Greek Bahamians

Greek Bahamians

Total population
(Less than 1% of the population)
Regions with significant populations
New Providence
Languages
Bahamian Dialect, Bahamian Creole, Greek
Religion
Greek Orthodox
Related ethnic groups
European Bahamians

Greek Bahamians (Greek: Ελληνομπαχαμιανός) comprise Bahamian citizens of either full or partial Greek heritage. Most residents, if not the entire Greek community, are the descendants of Greek labourers who came to the Bahamas in 1887 to develop the sponging industry.

Migration history

Early Greek migrants were expert spongers from the Aegean Islands, who had lived an impoverished life as fishermen in their home country; however, after their arrival in the Bahamas, they used hired African labour and their own international connections to move up the economic chain into the middleman role. Their economic success earned them resentment from the native fishermen, leading to the growth of opposition to immigration. Families from Kalymnos later followed as bakers, restaurateurs, and shoemakers. After the death of the sponge beds due to a fungal infection, most other Greeks moved into the restaurant and hospitality industry as well, while others branched out into retailing and furniture making (thus becoming the first to manufacture furniture in the islands). Some also migrated onwards, going to Tarpon Springs, Florida, to develop the sponging trade there. However, the anti-immigrant sentiment in the Bahamas continued to grow through the early 20th century, leading to restrictive immigration policies implemented in the late 1920s.

The Bahamas also later became a destination for rich Greek Americans and native Greeks, about a dozen of whom maintained vacation homes in Nassau and its surroundings.

Culture

Greek-Bahamians have been able to preserve some of their culture, including Greek cuisine; at one time, nearly all of the restaurants in downtown Nassau, as well as the airport catering service, were owned by Greeks. The Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, on West Street in Nassau, was built in 1932; it is noted as an example of historic architecture in the Caribbean islands. It consists of a small wood-frame octagonal Byzantine tower, topped by a groined dome. The community holds festivals on various dates of significance in Greek politics and the Greek Orthodox religion, including Easter (celebrated according to the Julian calendar), the anniversary of Greek independence, and the Epiphany. At the latter, they preserve the custom, referred to as "quaint" by community members, of throwing a cross into the sea and holding a competition to see who can swim out and retrieve it first. A Greek dance gala is also held biannually.

Most Greeks in the Bahamas belong to the middle and upper-middle class. Many young Greek-Bahamians of the second or third generation go overseas for their tertiary education, especially to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, before returning home to take up careers. Common professions include law, medicine, and the construction business.

External links

• Pericles Maillis: "Bahamians of Greek Descent, Our Story" (video of a 2007 presentation to the Bahamas Historical Society)

• Parish Website: www.orthodoxbahamas.com