1861 Handwritten Contrata (Contract) for a Chinese Coolie Labourer in Havana Following Completion of His Primitive Contract

On offer is an absolutely remarkable, completely handwritten Contrata, being the second contract offered to Chinese coolie labourers after completing their first “primitive” contract. 

This contrata is written for Tomas, age 31 [Note: A Christian name assigned to Chinese coolies when they boarded the ship in Macau. For examples of this, see our collection of coolie ship manifests within the Chinese-Cuban collection]. In this contrata, Tomas agrees to work for another two years and will work for Mr. Jose Julian de Isla, beginning in May of 1861. The contract lays out the obligations of the worker to the boss and of the boss to the worker. For example, he will be fed and clothed, allowed to rest if sick, but not paid if he cannot work. The contract is signed on May 23, 1861 by Jose Julian de Isla and multiple witnesses. It is not signed in Chinese by Tomas. In cases where a Chinese coolie was illiterate, they would often have a representative sign on their behalf, which is likely the case here. 

The Chinese coolie trade, a system of indentured labor that targeted young, poor Chinese men, operated from 1847-1874. Throughout this period, African slavery was slowly being abolished around the world. The coolie trade was initiated by Britain and was eventually dominated by both Britain and the United States of America. Chinese coolie laborers were sent to work in British, American and Spanish colonies, and the nature of the trade changed throughout its 27-year operation, due to social and political pressures. The coolie trade took place, in large part, between the shipping port in Macao (now a part of China, then under Portuguese rule) and Havana, Cuba (then under Spanish control). As Macau was under Portugese rule at the time of the coolie trade, they transported coolies on their vessels frequently and many of the documents related to the trade were written in Portuguese and/or Spanish. To learn more about the Chinese coolie trade and its importance in world history, click here to read our in-depth research blog on the topic.

Since Chinese men who came to Cuba from Macau were extremely poor and often remained indebted to the master who purchased their initial primitive contract by the end of their work term, they were more or less forced to accept contratas such as this one. This is a vital piece of history connected to the Chinese coolie trade. 

This contrata measures approx 8.5x12.5 inches. It shows age toning and some fraying at the edges. It is a single folio leaf folded in half to make four pages. The contract is handwritten on the recto of the first page. The contract is fragile with small tears at the horizontal centre fold, which obscures only a few words. Spanish Language. Overall Fair+.