Barbadians, more commonly known as Bajans (pronounced /ˈbeɪdʒən(z)/BAY-jənz) are people who are identified with the country of Barbados, by being citizens or their descendants in the Bajan diaspora. The connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Bajans, several (or all) of those connections exist and are collectively the source of their identity. Bajans are a multi-ethnic and multicultural society of various ethnic, religious and national origins; therefore Bajans do not necessarily equate their ethnicity with their Bajan nationality.[9]
The earliest inhabitants of Barbados were indigenous Kalinago (Caribs) and Arawaks from South America. Between 1536 and 1550, Spanish raiders regularly seized large numbers of indigenous Taino and Kalinago from Barbados to be used as slave labour on regional plantations. This prompted the Kalinago to flee the island for other Caribbean destinations such as Dominica and St Vincent. The first European settlement on Barbados were English colonists. Africans were brought to Barbados during the slave trade.[10]
Most Barbadians are of African or mixed-race descent. They are descendants of enslaved people brought from West Africa. Mixed-race Barbadians are descendants of Europeans, Africans, and other ethnic groups. White Barbadians are mainly of British and Irish descent. There is also a small population of Syrians, Lebanese, Jewish, Indian and Chinese people in the country.[11][12] Scotland deported Roma to Barbados in the seventeenth century.[13] Barbados has a small Asian population who are mainly Indians. The Asians were brought to Barbados as indentured labourers in the late 19th century. Barbados's Indian population also come from Guyana. Indians have influenced Barbadian cuisine, music, and culture. Barbados is also home to expatriates from other countries who mainly come from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.[14]
The largest ethnic groups in Barbados is black (92.4%) or mixed (3.1%). 2.7% of Barbados' population is white and 1.3% South Asian. The remaining 0.4% are East Asians (0.1%) and Middle Easterners (0.1%).[15]
Barbadian culture is influenced by African, European, and Indigenous traditions. Barbados is famous for its music, with genres such as calypso, soca, and reggae being the most popular in the country. Rihanna is one of the most well-known Barbadian musicians. Barbadian cuisine is a fusion of African, European, indigenous and Caribbean influences. Some of Barbados's most popular dishes are cou-cou and flying fish. Barbados's rum industry is a significant contributor to Barbadian culture and history.[16]
Many Barbadians now live overseas and outside of Barbados; the majority have migrated to Anglophone countries, including around 65,000 in the United States, 37,780 in Canada, some 19,000 in the United Kingdom, and some 500–1,000 Barbadians in Liberia. In addition to Anglophone countries other groups of Barbadians have moved to Latin countries including Brazil, Cuba[17] and Panama.[18][19]
Barbados 284,589 (2014)[1]
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Trinidad and Tobago
Jamaica
Australia
