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A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). In the 1597 Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the term West Indian initially described the indigenous inhabitants of the West Indies, by 1661 the term defined "an inhabitant or native of the West Indies, of European origin or descent." In the 1950s, coinciding with decolonization and the arrival of Afro-Caribbean migrants in the United Kingdom, West Indian referred to those who were Black. Inclusively, in 1961 all inhabitants of the West Indies Federation were termed West Indian reguardless of their descent. [1] The OED now defines it simply as a citizen of any West Indies nation. Some West Indian people reserve this term for citizens or natives of the British West Indies only, to the exclusion of not just the Hispanophones, but also French and Dutch West Indians.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hall, Catherine (2003). "What Is a West Indian?". In Schwartz, Bill (ed.). West Indian Intellectuals in Britain. Manchester: Manchester University Press. pp. 33–34. ISBN  9780719064746. OCLC  52829533. Retrieved 12 December 2013.

Further reading