The Portuguese of Trinidad and Tobago: Portrait of an Ethnic Minority
- ISBN-10
- 9766180172
- ISBN-13
- 9789766180171
- Pages
- 137
- Language
- English
- Published
- 1994
- Publisher
- Institute of Social and Economic Research, The University of the West Indies
- Author
- Jo-Anne Sharon Ferreira
Description
Traditionally a navigating and migratory people, Portuguese settlers came to the Caribbean as early as the seventeenth century. The ancestors of modern Portuguese community of Trinidad and Tobago hailed from the archipelago of Madeira, fleeing their homeland in search of an economic and religious haven from 1846 onwards, They came neither to explore nor to conquer, had no history of land ownership in the West Indies and they came without prestigious family names or old money. Yet within a few generations, struggles were overcome to push the community to the forefront of national life, in the arenas of business, politics, religion and culture. Bound by language and traditions, the Portuguese were able to work together for their common good, the result of which was a proliferation of Portuguese contribution to this country is of a significance beyond the small size of the community.\\Every migrating group has a tale to tell. For years, the tale of the Madeirans in Trinidad and Tobago and Luso-Trinidadians and Tobagonians has gone untold. Here is an attempt to tell their story in the context of culture and entrepreneurship.
