The Netherlands in Suriname ( Dutch. Nederlandse Surinamese ), or Burus ( Dutch. Boeroes ) - an ethnic group of people of Dutch descent living in Suriname . The first Dutch arrived in Dutch Guiana in the middle of the 19th century . These settlers were poor farmers from the provinces of Gelderland and Groningen and migrated to the colony in search of a better life. By religion - Christians . They speak Dutch , Sranan Tongo , and English is widely spoken. The number of Surinamese Dutchmen in Suriname is about a thousand people. Another three thousand people emigrated from the country, but retain ethnic identity. In Suriname, Burus live mainly in the districts of Paramaribo and Vanika .
| Netherlands in Suriname | |
|---|---|
| Modern self-name | niderl. Nederlandse surinamese |
| Abundance and area | |
| Total: approx. 4 thousand people | |
| |
| Tongue | Dutch , Sranan Tongo , English |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Related peoples | Dutch |
In the 40s of the XIX century, it became clear that the abolition of slavery in the colony of Suriname is only a matter of time. To preserve colonial agriculture, a need arose for peasants. The first three ministers of the Netherlands - , Kopeyn and Betting, developed a project to migrate poor peasant families from the provinces of Betuwe and Veluwe in the province of Gelderland to the colony of Suriname. In 1841, King William II of the Netherlands approved the plan. The government put the plan into effect, and after a research mission in 1843, on June 20, 1845, the first two hundred and two Dutch settlers arrived in Suriname.
Upon arrival, settlers along the Saramakka River reached the Vorzorg plantation , a former leper colony, which was abolished in 1823. The promised houses for the settlers were built. The government did not fulfill other promises. The land turned out to be swampy and unsuitable for agriculture and the construction of farms. The livestock promised to the settlers was never issued. The situation of migrants was aggravated by the lack of drinking water; the water in the river had a salty taste. But the settlers did not lose enthusiasm and tried to gain a foothold in a new place. However, the epidemic of typhoid and dysentery that soon erupted finally undermined the undertaking. Despite the objections of the government, the surviving migrants independently moved to the city of Groningen . There was no agricultural market in Groningen and the surrounding area, and the road to Paramaribo by canoe by the river lasted from two days, and upon arrival the products were unsuitable for sale. For this reason, migrants moved further in the direction of Paramaribo to the villages of Quatta and Eitvlugt.
In 1853, the closure of the colonization project was officially announced. Of the 398 settlers who arrived during this time from the Netherlands and 68 children born in Suriname on May 31, 1853, 223 people survived. Of this group, 56 people returned back to the Netherlands, and 167 remained in Suriname and are the ancestors of the modern Surinamese Dutch.
After 1853, the life of the remaining lumber farmers in the colony improved, despite competition from Indosurinam farmers in the agricultural market. About 1,900 farms specialized in dairy farming. Depression has ravaged many farmers. Most of them got jobs in cities. Especially a lot of lumber worked in the colonial administration. After World War II, the position of the Dutch Surinamese was one of the most prosperous in the colony. After the independence of Suriname in 1975, many of the lumber migrated from the country. Currently, about a thousand Surinamese Dutch people live in Suriname and three thousand outside it. In Suriname, lumber work in various sectors of the economy. Some families are still engaged in agriculture. Due to the mixed marriages of the Burus with other ethnic groups, part of the modern Surinamese Creoles and Afro-Surinamese are partially of Dutch origin.
Famous Representatives
- (1931–2013), historian.