White Surinamese
{{Infobox ethnic group|
|group= White Surinamese
|image=
|caption=
|poptime=
|popplace= Paramaribo{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FtTeBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18|title=Suriname|page=18|isbn=978-1-84162-910-0 |last1=Briggs |first1=Philip |date=February 2015 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides }}
|langs= Dutch, Sranan Tongo, Portuguese, English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Yiddish, Hebrew{{cn|date=January 2025}}
|rels= Christianity, Judaism, others{{cn|date=January 2025}}
|related= White Caribbean, Dutch Surinamese, Portuguese Surinamese
}}
White Surinamese or European Surinamese are Surinamese people whose ancestry lies within the continent of Europe.{{cn|date=January 2025}}
As of 2012, people of solely European descent are a small minority in Suriname, accounting for only 1,667 people or 0.3% of the country's population.{{cite web |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/2010_PHC/Suriname/SUR-Census2012-vol1.pdf |title=Suriname Census 2012 |access-date=2014-06-29 |publisher=UNSD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629112522/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/2010_PHC/Suriname/SUR-Census2012-vol1.pdf |archive-date=2014-06-29 }} The largest European ethnic groups in Suriname are the Dutch and the Portuguese.{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/suriname/ |title=CIA - The World Factbook -- Suriname |access-date=2013-05-13 |publisher=CIA }}
History
Before the arrival of Europeans, Suriname was home to many indigenous tribes such as Arawaks, Caribs, Kalina people and Warao people.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jE_gEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT20|title=A Journey Through Timeless Heritage of Suriname|isbn=978-93-5562-154-2 |last1=Gupta |first1=Gaurav |date=31 October 2023 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan }} Christopher Columbus inaugurated the presence in the region of Europeans, who enslaved the indigenous people.{{Cite book |last=Jabini |first=Franklin Steven |url=https://books.google.de/books?id=coguDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA100&dq=white+slave+owners+suriname&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjwyJDEi4uNAxXyc_EDHZmfLXQQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=white%20slave%20owners%20suriname&f=false |title=Christianity in Suriname: An Overview of its History, Theologians and Sources |date=2012-11-14 |publisher=Langham Monographs |isbn=978-1-907713-43-9 |language=en}} Subsequently, the Spanish, British, Dutch, and French attempted to establish their presence but were unsuccessful until the 1650s. Plantation owners from Barbados arrived with enslaved individuals to cultivate Suriname. The settlement flourished to such an extent that it attracted further European interest, leading to conflicts between the Dutch and the British over territorial claims. Following the conclusion of the second Anglo-Dutch War, the British ceded Suriname to the Dutch in 1677.{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-AN757FRDmUC&pg=PA159|title= Take Five Minutes: Fascinating Facts about Geography|page= 159|isbn= 978-0-7439-3290-5|last1= Foster|first1= Ruth|date= 14 April 2003|publisher= Teacher Created Resources}} Diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis, brought by the Europeans, wiped out much of the indigenous population.{{cite book|title= In and Out of Suriname: Language, Mobility and Identity|page=171}}
See also
{{Portal|Suriname|Europe}}