Both of the major ethnic groups in Guyana—Africans and East Indians—show a normal concern for the well-being of their ethnic group. They both also fear being dominated by the other—a fear that is due to the human instinct of self-preservation. But for East Indians in Guyana, fear is motivated and justified by the belief that “Black” people are evil by nature. This belief is legitimized in the Hindu scriptures in the caste system that is based on the dualism of good and evil. This article looks at the caste system, its reconstitution in Guyana, and the violent consequences due to East Indian need to justify their perception of themselves as the morally superior “good” group who are therefore entitled to rule.
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