Janey Tetary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
c. 1856
Janey Tetary | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Tetary that was erected in 2017 | |
| Born | Tetary Begum Janey c. 1856 |
| Died | 26 September 1884 |
Janey Tetary (c. 1856–26 September 1884) born as Tetary Begum Janey[1] was a Indo-Surinamese indentured labourer, rebellion leader and resistance fighter in the Dutch colony of Suriname.[2]
Tetary was born in 1856 in Moniar, Patna (Former British India) and was raised as a Muslim. She was divorced at a young age and was known to defend women who had been badly treated by their husband.[3]
On 11 September 1880, Tetary and her 10-year-old son Boodhoo signed contracts in India to labour overseas. They were indentured to Plantation Zorg en Joop near the Commewijne River in Suriname, which was under Dutch control as a plantation colony.[4]
In 1884, Tetary lead the collective labour resistance of a group of "Hindustani" indentured servants against exploitation, after planters filed a petition to the colonial administration to change penal ordinances. They also protested about the low wages and difficult tasks they were given on the sugar plantation.[5] When the military and police were called in to put down their rebellion, she mobilised women to fight armed with stones and bottles they had collected.[5]
She was murdered by policemen, allegedly on the advice of the colonial official Barnet Lyon,[6] dying from a shot to the back of her head at close range on 26 September 1884.[5] Six other indentured labourers were also killed.
Legacy
In 2013, the documentary film Tetary Over strijd, moed en opoffering (Tetary, about courage, battle and sacrifice) was broadcast on Dutch television.[7]
In 2016, Tetary's life story was featured in The Uprising music documentary which told the story of resistance against racism in the Netherlands, UK and France from a decolonial perspective.[8]
In September 2017, a statue of Tetary, designed by George Ramjiawansingh [nl], was placed in Paramaribo, Suriname near the President's Palace, replacing a statue of Barnet Lyon.[9] The statue was paid for through the Tetary Must Rise crowdfunding campaign lead by the artist and activist Pravini Baboeram.[10]
In August 2019, a street in the Netherlands was named in her honour.[11]
References
- ↑ "Tetary, een vergeten Hindoestaanse heldin". Nickerie.net. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "Janey Tetary". Counter/Narratives. 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
- ↑ Thomas, David; Chesworth, John A., eds. (2022-06-20). Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History Volume 19. Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America (1800-1914). Vol. 19. BRILL. p. 490. ISBN 978-90-04-50038-9.
- ↑ Roopnarine, Lomarsh (2016-11-15). "Who is Janey Tetary?". Guyana Times. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
- 1 2 3 Pande, Amba (2020-01-03). Indentured and Post-Indentured Experiences of Women in the Indian Diaspora. Springer Nature. p. 192. ISBN 978-981-15-1177-6.
- ↑ "Tetary is opgestaan". Sarnamihuis (in Dutch). 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
- ↑ Fokken, Margriet (2018). Beyond Being Koelies and Kantráki: Constructing Hindostani Identities in Suriname in the Era of Indenture, 1873-1921. Uitgeverij Verloren. p. 12. ISBN 978-90-8704-721-4.
- ↑ "SG – Movie: 'The Uprising'". WUR (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2024-07-22. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
- ↑ Gounder, Farzana; Hiralal, Kalpana; Pande, Amba; Hassankhan, Maurits S. (2020-11-01). Women, Gender and the Legacy of Slavery and Indenture. Routledge. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-000-29510-8.
- ↑ "Pravini Baboeram". FilmForward. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
- ↑ "Amsterdam vernoemt straatnaam naar Tetary". Sarnamihuis (in Dutch). 2019-08-04. Retrieved 2025-01-17.