About the Folk Museum The Folk Museum of Indian Immigration was set up and inaugurated on 11 March 1991.
		About the Indian Immigration Archives The Folk Museum houses the Indian Immigration ...
		Services To obtain information on your ancestors, the following information is required, after which a public form...
		Research For any research on the Indian diaspora related to the Immigration archival holdings...
Page/Link under construction		Family Search The registered immigrant number which can be obtained on:Birth certificate of one of the children of the immigrant

Folk Museum of Indian Immigration

The Folk Museum of Indian Immigration was set up and inaugurated on
11 March 1991. The aims and objectives of the Museum are to collect, preserve, restore, promote and disseminate the historical and cultural heritage of the Indian Immigrants. Through a permanent exhibition of archival documents, photographs, lithographs, dioramas and artifacts, the different phases of the history of Indian settlement and their cultures have been depicted. The Folk Museum provides guided tours for the educational institutions and the public at large on demand. Information and assistance for academic research on Indian diaspora can also be supplied on request.

Exhibitions

The Folk Museum has collaborated in the organisation of exhibitions on various themes related to the presence of Indian Immigrants in the Mauritian society. Among its holdings, the Folk Museum has a collection of exhibitions on:

Indian Indentured Labour: (Seminar on Indian Indentured Labour, 1984)
Tamils in Mauritius: (World Tamil Conference, 1988)
Presence of Telugus: (World Telugu Conference, 1990)
Marathis in Mauritius (World Marathi Conference, 1990)
Mahatma Gandhi's Visit to Mauritius, 30 October 1901 - 19 November 1901)(MGI, 1991)
La Co-existence Culturelle: (Vème Sommet de la Francophonie, 1991)
Highlights of Telugu Settlement in Mauritius: (Golden Jubilee of Mauritius Andhra Maha Sabha, 1997)

Audio Visual materials

· Slides, Video, Photographs on common religious ceremonies and festivals celebrated in Mauritius.

Publications on Indian Immigration

· Selected Documents on Indian Immigration (1834 - 1926)
(S. Deerpalsingh & Marina Carter)
· Organization and Evaluations of the Indenture System. Vol. I, MGI 1994
· The Despatch and Allocation of Indentured Labour. Vol. II, MGI 1996
· Living and Working Conditions under Indenture. Vol. III, MGI 1996
 

Indian Immigration Archives

The Folk Museum houses the Indian Immigration Archives, which consists of 2,000 volumes of original documents (1842 - 1920) , related to indentured labourers. These include -
Arrival registers (1834 - 1910)
Marriage certificates (1850 - 1920)
Contractual engagement and distribution (1842 - 1859),
Correspondence and miscellaneous departmental records (1868 - 1920)
A unique collection of photographs (1868 - 1914)

These source materials are highly important for genealogical and academic research, and are presently in the process of computerization.

Services
How to trace back roots

Family Search
To obtain information on your ancestors, the following information is required, after which a public form with relevant bio-data record on the immigrant will be made available:

The registered immigrant number which can be obtained on:
Birth certificate of one of the children of the immigrant
Marriage certificate after 1850
Notarial document of any property or land purchased by the immigrant. Notarial documents can be
   obtained from the Registrar Office, Emmanuel Anquetil Building, Port Louis
Certificates of birth, marriage, death can be obtained at the Civil Status Office, Emmanuel Anquetil
   Building, Port Louis

Opening hours : Monday to Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.

Contact Persons : Mr. D. Cahoolessar (Ag. Head, Library and Archives)
                               Mrs S. Deerpalsingh (Curator)
                               Mr. V. Govinden (Lecturer)