Indian Culture in Minnesota
Indian cultures and traditions on the Minnesota map.
The first Asian-Indian people came to Minnesota for better education. Indians to this day come to Minnesota to study advanced career fields such as medicine and technology. Learning Indian culture will better your understanding of Indian people and what is important to them and their significance in Minnesota.
In the 1960s-1990s Indians were pulled to the United States for better job opportunities and higher degrees. In 1990 Indian numbers were higher than ever after the US introduced the H1-B visa and drove thousands of Indians out of Asia. The H1-B visa was to temporarily employ highly skilled immigrants, because many Indian people valued good jobs; this was what brought so many people to the United States from India. On the map there is a high population of people in grad school for high degrees, this could be caused by the thousands of Indians that come to Minnesota for the college programs.
The food culture in India is very important to the people because it identifies their ethnicity and social class. Food is also believed to be the key to balance in your mind, body and spirit. When Indians came to Minnesota they shared their culture by opening restaurants. On the map all of these restaurants are in big cities such as St. Cloud and St. Paul, this is because of the high population of Indian people living in such areas.
In Indian culture festivals are the best way to express enthusiasm, and keep life a celebration. Indian people try to see everyday as some kind of celebration even if it may be something small. Indian festivals are often big for socializing with others and spending time with family and friends. When looking at the map there are Indian celebrations held for people to experience their culture with others like them. The festivals are usually held in the Twin Cities area near where most of the Indian population in Minnesota lives.
In Indian culture religion promotes good morals and makes you a better person. Hinduism is the most common religion with Indian people. In Hinduism, it is expected to go to a temple for prayer regularly. Many Hindu temples are located in large cities such as Edina and Maple Grove. Cemeteries are also very common to visit with hinduism and in similar areas to temples there are cemeteries nearby.
As stated before Hindu is the top religion in Indian culture. A temple is a place of worship for people that belong to the Hindu religion which are mainly found in large cities. After looking at the map there is a very high senior population in these cities. Senior people tend to be more traditional and more likely to go to a temple for prayer so we can assume that the seniors in such areas are Indian.
There are many people attending grad school for high degrees in the Twin Cities. Indians value high degrees and commonly work jobs that require a lot of skill. Because the Twin Cities have some very good programs to offer, Indian people have been drawn to the area since they first arrived resulting in more Indians in said area.
Indian people have been contributing to Minnesota without many people really noticing. After researching Indian origins and traditions it's clear how they have impacted the community. Many Indians are here to become doctors and save hundreds of lives or learn about modern technology so you can have a phone right in your pocket and internet wherever you go. Others open businesses like restaurants and share their culture with the world around them. It doesn't always matter where you came from, but what you do to impact your community.