Saint Lucia was known as "Helen of the West Indies" because it swapped hands between French and British control so many times. The French first signed a treaty with the native people in 1660, and the British took decisive control in 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars. In between that control switched so each country ruled seven times. The majority of the population are the descendants of slaves. Saint Lucia also has a small minority with ancestry from India. Although misnamed the West Indies because of Columbus' ignorance, connection with actual India did occur when Britain started to bring indentured labourers in 1859. With slavery abolished, an indenture was the alternative way of getting the work done (by someone else). Indenture had also been used during 'The War of the Three Kingdoms' (1639-1651) as something to do with captured prisoners from Ireland and Scotland. The Thirteen Colonies in British America also used indenture for about half the almost 500,000 Europeans arriving there before 1775. Indenture was 'slavery with an end date'.
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