The changing culture of the Hindu Lohana community in East Africa

This article describes the cultural change and adaptation of the Hindu Lohana community in East Africa. It examines changing food habits and marriage policies, both well-known examples of the Hindu notion of 'purity'. Initially, men of this community would marry Lohana women raised in India. Over time, however, Lohana men developed a preference for Hindu women raised in East Africa. In addition, Lohanas developed from strict vegetarians and non-drinkers to consumers of meat and alcohol. This was not a natural, harmonious process, but one with conflicts in which painful decisions had to be made. This process of stretching and closing preferences of identity have eventually led to an Indian East African identity. To understand the creation of this identity, this article argues that there is a need to study cultural change as a local (a well-defined geographical and historical area) and bottom-up (using the perspective of the agent who changes, adapts, mixes, integrates or assimilates) process.

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