Sikhism in Argentina

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Sikhism in Argentina
Sijs en Argentina
Khanda (Sikh Symbol).svg
Gurdwara Rosario de la Frontera Argentina 2.jpg
Rosario Gurdwara in Argentina.
Total population
300
Regions with significant populations
Buenos Aires  · Rosario
Religions
Sikhism
Languages
Rioplatense Spanish   Punjabi   Hindi   Urdu

Sikhs in Argentina are a religious minority in Argentina and there are estimated to be around 300 Sikhs living in the country. [1]

Contents

History

Early 20th Century

Early Immigration

Sikhs in Argentina largely settled in the early 1900s to work on the railway lines to connect to Bolivia or on the British sugar mills. Many Sikhs faced many issues in settling in Canada and USA in the early 1900s because of the anti-Asian immigration policy of United States and the Canadian whites-only policy. [2] Thus, many Sikhs were pushed to travel to Argentina in search of economic opportunities. A large number of Sikhs initially arrived in Brazil before reaching Argentina. [3]

Racism

Sikh Workers in Argentina (Circa 1912) Sikhs Workers in Argentina (Circa 1912).jpg
Sikh Workers in Argentina (Circa 1912)

The influx of Sikh laborers in 1912, along with Japanese and Chinese immigrants in the preceding years, triggered significant responses from Argentine politicians and immigration officials. These reactions resulted in entry restrictions, efforts to exclude them from the labour market, and diplomatic exchanges with British imperial authorities. [4]

In 1912, British Diplomat Reginald Tower wrote ‘On the subject of the immigration of Sikhs into the Argentine Republic, I have the honour to report that the Director General of Immigration, Senor Manuel Cigarraga, addressed a letter on the 21st instant to each of the foreign shipping companies represented in this Capital, urging them to refuse passages to any Asiatics to the Argentine Republic.’ [5]

Ghadar Movement

For the struggle of Indian independence from British rule, office-bearers of the Ghadar Movement had visited the Argentine Sikhs in the 1930s. [6]

Research

Sikhs in Latin America, including detailed research into Argentina, have been the subject of academic research as well. In his book "Sikhs in Latin America: Travels Among the Sikh Diaspora," Swaran Singh provides a comprehensive overview of the history and culture of Sikhs in the region. Singh's research highlights the challenges that Sikhs in Latin America face in preserving their religious and cultural traditions while also integrating into their host societies. [7]

Late 20th Century

In April 1984, President of India, Giani Zail Singh visited Argentina and gave a talk at the Argentina Congress. He met with 100 families from Punjab who emigrated to Argentina in 1930. [8]

21st Century

In 2018, the Sikh faith was officially recognised in Argentina. [9]

Many Sikhs currently own ranches, transport companies, supermarkets and retail shops in Argentina.

Simmarpal Singh is a successful Sikh Argentine businessman who is known as the 'Peanut Prince of Argentina'. In 2012, his company Olam International, had an annual revenue of Singapore $17 billion. [1]

Demographics

Most Sikhs in Argentina are Punjabi immigrants who came in 1930's or belong to the 3HO community. There has been some recent immigration from Sikhs in Punjab, India. [10] While the trend of marrying locally has been prevalent among the first and subsequent generations of Sikh immigrants, the newer immigrants display more mixed feelings on the matter. Nevertheless, a strong emotional connection to their cultural heritage persists among all of them. [11]

Gurdwara

The Sikh community in Argentina has only one Gurdwara which is based in Rosario de la Frontera. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhs</span> Ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism

Sikhs are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit word śiṣya, meaning 'seeker', 'disciple' or 'student'. According to Article I of Chapter 1 of the Sikh Rehat Maryada, the definition of Sikh is: Any human being who faithfully believes in

  1. One Immortal Being
  2. Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
  3. The Guru Granth Sahib
  4. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and
  5. The initiation, known as the Amrit Sanchar, bequeathed by the tenth Guru and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Asian Canadians</span>

South Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent, which includes the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghadar Movement</span> Indian Revolutionary Party

