Bindi: The Multifaceted Indo-Caribbean Women ed. by Rosanne Kanhai (review)

Editor Rosanne Kanhai advises the chapters contained in Bindi: The Multifaceted Lives of Indo-Caribbean Women aim to contribute to the understanding of “both the Caribbean and women in a global network” and as such they should be read. Divided into three sections appropriately labeled according to their related themes, and authored by a colorful group of scholars dedicated to the diverse fields of linguistics, anthropology, history, sociology, academia, religion, and gender and culture research, the book offers an array of interesting essays on religious, historical, political, cultural, linguistic, artistic and spiritual topics. Kanhai’s introduction provides detailed explanatory information on the significance of the very popular Indian bindi, a colorful dot of varied textures and designs pasted on the female’s forehead, and a cultural feature which made its way to Indo-Caribbean settings following indentureship. A feminine identification marker, the bindi categorizes its user according to certain roles. A scarlet bindi conveys the universality of a woman’s life cycle through blood shed: menses, deflowering and childbirth, whereas a black one is worn in solidarity for the fallen sisters who have succumbed to violence. Although of Indian roots, the bindi has transgressed racial barriers and has reconstructed itself to accommodate issues of womanhood any female can relate to. Exogamous womenfolk have not only adopted the bindi as part of their apparel, but have also included Indian and Indo-Caribbean fashion in their wardrobes, popularizing not only their garbs, but also bringing attention to more serious matters females face globally: domestic violence, gender inequality and human rights violations.

Section one subtitled “Religion in a Global Context” brings women to the fore in religious scenarios, both historically and at present. The feminine ideal to emulate in the Indian Ramayana legend, Sita and her male counterpart Rama were the figures young couples had to aspire to model as epitomes of virtue. Yet in this tale their virtuous conduct is far from rewarded as the couple is sadly separated never to be re-united again. As in many patriarch-dominant societies, the female figure must endure unjust suffering: A pregnant Sita is abandoned by her husband upon suspicions of impurity when kidnapped by a rogue who does not touch her. Rama comes to this realization much too late as Sita refuses to take him back. Sherry-Ann Singh, the author of this essay, very aptly analyzes the current position and progress of women in a modern Trinidad vis-à-vis the Ramayana. Singh examines the inevitable transformations the primarily oral legend of the Ramayana has undergone to accommodate the ever-changing socio-economic and religious trends of the Hindu society and communities at large. Of pivotal importance is the 80s decade which brought a new wave of educated Trinidadian women who were moving away from the more domesticated roles they were bred into to explore the world of academia and accomplishment.

Halima Sa’adia Kassim thoroughly examines brides-to-be in her piece entitled “Rings, Gifts and Shekels: Marriage and Dowry within the Indo-Muslim Community in Trinidad, 1930 to the Globalized Present.” Kassim concurs with Singh in her assessment of the transformations Indo-Caribbean women have experienced within their Muslim and Hindu upbringings in Trinidad. Both Kassim and Singh credit education with women’s resistance to conform to patriarchal fixed rules to exercise their own decisional authority. Consequently, as Kassim states, educational pursuits have taken precedence over marriage vows, thus delaying motherhood. Socio-economic improvements in any society will bring forth changes however little they may be. Even Muslim women in Trinidad have developed and moved away from their fundamentalist doctrine of dependence and infantilization which kept them under the perennial wing of their men. They have joined the work force and have either contributed to their family income or have become solely responsible for their upkeep. Educated Muslim females have learned to challenge certain Islamic paternalistic ideas that subjugate them, however, they have yet to break...