blackbirding
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈblækˌbɜrdɪŋ/
- Offensive
- The history of blackbirding has left a lasting impact on communities in the South Pacific.
Examples
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The history of blackbirding is often overlooked.
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Many Pacific Islanders were victims of blackbirding and forced to work far from their homes.
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During the 19th century, blackbirding was used to supply labor for plantations in Australia and Fiji.
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Many Pacific Islanders suffered due to blackbirding practices.
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In the 19th century, blackbirding led to the illegal recruitment of thousands of islanders for labor.
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The practice of blackbirding caused widespread suffering among the indigenous populations in the Pacific.
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Many families were torn apart due to the brutal methods of blackbirding used by labor recruiters.
Synonyms
22
3.6
Buying, selling, and moving people to force them to work, often from Africa to the Americas
Surface Forms
Etymology
Blackbirding is a 19th-century term and one popular story says it joins black (for the dark-skinned islanders who were taken) and bird (old slang for 'take away' or 'carry off'), so blackbirding came to mean tricking or kidnapping people to force them to work far from home.