Indian Cultural Report & Interview

Amanda Smith
NUFD 560
Dr. Bauer

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 History of the ethnic group in the United States

The Indians came to the United States around the 1820s. Not to get mixed up with the
Native Americans, the Indians are also called Indo-Americans. After the 1820s, they slowly
started to populate the states any by the 1990s, they have become the second largest ethnic group
in the country after Mexicans (Migration Policy Institute). When the Indian immigrants started
migrating to the US, they were seen as a threat to local workers (Rao, K.V. 2003). The 1913
Alien Land Law in California aimed at preventing Chinese and Japanese from owning and
farming land which in turn affect Indian immigrants. Partly because of some of these restrictive
laws, no significant immigration took place until the 1965 Immigration Act. The 2000 Census
counted nearly 1.7 million non-mixed Asian Indians, a 100 percent increase over 1990, and an
increase of almost five times over the 1980 population (Rao, K.V. 2003). According to the
Migration Policy Institute, more than 2 million Indian-born immigrants resided in the United
States, accounting for 4.7% of the 41.3 million foreign-born population. The Immigration Act
of 1990 which helped increase the number of permanent work-based visas contributed to the
increase in size of the Indian born population (Migration Policy Institute). The number of
Indians that are coming to the United States is steadily increasing every decade thus far.

Demographic statistics in the US

As stated previously, the number of Indian Americans in the United States has been
growing decade by decade. According to the US Census Bureau, from 1980-2013, the Indian
American population was at 206,000 in the United Stated and by 2013 the Indian American
population reached 2,035,000. The United States is the second most populated country after the
United Arab Emirates of the 14.2 million Indian American immigrants worldwide. More than
half of the Indians living in the United States do receive their green cards through the
employment based preference (Migration Policy Institute). Also, according to the Migration
Policy Institute, when compared to the overall native and foreign born immigrants living in the
United States, Indian immigrants are significantly higher educated, more likely to be employed
and have a higher household income. This is very interesting as it brings the questions into play
as to why they seem to be more educated and have higher incomes. It may be because they put

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more emphasis on education compared to other immigrants. Lastly, the largest percentages of
Indian immigrants have settled in California (19%), New Jersey (11%) and Texas (9%)
(Migration Policy Institute).

Socioeconomic status in US (education, employment, politics)

Indian Americans are one of the ethnic groups in the United States that continue to
flourish when it comes to socioeconomic status and education. There seems to be a lot of
emphasis and caring when it comes to learning and education for this particular culture. As of
2013, 76% of Indian immigrants held a bachelors degree of higher compared to 28% of all
immigrants over 25 and 30% of native born adults (Migration Policy Institute). Also, according
to Migration Policy Institute, among the college-educated Indian immigrants, more than half held
a graduate or a professional degree. A probable explanation for the amount of Indians to receive
high degrees rather than some other foreign ethnic groups is because of the visas that they
received when they entered the country which allow highly skilled foreign workers in designated
specialty occupations (PewResearchCenter). Regarding the labor force, about 70% of Indian
immigrants age 16 and older were in the civilian labor force compared to 67% and 63% of the
total foreign and native born populations(Migration Policy Institute). Indian immigrants were
more than twice as likely to be employed in management, business, science, and arts occupations
than both the overall foreign-born and native-born populations (Migration Policy Institute).
Lastly, in 2010 it was recorded that the median household income for Indian Americans was
$88,000 which was higher than Asian Americans and US households (PewResearchCenter).

Nonverbal communication and cultural expressions

Some nonverbal communication and cultural expressions in the Indian culture consist of
appearance and dress. Dress in India varies according to regional location. The most common
mean apparel is the dhoti which is a long piece of white cotton wrapped around the waist for half
its length and then drawn between the lefts and tucked into the waist at the back. In Southern
India, the chest is usually left bare. Turbans or headdresses are common in northern India. The
turban often identifies the wearer as belonging to a particular community, region or village.
Leather is seen as not clean so it is important that shoes are always taken off when entering a
temple or even before entering into an Indians home. Women typically wear a sari, which is a

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length of cotton or silk wrapped around the waist, with one end left free and thrown over the
right shoulder (Nonverbal Issues). Again, like the men the dress depends on the region that they
are from. As for nonverbal body language and cues, Indian people are very direct and to the
point when engaged in a conversation. When someone of Indian decent is agreeing, they will
shake their heads from side to side when they mean yes (Nonverbal Issues). Indians can be
offended easily if they are refused. Lastly, only someone within the same caste system or
family may touch you affectionately (Nonverbal Issues). There is a lot of touching in Hindu
ceremonial acts so the religious significant is very high. Touching someone represents a bond
with them and is reserved for family occasions (Nonverbal Issues). Touching someone on the
head is considered an insult because this is where the persons soul resides. Hindu females who
have gone through some of the rites of passage show the honoring of the head by the placement
of the red dot on their foreheads.

