Source 1

The Africans

Africans came to Jamaica in 1513 as slaves to the Spanish settlers. These African slaves were freed by the Spanish when the English captured the islands in 1655. They quickly ran to the mountain where they fought for their freedom and became the first Maroons in Jamaica. In regards to the arrival of the sugar revolution in Jamaica. There was a shortage of manual labour. This need was met by importing slaves from Africa. As a result of the slave trade the majority of Jamaica is of African descent. In addition, the abolition of the British slave trade in 1807 did not mean that people who lived in Africa no longer came to Jamaica. During the apprenticeship period (1834-1838) and in 1839 a number of people came to Jamaica from Africa as free Labourers The survival of the African's way of life in Jamaica is said to be in the parishes which had the largest these voluntary workers. For example, the Kumina ritual in the parish of St.Thomas is one of the best-known surviving rituals.

Source 2

The Europeans

The White inhabitants of Jamaica comprise people of European descent or origin. In 2011 the national census recorded a white population of 4,365 persons in Jamaica. Although in the 17th century, white Jamaicans made up much of a larger percentage of the population at that time. As a result, several Jamaicans have light skin, and European features and are mostly of European descent. In the colonial period, it was common for such persons to identify simply as white but this has changed since Jamaica independence in 1962. It has been more common to identify them as brown or mulatto. .

Source 3

The Indians

The first ship carrying workers from India, the "Maidstone", landed at Old Harbour Bay in 1845 according to wikipedia.org. They arrived as indentured labourers between 1845 and 1917. The Indians came to Jamaica to earn a living and a better life back in India when the contract was up. At the end of the indentured contract, not many Indians went back home, some were forced to stay in Jamaica. Some take up new skills as fishermen, while some return to the trades as barbers, ironsmiths and goldsmiths. Some became money lenders. As you see presently in Jamaica a lot lot of Jewellery stores are owned and operated by Indians. The Indians also brought their religions to Jamaica for example, Hindus and Muslims. The Indians also introduced several plants and trees in Jamaica, the most notable ones are betel leaves, betel nut, jackfruit, mango and tamarind. A typical Indian dinner includes curried goat, roti, curried potato, eggplant, bitter gourd and okra.

Source 4

The Chinese

Starting in the 19th century, Chinese many of whom came to Jamaica as indentured workers, showed a significant degree of entrepreneurship. These Chinese people left the plantation because they disliked the nature of the work and opened grocery stores known as "Chinese shops" everywhere across Jamaica. The grocery and variety stores established by the Chinese offer products at reasonable prices. They also brought their food cuisine and opened restaurants in Jamaica.