
That is an extremely offensive term. I am indo Caribbean mix with mixed Africa and Indian dissent. If anyone were to call me that it would turn into a physical fight.
I am a black Trinidadian and used that term as a child and teen. As an adult I now find it offensive and would never use it again. I have Indian and Pakistani friends and love and respect them too much to call them that. Words have different meaning depending on the country. If a word offends someone we should respect them enough to treat them kindly.
Idk bout yall but it’s completely different in jamaica and it basically mean mixed, and no Jamaica even if they mixed feels a way about it cause we have our own word for it. You can tell Jamaica to change how they talk cause you don’t like it
The people who are saying it's ok to say it in Ja are the ones who are NOT from Indian descendant hence that response, it doesn't affect them so they don't give a damn. I'm Jamaican however I'm from Indian background and it's a negative stigma just like the N word. If you don't like the N word, why should we. KMT.
I have been called coolie as a kid growing up in Trinidad, I have called others nigger and doogla. As people of all minority groups look to be respected for the content of their character and not the colour of there skin, I refuse to use any of those term that have been used to dehumanize people of colour. It’s about being aware, if we can’t respect ourselves how can we expect other to
Question is how you identify with the word I have mixed heritage,African,Asian, and white ancestry. Both parents are Jamaicans, both have different views on the word. My mum side calls me coolie. I have inherited more of my Asian side. I dont like the meaning of word,but i get why people use it to describe a mix of people.
I think if white people re-naming people of other races or color...you need to think of why they called that particular group that name? Why are people called black? and not African?( Nigerian Ghanaian Kenyan ect...) When you look into the meaning everything becomes racist. Even the word Nigeria! White people called it the land of Niggers. Look up the meaning Halfcast...who remembers that word?
@Kim “The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was coined on January 8, 1897, by British journalist Flora Shaw, who later married Lord Lugard, a British colonial administrator. The neighbouring Niger takes its name from the same river. The origin of the name Niger, which originally applied to only the middle reaches of the Niger River, is
“… is uncertain. The word is likely an alteration of the Tuareg name egerew n-igerewen used by inhabitants along the middle reaches of the river around Timbuktu before 19th-century European colonialism.” It’s weird how you assumed it’s based off “nigger”, the British aren’t Americans lol. Believe it or not, not every word starting with “n” has any correlation to
Niger takes the name of the river, which in turn comes from Tamashek gher ngheren 'the river among rivers'.
Hi I just wanted to say somthing so I can keep this thread going for this year
It’s aggravating that racist black people constantly feel entitled to using the word! The word does not mean mixed!! It’s offensive it doesn’t matter the context
I prefer Indo-guyanese and I speak the queens English. But more importantly, save our OIL
Coolie is the people in the vans that drive around selling all brand of household and otherwise items. It’s mostly men of South Asian/Middle Eastern descent but you can have black coolie men who as I said drive around selling items from a van. Consider them your friendly neighborhood door to door salesman and please don’t lock up when you see them and pay them what you owe them from last
What ?!
Same use and same definition in Martinique to describe a person with Indian origin and with curly hair.
I'm from UK and here coolie means halfcast Indian/black. Its what Jamaicans call it so anyone who hanja out with them or black people in general in UK will use this term.
I'm from UK and here coolie means halfcast Indian/black. Its what Jamaicans call it so anyone who hangs out with them or black people in general in UK will use this term
As mentioned by others above, the definition of that word means "unskilled laborers". I'm of Indian decent, hence my grand parents were from a country called "India". The word coolie has nothing to do with racial identity, but of course there are ignoramuses/haters who choose to use it derogatorily when referring to my race. As a child I was teased by such ignorant negros.
All the Indians in the comments calling black ppl racist while sitting hear and using the word “negro” is so funny.. shut yuh big stinking mout, respect goes both ways you people too disgusting and bright
Indians are NOT a racial group, Nibbles! Get it right! They are considered Caucasians like Europeans, believe it or not! NB: There are only 3 races on Earth!
Indians are NOT a racial group, Nibbles! Get it right! They are considered Caucasians like Europeans, believe it or not! NB: There are only 3 races on Earth!