Religious practice

There are many different types of religion in the Indian culture. About half of Indian
Americans practice Hinduism, about 18% classifies themselves as Christians and 10% say they
are Muslim (PewResearchCenter). The practices of Indian culture are more towards Hinduism in
India but in America it definitely skews a bit. Many people believe that Hinduism is a national
religion but it is a religious practice and more of a way of life. Since Indian is divided into the
Southern Region and Northern Regions, there are many different types of religions that are
practiced.

Family structure and practices

Family is extremely important in the Indian culture. Indians value their family and their
culture very much. It is said that family integrity is sacred and any threat to it is viewed as a
failure on the part of the parents (Alliance). Also, according to Alliance, Indians are reserved,
stoical and reluctant to discuss their problems outside the home. The Indian culture feels that
they should resolve their problems within the home and not have to get counseling for things that
perhaps Americans would typically get counseling for. It is important that if Indians do seek
some type of counseling, the counselor respects their attitudes may be different and have to learn
how to honor that. Next, respecting their elders play a very important role and when children

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talk back to their parents it is seen as the children being too influenced by American culture
(Alliance). In many cultures, it is likely that the higher up in chronological order of the family,
the more respect that is given. However, a lot of time we see in American culture, that someone
who has the most education or who has more money would be the one to get the higher degree of
respect. Regarding male vs. female roles, usually the men are the breadwinners of the family
and the women are the ones managing the house. However, in more modern Indian homes in the
US today, it may be that women and men are both equally working and earning money.

Common health problems of the ethnic group

Some common health problems among Indians include hypertension, cardiovascular

disease, diabetes, cancer, nutritional deficits, tuberculosis malaria and periodontal disease. A
common factor in heart disease, non-insulin dependent diabetes and low HDL cholesterol have
insulin resistance as a common pathogenic mechanism (Standord.edu). Insulin resistance can
be very dangerous to health because if insulin is not working properly than there is an underlying
cause of this and many time it has to do with a poor diet. Poor diet can lead to obesity which can
then cause insulin resistance to occur because the necessary vitamins and minerals many not be
going to parts of the body the way it should be. Insulin is very highly controlled and when it
becomes out of control is when major health problems can start to develop. Type II diabetes is
very dangerous and if it is not controlled there could be major consequences like limb
amputations which happens all too often today. Knowing how to control diabetes and being
aware if insulin resistance is something that one needs to worry about needs to be brought up by
a physician.

Traditional health beliefs and practices

There any many health beliefs of the Indian culture, some more modern and some more
spiritual than others. A popular Indian health belief that many elder Indians practice is a
traditional Indian system of medicine called Ayurvedic Medicine (Health and Health care of
Asian Indian Americans, 2016). Ayurvedic Medicine means to prevent and cure illnesses.
Ayurveda is a system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago. It is made up of
two words, Ayu, which means life and veda, which means knowledge of. As it relates to a
more holistic approach to medicine, it is relating to the entire human body, not just the physical

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being. This would encompass the mind, senses and soul as well as the body. (Health and Health
care of Asian Indian Americans, 2016). According to this practice, each individual is made up of
three doshas (vata, pitta or kapha) and each dosha represents certain bodily activity
(Stanford.edu). These certain bodily activities represent the daily functioning of people and
when those Doshas become overloaded, Ayurveda will suggest lifestyle and nutritional
guidelines to the person to reduce the dosha that has become excessive. (Health and Health care
of Asian Indian Americans, 2016). This type of healing and prevention also utilizes herbs and
herbal supplements to accelerate the healing process. Next, many Indians are part of the Hindu
religion which oftentimes can affect health care decisions. Hinduism is a social system as well
as a religion therefore customs and practices are closely interwoven (Health and Health care of
Asian Indian Americans, 2016). It is interesting that a lot of the Hindu beliefs are based on
karma which is a law of behavior and consequences if which actions of past life affects the
circumstances in which one is born and lives in this life (Health and Health care of Asian Indian
Americans, 2016). In the American culture today, we use the word karma for something similar
in the fact that if someone does wrong by you or Vis versa, karma will come back to get them.
This reflection of past life as karma and that illnesses are caused by Karma according to the
Hindu religion is very interesting.

