{"id":119957,"date":"2021-11-03T17:08:10","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T00:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=119957"},"modified":"2021-11-03T17:08:10","modified_gmt":"2021-11-04T00:08:10","slug":"ethnicity-in-sri-lanka-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/11\/03\/ethnicity-in-sri-lanka-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"ETHNICITY IN SRI LANKA Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The\nfirst census of Ceylon of which there is a record is the\ncensus of 1824. That was an\nincomplete census which grouped the population by caste.  The first complete population census   of Ceylon was the census of 1871.  This\ncensus left out \u2018caste\u2019 and introduced \u2018race\u2019 and \u2018nationality\u2019,  \ntwo European   concepts which were\nin vogue at the time.   Race appeared for\nthe first time in this census.  There\nwere 72 nationalities and 24 races, including foreign ones such as\nChinese, German and Irish. The local\n\u2018races\u2019 were Sinhalese, Tamil, Burgher, Chetty, Malay and Moor. Sinhalese and Tamils\nwere \u2018races\u2019 as well as \u2018nationalities\u2019.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nSinhala, Tamil and Moor races were officially recognized for the first time in\n1871. The proportions were Sinhalese\n69.40%, Tamils 22.21% and Moor 6.79%. There\nwas a census every ten years or so after 1871.  At the 8th International Statistical Congress\n1872, it was agreed that a census must include language, religion, birthplace\nand nationality. The 1881 Census\nreferred to 72 nationalities in the text but classified the population only by\n\u2018race.\u2019 The races were \u2018Europeans, Sinhalese, Tamil, Moors, Malay, Veddahs and\nOther\u2019. Race became the main category of\nclassification thereafter. The 1911 Census    had ten races, \u2018Low country Sinhalese,\nKandyan Sinhalese, Indian Tamils, