Dear Bernado, Goans have (until now) been called "Portugeez" by the locals of the Caribbean. As you probably know, there is a tiny but significant number of continental Portuguese who also live in the Caribbean, Bermuda and Venezuela. So, the surnames like de Lima, da Costa, Henriques, Gomes and Rodrigues etc are not unknown here.
There are a number of Caribbean Jews who carry Portuguese surnames. Some descend from the Portuguese Jews who left Portugal during the most unHoly Inquisition but a good number descend from the Jews who were saved from the Nazi gas-chamber by the intervention of (future) Pope John Paul II and the Portuguese ambassador to Turkey (in the 1940s). They Jewish children were en route to the gas-chamber when their "identities" were faked (on their birth certificates) and their lives saved. It is possible, however, that until a Goan's surname is known (to the locals) and especially if the person is 'FOBbish", he could be known as a "coolie". There is an underlying distrust of "coolies" in the Caribbean. They are strongly considered to be racists. I can assure you that Goans in the Caribbean do not carry that negative (of racism) with them. BTW: It is my personal belief (and I stand corrected if I am wrong) that: Goans are definitely not considered as "Pakis" in the Caribbean. Any highly learned Goan in the UK may advise us about the situation in the UK cheers jc == Bernado Colaco wrote: Hi Cornel, You may not be aware that Doutor JC beat a couple of hundred coolies to get his post. So this vile comment about him is unwarranted. earlier Cornel da Costa wrote: Hi Bernado, the Goan/Indian doctor in the Carribean is the "coolie doctor" as per the local people.
