MY NAME IS NOT MY NAME...IS IT? During my trip to Jamaica the question of the origin of our true surname came up again. You see, the name Sirdar is actually a rank or title given to the head of Asian laborers or coolie gangs migrating from India to Jamaica as indentured laborers after the abolition of slavery in the British colonies in 1838. Family lore has it that my great-grandmother fled India due to the harsh treatment meted to her by her husbands family in her arranged marriage. She met my great-grandfather on the ship to Jamaica where he was in charge -or SIRDAR - of the galley for the Indian passengers. In those days the trip took months as the ship had to sail from India, around the Cape of Good Hope below Africa before traversing the Atlantic to Jamaica. One of the remaining links to this time period is my grandmothers sister (I think), now over 90 years old, who says our great-grandfathers name was really Hari Sarang (not sure of the spelling), and our great grandmothers name was Mangari or Mang Ari. So, that means my name could really be Adrian Hari Sarang. To top it off, I think were of Sikh descent also....... merriam-webster/dictionary/sirdar
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 16:30:17 +0000
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