Analysis of Lankan ethnic groups

By Amal Hewavissenti

The versatile writer Nuwan Gankanda’s classic research into the unknown ethnic and cultural groups living in Sri Lanka provides an insightful analysis of the origin, life and achievements of a number of ethnic groups.

He has titled his ethnographic study “Apa Nodanna Lankikayo” (Sri Lankan ethnic groups that we do not know about). The work enthrals the reader and effectively fills the vacuum in his knowledge about ethnic minorities in Sri Lanka who trace their origin to varied parts of the world.

In his introduction to the book, Prof. Nandasena Rathnapala comments, “The book offers a clear and detailed account of Borah’s, Persians, Malays, Colombo Chettys, Natfukuti Cettys, Upcountry Tamils, Chinese, Memans, Portuguese of Batticaloa and Waha Kotte, Dutch Malayalam, Kaffirs, Mukkuwars, Coastal Veddas, Wanni Sinhala, Udappu Tamils, Colombo Tamils, Nadar, Sindhi and Gujarati who are collectively called Sri Lankans.... In fact even I was totally unaware of most of these ethnic groups living in Sri Lanka”.

A chance meeting

The basic idea to write this book, as the writer acknowledges, crept into his mind when he was researching the situation in Puttalam District during the general election in 2002. During his short stay in Puttalam, he had to call on the electoral office of D. M. Dasanayake the then MP for Puttalam.

It was here that the writer heard two visitors speaking in a language which appeared to be absolutely unintelligible to him. A chat-up with them revealed that they were speaking Gujarati and they were not Indians but Sri Lankans belonging to an ethnic group called Borah whose mother-tongue was said to be Gujarati.

Anver Ali Khan who was one of those visitors has provided the writer with a store of information about the Borah ethnic group and this dramatic meeting gave birth to the book.

Nuwan Gankanda’s exploration of Borah people reveals that Borahs in Sri Lanka descent from Jafferji Esaj and Borah families who came from Gujarat.

They were experts in trade and resided chiefly in Galle. later on they expanded their business circle and transferred themselves to Colombo to engage freely in trade particularly in Pettah, Keyzer Street, and First Cross Street in 1850.

According to Gankanda’s study, Borahs who thrived in business roughly amount to 2500 in Sri Lanka and have now spread to Jaffna, Galle and Bandarawela with a few Borah mosques representing their identity.

Though they are smaller in number, they are Gullivers in Sri Lankan trade. The name Borah signifies trade and they belong to Shiya Muslim tradition. However, they are marked by their stark deviation from active politics in Sri Lanka.

Persians

According to K. N. Choksy, a one-time finance minister who descended from Persians living in Sri Lanka, only 56 Persians live in Sri Lanka while a total of 150000 Persians live in the whole world. Earlier they were Indians speaking Gujarati.

Some Persian businessmen who came from Bombay established their business centres in Pettah and Kotahena engaged in importing rice, sugar, dhal and onions and exporting spices to European countries at the outset of 19th century.

The writer discovers much more interesting information about Persians and their contribution to Sri Lankan culture. Gankanda quotes them as saying “We can’t speak Old Persian. Our religion imposes no ban on my lifestyle. No ban on food but we usually avoid beef and pork”.

The Chettiyars

The fourth chapter of “Apa Nodanna Lankikayo” deals with the famous Sri Lankan ethnic group called Cetty (Chettiyars). Cettys who were originally Hindus during the British rule in Sri Lanka embraced Christianity during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

They are called Colombo Chettys because they have centered their life and transactions in and around Colombo. They have been well exposed to Western education and thereby have got important positions particularly in banks. Until recently Chettys were called Sri Lankan Tamils because they mainly speak Tamil. However they prefer to distinguish themselves as Colombo Chettys.

The prominent characteristic of their names is that the names are an interesting blend of Tamil, Christian and Sinhala names. They often use Fernandopulle, Pulle, Thisera, Kandappa, Anandappa, Wittachchi, Casiechetty for the names. Desi Rasamma Daniels (Rukmani Devi), Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and Michael Ondaatje (a booker prize winner) are the famous Chettys.

Coastal Veddhas

The writer met Tamil speaking coastal veddas while they were on ‘Pada Yathra’ to Katharagama. They kept aloof from the other Tamil devotees and their leader Thiruchelvam, an eighteen-year-old boy was sitting among them. Though they are currently Tamil, they had been Sinhala veddas two or three generations back. A few families of Sinhala veddas who were brought to the coastal areas by English rulers subsequently blended into the Tamil culture and came to be called coastal veddas.

The English had brought them to the coastal areas of Trincomalee from the wilderness of Palichena in Batticaloa. “Those living in Dambana too are our people but we are not at all connected”, they say. Their forefathers had hunted with bows and arrows but they are not used to hunting and they make their living by hiring out labour. In this chapter, the writer offers exciting facts about their culture and way of living which have gradually shaped into a semi-tamil culture.

Gankanda identifies the Sindhi as a commercial community of India. Topasingh Motumul was the first Sindhi to have started business in Sri Lanka and many Sindhi families came to Sri Lanka for commercial pursuits. Sarees, textiles and embroidered clothes were common items they dealt in but now they have expanded their range of commodities.

The Sindhi population in Sri Lanka now amounts to around 1500 and their cultural and economic centre is located in Colpetty (built in 1952). The malays immigrated to Sri Lanka during Dutch and British rule and the present population of Sri Lankan Malays descend directly from them. The writer has managed to interview Royston Laay, the current chairman of ‘Colombo Malay Cricket Club” on the language they speak. “the language we speak today is a combination of Sinhala, Tamil and English. Our Malay language is more comparable to that of Indonesia than Malaysia”.

The Sri Lankan Malays have made a record-breaking achievement by publishing the world’s first Malay newspaper under the editorship of Baba Ovunus Saldin, a Sri Lankan Malay. The newspaper is “Alamath Lankapuru”.

They employ surnames such as Laay, Lanthra, Maas, Bongso, Marso in complete contrast to Muslims who do not use surnames. The Malays are Islamic but followers of other religious faiths can also be observed. The prominent Sri Lankan Malays who registered their memorable names in Sri Lankan culture are T. B. Jayah, Harun Lanthra, T. F. Lateef, Stanley Omar, Tony Hussain, G. S. B. Rani, Jemini Kantha and so on.

Moreover, Malays have left their legacy of food; namely Malay Pickle, fried rice, watalappan and Malay dodol to Sri Lankan food culture.

The writer has successfully explored various aspects of origin and life of Nadars, Gujaratis, Vanni Sinhalese, various groups of Tamil culture Mukkuwars, Kaffirs, Kochchis, Memons, Chinese and many more ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. He has successfully traded off his experience as a journalist with different people in the compilation of the book which has proved to be an unmissable book of research.

As he happily claims, he had to walk the streets of Colombo several times and check the business places in search of people of different ethnic groups.

It is very important to give colourful pictures of varied Sri Lankan ethnic groups to the masses and specially to students because they will develop a good awareness and deeper understanding of varied ethnic groups and their priceless contribution to Sri Lankan culture.

This will as the writer hopes, narrow down all possibilities of ethnocentric attitudes which hamper ethnic harmony of a country.