Mauritian Creoles

Mauritian Creoles are the people on the island of Mauritius and in the wider overseas Mauritian diaspora who trace their roots to Black Africans who were brought to Mauritius under slavery from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. [1] It can also refer to and include members of the island's mixed race or Métis community, especially if they are Christian.[2][3] In government records, creoles along with Franco-Mauritians form part of the broader group known as Population Générale.[4]

This article is about the Mauritian ethnic group. For the language, see Mauritian Creole.
Mauritian Creoles
Regions with significant populations
Mauritius, Australia, France, United Kingdom
Languages
Creole, French
Religion
Mostly Christianity with elements of Rastafari (Practice of Hinduism and Islam usually leads to the exclusion of the Creole label)

Nowadays, a significant proportion of Mauritian Creoles have African ancestry with varying amounts of French and Indian ancestry. Rodriguais, Agaléans and Chagossians are usually incorporated within this ethnic group.

Mauritian Creoles along with their Rodriguais, Agaléan and Chagossian counterparts make up 28% of the Mauritian population living in the Republic of Mauritius.[5] There is also significant representation of Mauritian Creoles within the overseas Mauritian Disapora.

Mauritian Creoles have made a significant contribution to the development of Mauritian culture including the development of the islands iconic sega dance and music genre.[6][7]

French based, Mauritian Creole is also the most commonly used local language in Mauritius and is unique to the island, having evolved from its use in the creole community of Mauritius at the time of slavery and prior to the arrival of indentured labourers from India.[8]

Origins

The African ancestors of this community were captured by slave traders and brought in to work in the plantations of Mauritius, Agaléga, Rodrigues and the Chagos Islands. They were Bantus mostly brought from East Africa (notably Mozambique) and Madagascar. The Creole population also encompasses those who are a product of the admixture of african and non-african communities and who retained or adopted Christianity. Genetic analysis has confirmed significant South East Asian ancestry via the Malagasy roots [9]

See also

References
  1. Fregel, Rosa; Seetah, Krish; Betancor, Eva; Suárez, Nicolás M.; Calaon, Diego; Čaval, Saša; Janoo, Anwar; Pestano, Jose (2014-03-27). "Multiple Ethnic Origins of Mitochondrial DNA Lineages for the Population of Mauritius". PLOS ONE. 9 (3): e93294. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...993294F. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0093294. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3968120. PMID 24676463.
  2. Hylland Eriksen, Thomas. "Communicating cultural difference and identity" (PDF). www.hyllanderiksen.net. Oslo Department of Social Anthropology. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  3. Pyndiah, Gitanjali. "Decolonizing Creole on the Mauritius islands: Creative practices in Mauritian Creole". Centre for Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths University of London, U.K.Island Studies Journal, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2016, pp. 485-504. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  4. Reddi, Sada (27 August 2018). "General Population and the Issue of Representation". Mauritius Times. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  5. "Creoles". 19 June 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. "Sega (Genre)".
  7. "The roots of the Séga". IndianOcean.com. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  8. Mufwene, Salikoko. "Mauritian Creole". Britannica. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  9. Fregel, Rosa; Seetah, Krish; Betancor, Eva; Suárez, Nicolás M.; Calaon, Diego; Čaval, Saša; Janoo, Anwar; Pestano, Jose (2014-03-27). "Multiple Ethnic Origins of Mitochondrial DNA Lineages for the Population of Mauritius". PLOS ONE. 9 (3): e93294. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...993294F. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0093294. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3968120. PMID 24676463.
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