Conflict and Change in British Columbia Sikh Family Life

Abstract

When the Punjabi-speaking peoples came to live in British Columbia they brought with them ideas about religion and family that profoundly affected their settlement here. Most of the Punjabi settlers are adherents of Sikhism, a religious faith originating in India and distinguished for its emphasis on monistic doctrines, disciplined inner-worldliness, and strong communal politico-religious organizations . One of the guiding images for the Sikh, for instance, is the notion of warrior-and-s aint. In dealing with those who might threaten the well-being of the Sikh community one should be as determined and fearless as a warrior. In personal affairs with­ in the community, and in one's everyday actions, on the other hand, the Sikh is enjoined to be gentle, selfless, and scholarly, and to treat other members of the faith as brothers and sisters. On ceremonial occasions Sikh temples (gurduara), especially in India, may be manned on the out­ side by warrior-like men guarding the temple; and on the inside, by saint-like men serving the devotees (Leaf, 1972 :157). Their emphasis on self-discipline, inner-worldly activism, and communal responsibility en­ abled the Punjabi Sikhs to make a successful adjustment to life in British Columbia despite various obstacles placed in their way by virtue of their oriental origins. Sikhs' ideas of family life reflect the pressures and tensions involved in that adjustment, for though it may be said that the Sikhs settled well, it has not been without cost to them. They share with the other peoples of India the ideal of the large patriarchal family system as the foundation of their everyday life. They were able to import this institution into Can­ ada only by subjecting it to extensive and sometimes painful modifica­ tions. The family changes that resulted from Sikh adjustment to settle­ ment in British Columbia, and the stresses and conflicts that lay behind those changes, provide the subject matter of this paper. The place to be­ gin with is how Sikhs themselves have conceptualized familial matters in 15