Traditional foods, eating utensils and cooking equipment

There are many different types of traditional Indian dishes that are widely known because
of their great taste and spice attribute. The Indian cooking style varies from region to region
and is largely divided into South Indian and North India cuisine (Cultural India). The staple
foods in India include wheat, rice and pulses with chana (Bengal Gram) being the most
important one (Cultural India). Some popular types of foods are Bengali Food, Gujarati Food,
Kashmiri Food, Mughlai Cuisine and South Indian cuisine. Bengali Food consists of five
essential spices, which are mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed, aniseed and black cumin seed.
Gujarati food is mostly vegetarian and has a high nutritional value. Next, is the Kashmiri Food
which is the type we have today in American restaurants and has adopted the cooking styles of
Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan. The Mughlai Cuisine is one of the most popular Indian
cuisines tracing all the way back to the Mughal Empire. Lastly, the South Indian Cuisine is
known for its light, low calorie dishes. The food in South India is mostly rice based and also

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utilizes lentils to prepare dishes. Some necessary cooking equipment needed to prepare common
Indian dishes include a wok, also known as a karai for frying (12 basic tools you need for Indian
cooking), a rice cooker, spatulas and ladles, colander for washing and straining vegetables, a
pressure cooker for boiling lentils, meat and something steaming vegetable and a tawa or skillet
for roasting spices and bread. Lastly, it is essential to have a set of Indian plates, bowls and
glasses which are stainless steel for serving foods and water.

Meal composition and nutritional concerns

Many Indian dishes are packed with so many delicious flavors and tastes that may or may
not be hurting ones waistline. There are many herbs and spices in these dishes which would not
allot for many calories but it becomes a problem when the foods one is consuming are primarily
curries. Curry can have heavy cream and oil in them which are very high in saturated fat. Also,
although there are many vegetarian Indian dishes out there, it does not necessarily mean that they
are all healthy. Many times, vegetarian meals have added ghee, which is clarified butter and that
could have just as much fat in it as would a dish that has meat. With rice being a typical base, it
is important that individuals are aware of the concerns that this brings. White rice does not have
much nutritional value but could be added additional calories that are not nutrient dense. The
high amount of fat and refined carbohydrates in the typical Indian diet brings about concerns of
diabetes and heart disease which seems to be very prevalent in the Indian culture. Many of the
traditional Indian dishes do consist of beans and lentils which are healthy and a great protein and
fiber source as well. These health concerns seem to be known by the Indian culture and there are
substitutes for the rice, adding in brown rice in place of white rice for extra fiber and more whole
grains. Also, naan bread will always have a whole wheat version which adds more whole grains
instead of refined grains as well. Even though the concern for diabetes and heart disease is very
prevalent in the Indian culture, there are many ways to lighten up the dishes. Lastly, many of
these Indian dishes do contain fiber, vitamins and minerals (Calories in Indian Food) which are
very beneficial to overall health.

Special celebrations

There are some special celebrations that are widely well known in the traditional Indian
culture. The first is Diwali which is a five day festival that represents the start of the Hindu

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New Year and known as the Festival of Lights (8 Popular Festivals in India). The next major
celebration is Onam. This is a ten day harvest festival where people decorate their houses with
flowers in beautiful patterns to welcome the King. Another festival is the Kerala Temple
Festivals which is in Southern India and this is when large processions of elephants, with many
in ornaments on them are the main attractions. Kerala has many beautiful temples and there are
many rituals that take place during this festival as well as many crowds and a lot of music.
Lastly, is the Holi which is also known as the Festival of Colors and is a two day festival that
celebrates the victory of good over evil. People throw colored power and water all over each
other; have parties and dance under water sprinklers. (8 Popular Festivals in India).