The Ghadar Movement was an early 20th century, international political movement founded by expatriate Indians to overthrow British rule in India. Many of the Ghadar Party founders and leaders, including Sohan Singh Bhakna, would go on and join the Babbar Akali Movement and would help it in logistics as a party and publishing its own newspaper in the post-World War 1 era. The early movement was created by revolutionaries who lived and worked on the West Coast of the United States and Canada, but the movement later spread to India and Indian diasporic communities around the world. The official founding has been dated to a meeting on 15 July 1913 in Astoria, Oregon, and the group would splinter into two factions the first time in 1914, with the Sikh-majority faction known as the “Azad Punjab Ghadar” and the Hindu-majority faction known as the “Hindustan Ghadar.” The Azad Punjab Ghadar Party’s headquarters and anti-colonial newspaper publications headquarters would remain in the Stockton Gurdwara located in Stockton, California, whereas the Hindustan Ghadar Party’s headquarters and Hindustan Ghadar newspaper would relocate to be based in nearby Oakland, a suburb of San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in the United States</span> Religious community

American Sikhs form the country's sixth-largest religious group. While the U.S. Census does not ask about religion, 70,697 Americans declared Sikh as their ethnicity in the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau cites the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey's estimate of the adult Sikh American population at 78,000. The Pew Research Center estimated the Sikh American adult population to be 140,000 and the total population at 200,000 in 2012 while the World Religion Database at Boston University estimated the American Sikh population to be at 280,000 in 2012. Sikh organizations like the Sikh Coalition and American Sikh Congressional Caucus estimate the Sikh American population to be as high as 1,000,000, but do not provide any sources for these figures; 500,000 nevertheless remains the most cited Sikh American population size. With 1% of Asian Americans being Sikh, and 90.7% of Sikh Americans being Asian American, the American Sikh population can be estimated at around 200,000–300,000 in 2021. The largest Sikh populations in the U.S. are found in California (52%), New York (11%), and Washington (6%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Canada</span> Religious community

Sikhismin Canada has nearly 800,000 adherents who account for 2.1% of Canada's population as of 2021, forming the country's fastest-growing and fourth-largest religious group. The largest Sikh populations in Canada are found in Ontario, followed by British Columbia and Alberta. As of the 2021 Census, more than half of Canada's Sikhs can be found in one of four cities: Brampton (163,260), Surrey (154,415), Calgary (49,465), and Edmonton (41,385).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian Canadians</span> Ethnic group in Canada

Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the continent of Asia. Canadians with Asian ancestry comprise both the largest and fastest growing group in Canada, after European Canadians, forming approximately 20.2 percent of the Canadian population as of 2021. Most Asian Canadians are concentrated in the urban areas of Southern Ontario, Southwestern British Columbia, Central Alberta, and other large Canadian cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Australia</span>

Australian Sikhs number over 210,000 people and account for 0.8% of Australia's population as of 2021, forming the country's fastest-growing and fifth-largest religious group. The largest Sikh populations in Australia are found in Victoria, followed by New South Wales and Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Italy</span> Religious minority in Italy

Italian Sikhs are a growing religious minority in Italy, which has the second biggest Sikh population in Europe after the United Kingdom (525,000) and sixth largest number of Sikhs in the world. It is estimated that there are 220,000 Sikhs in Italy, constituting 0.3% of the total Italian population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo-Canadians</span> Community of Canadians of Indian descent or with Indian citizenship

Indo-Canadians or Indian Canadians, are Canadians who have ancestry from India. The term East Indian is sometimes used to avoid confusion with the Indigenous peoples of Canada. Categorically, Indo-Canadians comprise a subgroup of South Asian Canadians which is a further subgroup of Asian Canadians. According to Statistics Canada, Indians are one of the fastest growing communities in Canada and one of the largest non-European ethnic groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in New Zealand</span>

New Zealander Sikhs number over 40,000 people and account for 0.9% of New Zealand's population as of 2018, forming the country's fastest-growing and fifth-largest religious group.

There is a small community of Indians in Argentina who are mainly immigrants from India and the neighboring countries in South America and the Caribbean with Indo-Caribbean influence and some of whom were born in Argentina and are of Indian heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Greece</span>

Sikhism in Greece dates back to the early 1900s, where many Sikhs came to the country through British Indian Army in the World War I and World War II. As of 2012, there are approximately 20,000 Sikhs in Greece. The Sikh population in Greece has grown over the years, with many Sikhs migrating to the country for agricultural work or to start their own businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Asian Canadians in British Columbia</span>

The South Asian community in British Columbia was first established in 1897. The first immigrants originated from Punjab, British India, a northern region and state in modern-day India and Pakistan. Punjabis originally settled in rural British Columbia at the turn of the twentieth century, working in the forestry and agricultural industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Greater Vancouver</span> Religious community

