The Kuli Society
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Reclaiming
Kuli History
Reclaiming
Kuli History
The Kuli Society is a creative collective bringing together descendants of Indian Indentureship. Through stories, art, and memory, we are reclaiming the word “Kuli” and preserving and honoring the journeys of over 2 million ancestors.
The Kuli Society is a creative collective bringing together descendants of Indian Indentureship. Through stories, art, and memory, we are reclaiming the word “Kuli” and preserving and honoring the journeys of over 2 million ancestors.
Your story matters:
A Call for Kuli Voices
Your story matters:
A Call for Kuli Voices
We are calling on you—the Kuli community to share your stories. Tales of indentureship, migration, mischief, resilience and more. Whether its a childhood yarn, a family journey or the magic of everyday life, every voice threads our shared tapestry of the Indian coolie diaspora.
We are calling on you—the Kuli community to share your stories. Tales of indentureship, migration, mischief, resilience and more. Whether its a childhood yarn, a family journey or the magic of everyday life, every voice threads our shared tapestry of the Indian coolie diaspora.
Newly arrived indentured laborers from India in Trinidad
An overlooked history:
Indian indentureship
An overlooked history:
Indian indentureship
When the transatlantic slave trade was abolished in the mid-19th century, British and other colonial powers turned to Indian indentureship as a replacement. From the 1830s to 1920s, around 2 million Indians were transported to colonies in the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, including Mauritius, Guyana, and Fiji.
Many were coerced into contracts, with recruiters exploiting poverty, language barriers, and illiteracy to secure signatures on multi-year agreements they could not fully understand. The term kuli/coolie, once applied not only to Indian indentured laborers but also to other migrant workers such as Chinese railroad laborers in North America, was derogatory, reducing people to their labor and erasing their identities. Today, many descendants seek to reclaim the word as part of honoring and preserving their history.
When the transatlantic slave trade was abolished in the mid-19th century, British and other colonial powers turned to Indian indentureship as a replacement. From the 1830s to 1920s, around 2 million Indians were transported to colonies in the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, including Mauritius, Guyana, and Fiji.
Many were coerced into contracts, with recruiters exploiting poverty, language barriers, and illiteracy to secure signatures on multi-year agreements they could not fully understand. The term kuli/coolie, once applied not only to Indian indentured laborers but also to other migrant workers such as Chinese railroad laborers in North America, was derogatory, reducing people to their labor and erasing their identities. Today, many descendants seek to reclaim the word as part of honoring and preserving their history.
What we do
What we do
The Kuli Society is a creative collective building spaces for descendants of Kuli to reconnect with their history—without judgment or shame. Through storytelling, education, and community projects, we highlight voices across the diaspora. From infographics and interviews to cultural explorations, our work celebrates resilience, memory, and identity.
The Kuli Society is a creative collective building spaces for descendants of Kuli to reconnect with their history—without judgment or shame. Through storytelling, education, and community projects, we highlight voices across the diaspora. From infographics and interviews to cultural explorations, our work celebrates resilience, memory, and identity.
Meet our incredible team
Meet our incredible team
Denisha Datt
Denisha Datt
Co-founder
Co-founder
Denisha is an Indo-Fijian-Kiwi woman currently in Aotearoa. With a background in criminology and conflict resolution, Denisha’s passion revolves around positive social changes that in turn create a vision of an equitable future. Denisha is the co-founder of The Kuli Society.
Denisha is an Indo-Fijian-Kiwi woman currently in Aotearoa. With a background in criminology and conflict resolution, Denisha’s passion revolves around positive social changes that in turn create a vision of an equitable future. Denisha is the co-founder of The Kuli Society.
Alisha Adam
Alisha Adam
Co-founder
Co-founder
Inactive
Alisha an Indo-Fijian woman residing in Aotearoa. Alisha is the co-founder of The Kuli Society, a rising philanthropist, her nature is rooted in service of the people. Alisha goes by the alias AZLEEN under this she is a poet, a painter, a designer and a musician. Alisha is deeply passionate about esoteric knowledge and helping people find self and collective empowerment.
Alisha an Indo-Fijian woman residing in Aotearoa. Alisha is the co-founder of The Kuli Society, a rising philanthropist, her nature is rooted in service of the people. Alisha goes by the alias AZLEEN under this she is a poet, a painter, a designer and a musician. Alisha is deeply passionate about esoteric knowledge and helping people find self and collective empowerment.
Latika Solanki
Latika Solanki
Latika is a passionate entrepreneur with a penchant for creative arts, design, and a proactive lifestyle. She is the founder and owner of Bukku’s Boutique, an Indo-Fijian business that offers a unique culmination of both Indian and Fijian shopping experiences from traditional jewellery to homemade accessories.
Latika is a passionate entrepreneur with a penchant for creative arts, design, and a proactive lifestyle. She is the founder and owner of Bukku’s Boutique, an Indo-Fijian business that offers a unique culmination of both Indian and Fijian shopping experiences from traditional jewellery to homemade accessories.
Aaisha
Aaisha
Aaisha Khan, born and raised in New Zealand, is the founder and curator of Girmit Diaries, a multi – platform (digital) archive dedicated to preserving and sharing the history and legacy of Indo - Fijians. Outside of researching and studying journalism, Aaisha has a keen interest in true crime, reading and spending time in nature.
Aaisha Khan, born and raised in New Zealand, is the founder and curator of Girmit Diaries, a multi – platform (digital) archive dedicated to preserving and sharing the history and legacy of Indo - Fijians. Outside of researching and studying journalism, Aaisha has a keen interest in true crime, reading and spending time in nature.
Neha
Neha
Indo-fijian artist and designer currently in Brooklyn, NYC. Outside of work, Neha enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading and making art.