Bibliography

5 facts about Indian Americans. (2014, September 30). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/30/5-facts-about-indian-americans/

Alagiakrishnan, K., M.D., & Chopra, A., M.D. (n.d.). Health and Health care of Asian Indian
Americans. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from
http://web.stanford.edu/group/ethnoger/asianindian.html

Biswas, S. (2011, July 19). 12 basic utensils you need for Indian cooking. Retrieved March 26,
2016, from http://www.examiner.com/article/12-basic-utensils-you-need-for-indian-cooking

Calories in Indian Food. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from

https://www.caloriecount.com/calories-indian-food-ic3504

Cook, S. (2015, August 17). The 8 Most Popular Festivals in India. Retrieved March 30, 2016,
from http://goindia.about.com/od/festivalsevents/tp/Indiafestivals.htm
Diverse Origins and Destinations. (2003). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://www.asian-
nation.org/indian.shtml

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Gall, T. (1998). India- Nonverbal Issues. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from
http://academic.depauw.edu/mkfinney_web/teaching/Com227/culturalPortfolios/india/NONVER
BALFINAL.htm

Gordon, S., Bernadett, M., Evans, D., Shapiro, N., & Patel, U. (2003). Asian Indian Culture:
Influences and Implications for Health Care. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from
http://www.molinahealthcare.com/providers/mi/medicaid/resource/PDF/resource_MI_AsianIndia
nCulture-InfluencesAndImplicationsForHealthCare.pdf

Indian Food. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2016, from http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-food/

Indian Immigrants in the United States. (2015). Retrieved March 26, 2016, from
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/indian-immigrants-united-states

Indo-American Cultural Identity: Tips for Intergenerational Practice. (2015). Retrieved March
26, 2016, from http://www.alliance1.org/ppf/indo-american-cultural-identity-tips-
intergenerational-practice

Lannoy, R. (1971). The speaking tree: A study of Indian culture and society. London: Oxford
University Press.
Rao, K.V. 2003. "Indian Americans" Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America.
<http://www.asian-nation.org/indian.shtml> (March 27, 2016).

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 Examination of website:

A website that I found to be very interesting was a clothing website based in New Delhi,
which in the capital of India. This clothing website is called India Emporium and Indian women,
men and children can use this website to order clothes, jewelry, gowns, Bollywood clothing and
many other types of clothing. This website s very useful because it may be difficult for Indians
living in the United States to find truly ethnic made clothing here so having the internet at our
fingertips is a great tool for getting these traditional types of clothing sent over to the United
States. This website is very easy to navigate, it has tabs on the top with different categories for
men, women and children along with categories for different occasions, like weddings. I also
found it fascinating that there were tabs not only for the type of dress but for the type of fabric as
well which included an exhaustive lists of fabrics to choose from. Most of the American
clothing websites do not have options for types of fabric preferred. Based on my readings
regarding dress of men and women, different regions have different styles of dress. For the
women, there are many options for dresses and sarees. In my previous readings, I saw the
spelling as sari but on the website it is spelled saree. Basically, they are usually made of
cotton or silk and it is a garment that is wrapped around the waist, having one end of it free and
the other thrown over the right shoulder. The website has a tab for sarees as well as the type
needed, whether it should be for a wedding, party, festival or casual as well as the fabric, color
and type of stitch work preferred. It is amazing how intricate so many Indian designs and styles
are, it truly is amazing. As for the mens clothing, they do not have as many options as the
women do. They have options for wedding/engagement wear as well as causal wear. There is an
options for turbans, which symbolize belonging to certain groups and communities within the
Indian culture. Through my prior readings, I did not read about the formal attire of men but it is
not like an American suit, it is made out of silk and it a long jacket, in any color with buttons on

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it. Based on this website, when counseling someone from the Indian culture, it is very important
to understand how they dress. The dress of the Indian culture seems, for the most part, to be
particularly formal, of course depending on the occasion. It differs from American dress in the
sense that men do sometimes wear turbans or head scarfs and women drape the garments around
their waists and over their shoulders. It is crucial to make sure that as a counselor, you are aware
of the cultural practice and the reasons for the use of this clothing. Like mentioned earlier, the
wearing of a turban for a man symbolizes his belonging to a certain community and depending
on the part of India they are from, could symbolize different groups. It is important to always
make sure you are aware if they are of Northern or Southern Indian decent because the dress
does differ per each region.

