European colonialists established
sugarcane plantations in the
West Indies in the 17th century using
African slave labour. Following the abolition of slavery in
British West Indian colonies in 1838,
plantation owners in the region sought to find alternate sources of labour. In 1859, the British began transporting indentured workers from India to work on plantation estates in Saint Lucia, which had become a British colony in 1814. This group was indentured for a period of three years, and most were re-indentured in 1864. Not much is known about the conditions under which workers were re-indentured or had their contracts extended. The next ship, the
Francis Ridley brought 261 Indian workers in June 1857. This group was also re-indentured in 1864. More Indian workers arrived on the island in 1860. The
Victor Emmanuel brought 367-393 workers to Saint Lucia on 15 February and the
Zemindar carried 293-316 workers on 10 April 1860. The indenture period of the Indians brought on board these two ships ended in 1863, but all of them were re-indentured. There were an estimated 1,215 Indian indentured workers in Saint Lucia by the end of 1860, of whom 242 died by the end of 1861. At least one Indian worker was reported to have absconded from Saint Lucia. British Colonial Administrator Breen of Saint Lucia attributed the high mortality rate to the poor conditions provided to workers on the Roseaux Valley estates owned by William Muter. The birth of 50 Indian children on the island brought the total Indian population in the country to 1,202 by the end of 1861. The
Ulysses transported 287-320 Indians from
Calcutta and arrived in Saint Lucia in February 1862. The population of Indians on the islands reached 1,463 by the end of 1862. A new hospital system for indentured workers was established in 1862, after the high mortality rates under the previous system of medical care. Saint Lucia had 1,304 and 1,325 Indians by the end of 1863 and 1864 respectively. The Indian workers who had arrived aboard the
Victor Emmanuel and the
Zemindar completed their five-year indenture period by the end of 1865. The Indians who arrived on board the Palmyra completed their indenture period in May 1857. Per the terms of their contract, they could choose to avail a free passage to India or could receive a free grant of land from the colonial
Governor of Saint Lucia. The Indian population totaled 1,207, of whom only 251 were still indentured by the end of 1867. Only the Indian workers that had arrived on board the
Ulysses had not completed their indenture period. The majority of the Indian workers who had completed their indenture period requested to return to India. However, the Governor of Saint Lucia wanted them to remain in Saint Lucia and offered cash in exchange for forfeiting the right to return. Four hundred Indians took up the Governor's offer, while 230 officially registered to return to India by the end of 1867. 451 Indians returned to India aboard the
Ganges at the end of that year, and 298 returned on board the
Lincelles in November 1868. The
Lincelles voyage cost the British colonial government
£3,600 (). The government also spent £3,097 () to pay 425 Indians who had chosen to forfeit their right of return. 162 Indians returned to India in January 1870. The last indenture contracts expired in 1897, and by the end of the 19th century, Saint Lucia had a population of 2,560 free Indians. Many Indians who had completed their indenture periods were unable to return home as they did not have sufficient funds to do so. The Indians that remained in Saint Lucia are the origin of the Indo-Saint Lucian community. == Indian Arrival Day ==