blackbirding

American  

[blak-bur-ding] / ˈblækˌbɜr dɪŋ /

noun

1. History/Historical. the act or practice of kidnapping people, especially Pacific Islanders, and selling them into slavery abroad, usually in Australia.

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Etymology

Origin of blackbirding

First recorded in 1870–75; blackbird + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

From the “blackbirding” of Pacific Islander people who were were kidnapped and forced into labouring work, to the Indigenous farmhands and domestic servants who were traded between settlers and not paid, there certainly was slavery in Australia.

From The Guardian

A man might have been made by copra or by pearls—or by blackbirding.

From Project Gutenberg

Lest any one should suspect me of blackbirding or gin-selling, I will say at once that I had come to Naapu by accident and that I stayed because, for reasons that I will not go into here, I liked it.

From Project Gutenberg