Reaction to Ethnic Literature:

The book that I chose to read regarding the Indian culture was a book called The
Speaking Tree by Richard Lannoy. This book is primarily about Indian culture and the society
within it. I found the book to be very informational as it divided into three different parts, The
Aesthetic Factor in Indian History, The Family System and The Social Structure. Each part
has its own subchapters that speak about the different aspect of Indian society. Regarding the
family structure, it is clear how much family is valued in this culture, comparable to other
research that I have done. They truly value their elders and the closeness that they have with
their kin. A quote that stood out to me while reading this was a husband must be constantly
worshipped as a god by a faithful wife (Lannoy, p.103). This sentence really makes me think
about what they women in Indias lives are like. If the husband has to be worshipped as if he is
God, that is a huge responsibility. Women in India are not only responsible for worshipping their
husbands but they have to be an excellent mother to their children as well. They have these roles
and if they are not carried out properly it is looked down upon. The husband almost being
worshipped like a dictator is something that I did not come across in my other readings prior.
Next, another quote that stood out to me was The caste system was, and indeed still remains, as
inseparable and as fundamental a part of the social order, indeed a valued part by the great
majority of Hindus, as the principle of social equality is a valued ideal of modern democracy
(Lannoy, p.140). This Indian culture values their hierarchy as much as say Americans value our
democracy. Hierarchy is such an integral part of the Indian society and its interesting to read

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about and to understand why it is valued so highly. Many cultures value their hierarchys and it
is always fascinating to read about. Through my prior readings, I did see that the Indian society
did value their hierarchys very much. Lastly, another quote I found was Hinduism is not,
strictly speaking, a national religion; it is a religious system, a way of life, and the basis of a
social system (Lannoy, p. 280). This quote stood out to me because I feel there are a lot of
misconceptions out there today that Hinduism is a religion. No one seems to differentiate the
two but there clearly is a difference. Hinduism is a religious system and a way of life for some
Indian people who choose to follow this. It is important that when counseling someone from an
Indian background, it is clear as to what religion they follow, if any to help in your counseling
session. Making assumptions based on what you believe their religion may or may not be will
not get you very far at all. Actually listening and understanding is the only way to progress when
counseling someone. Also, Hinduism is not the only religious system that Indians follow.
Previous readings and from my interview acknowledge that some Indiana are Christian and
Catholic as well as many other types in todays society.

Reaction to cultural experience:

The day of my cultural experience was March 18, 2016 at the Bombay Grill in New City,
New York. This is a traditional Indian cuisine that serves a variety of different ethnic Indian
foods. This restaurant is fairly small and located in a quaint suburban town. When I walked in,
the smell of the restaurant instantly filled my nose. It smelled of curry, which I knew was the
smell of curry because I have encountered that smell before. At first, it definitely is something to
get used to, if you have not been around the smell too much. I have not been in a traditional
Indian restaurant before so I was not expecting that smell right away which I should have
expected. After being in the restaurant for no more than five minutes, the smell blended in and
was not too noticeable anymore. Walking in, the tables were all very nicely set with cloth
napkins. After we sat down, we were immediately handed over water and waiter came right
over. The waiter was dressed very nicely, wearing a bowtie. He helped explain some of the
menu items to us and explained what he thought we may like. We started dinner off by receiving
these chips that had the same texture as Tostito chips but were not tostitos. We then got an
appetizer of garlic naan bread and hummus, which was very delicious. We then had our main
dishes. My friend order a dish called chicken tikka and I ordered the chicken tikka Marsala. His

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dish was primarily grilled chicken coated in a spicy sauce and my dish was served in a stainless
steel bowl in a creamy red sauce. Both dishes were somewhat spicy, came with white basmati
rice and very tasty. We then ended with a dessert of what they called dumplings in a honey sauce
which was comparable to fried dough, very good as well. In regards to my readings, similarities
I found were the serving of the food in the stainless steel bowls, which I read that Indians
typically serve food like this. Another similarity I encountered was with the seasonings. There
were so many different flavors present throughout the entire course and they were all so good. A
difference I encountered, compared to the readings I have looked at were that the menu items
were very modernized, or so I felt like they were. There was an explanation of the foods under
all items, which was very helpful but if it were in India, Im sure most menu items would not
need any type of explanation. Other than that, compared with my readings there were many
similarities based on presentation and food selections. As for counseling someone from Indian
decent, it would definitely be helpful to have an understanding of the typical Indian diet.
Knowing that it is primarily riced based is very important if someone is coming to me with a
health issue. Knowing how I can make changes to modify their diet based on the common foods
like rice and creams that are used in many of their curries is helpful in helping someone who
wants to lose weight or is having some kind of other pressing health issue.

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