Sikhism in Greater Vancouver is one of the main religions across the region, especially among the Indo-Canadian population. The Sikh community in Vancouver is the oldest, largest and most influential across Canada, having begun in the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjabi Canadians</span> Canadian people of Punjabi descent

Punjabi Canadians number approximately 950,000 and account for roughly 2.6% of Canada's population, as per the 2021 Canadian census. Their heritage originates wholly or partly from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Japan</span>

Sikhism in Japan is a small, minority religion. There are gurdwaras located in Tokyo, Ibaraki and Kobe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mewa Singh Lopoke</span> Canadian activist

Mewa Singh Lopoke was a Sikh activist in Canada who was a member of the Vancouver branch of the Ghadar Party, which called for the overthrow of British rule in India. On October 21, 1914, Mewa Singh murdered a Canadian immigration inspector, W. C. Hopkinson, a political act of violence for which he was executed by the Canadian government. In the eyes of Sikh Canadians, Mewa Singh's assassination of Hopkinson was a display of martyrdom, one which they commemorate annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Brazil</span> Sikhism in Brazil

Sikhs in Brazil are a religious minority and there are estimated to be around 300 Sikhs living in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Portugal</span>

Sikhs in Portugal is a minority religion. The Sikh community in Portugal is a small but vastly growing one. According to the latest available data, there are estimated to be around 35,000 Sikhs living in the country. The Sikh population in Portugal has grown over the years, with many Sikhs migrating to the country for agricultural work, construction work or to start their own businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Spain</span>

Sikhs in Spain are a minority religion group. The Sikh community in Spain is a small but fast growing group. According to the latest available data, there are estimated to be around 26,000 Sikhs living in the country. The Sikh population in Spain has grown over the years, with many Sikhs migrating to the country for agricultural work, construction work or to start their own businesses.

References

  1. 1 2 Duttagupta, Ishani (8 October 2012). "How Simmarpal Singh helped Olam become one of the top players in peanuts in Argentina". Economic Times. The story of the Singhs of Argentina – about 300 Sikh families who live in the northern provinces
  2. "Sikhs in Other Latin American Countries". journeys.dartmouth.edu. Sikhs faced many issues in settling in Canada and USA in the early 1900s because of the anti-Asian immigration policy of America and the whites-only policy of Canada. Hence many Sikhs were pushed to travel to the country they referred to as "Tina" in search of prosperity and opportunity.
  3. "Naipaul And The Sikhs Of Argentina". Outlook India. When groups of Sikhs did reach the shores of South America it was not always at Buenos Aires. Some had to travel further, overland through Chile or Brazil.
  4. Bryce, Benjamin. "Undesirable Britons: South Asian Migration and the Making of a White Argentina". HAHR. Duke University. pp. 247–273. doi:10.1215/00182168-7370225.
  5. Singh, Khushwant (2 May 2016). "The Argentinian Komagata Maru ought to be revealed, writes Khushwant Singh". Hindustan Times. Tower writes: 'On the subject of the immigration of Sikhs into the Argentine Republic, I have the honour to report that the Director General of Immigration, Senor Manuel Cigarraga, addressed a letter on the 21st instant to each of the foreign shipping companies represented in this Capital, urging them to refuse passages to any Asiatics to the Argentine Republic.'
  6. "Naipaul And The Sikhs Of Argentina". OutlookIndia. 22 February 2022. It is known that office-bearers of the movement had visited the Argentine Sikhs in the 1930s, and had probably left some issues and other pamphlets behind.
  7. Kahlon, Swaran (2012). Sikhs in Latin America: Travels Among the Sikh Diaspora. Manohar Publishers. ISBN   9788173049385.
  8. "India – Argentina". Indian Consulate Argentina.
  9. "SIKH DHARMA RECOGNIZED IN ARGENTINA IN 2018". Sikh Dharma.
  10. "How Simmarpal Singh helped Olam become one of the top players in peanuts in Argentina". Economic Times. 8 October 2012. The earliest immigrants came from Ludhiana to Argentina in the 1930s to work in the British sugar mills.
  11. "Sikh Global Village – Argentina" (PDF). Sikh Global Village. While the trend of marrying locally has been prevalent among the first and subsequent generations of immigrants, the newer immigrants display more mixed feelings on the matter. Nevertheless, a strong emotional connection to their cultural heritage persists among them
  12. "Gurdwaras in Argentina". Gurdwaras in Argentina.