Search results
Coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a pejorative term used for low-wage labourers, typically those of Indian or Chinese descent. The word coolie was first used in the 16th century by European traders across Asia.
Nov 25, 2013 · In her recently-released book Coolie Woman, author Gaiutra Bahadur traces the life story of her great-grandmother, who boarded an indenture ship in Calcutta in the early 1900s. The book has been...
The meaning of COOLIE is an unskilled laborer or porter usually in or from the Far East hired for low or subsistence wages.
an unskilled laborer, especially formerly in China and India. an unskilled laborer employed cheaply, especially one brought from Asia. a contemptuous term used to refer to an Asian, especially an Indian living in South Africa.
Jun 24, 2014 · The word "coolie" itself originated either from the Chinese language (or to be more specific southern Chinese) or from south Asia. The word "苦 力", pronounced "ku li", means "forcefully using strength".
During the Civil War, the Republican Congress sought to prevent southern plantation owners from replacing their enslaved African American workers with unfree contract or “coolie” laborers from China.
Jun 29, 2016 · “Koeliegeld” (coolie money) was the money that enslaved people were allowed to earn by working for people other than their enslavers. A portion of the money went to the owners – and it was often a way for enslavers to make a profit out of owning other people.
Many skilled and unskilled laborers, as well as some petty criminals, worked four to six years for colonial settlers in exchange for passage to the New World, along with room and board, all paid for by the settlers. The laborers were not enslaved, and some laws were in place to protect their rights.
coolie. noun [ C ] old-fashioned offensive uk / ˈkuː.li / us / ˈkuː.li /. an offensive word for an unskilled and cheaply employed worker in Asia. Indian English. an offensive word for a person whose job is to carry things, especially travellers ' bags at stations, airports, etc.
Sep 21, 2021 · From Mauritius and Fiji to Trinidad and Guyana, people were trafficked from South Asia as a form of near-to-free labour to quell the disruptions of sugar production with the abolition of slavery. They were called “Coolies.”.
