Slavery was abolished in the british empire in 1833, thirty
years before the emancipation proclamation in the united
states. but even after they freed their slaves, the sugar
plantation owners were desperate to find cheap labor to
cut cane and process sugar. so the british owners looked
to another part of the empire-india-and recruited
thousands of men and women, who were given five-year
contracts and a passage back. for a person from india,
going overseas was not a simple matter. once you
crossed the "black water" of the surrounding oceans, you
were said to have "gone to tapu." you no longer had any
place in your village and could not be accepted back until
you went through a special ceremony. leaving india truly
meant giving up your home; yet for some for my family-
that was their only chance for a better life.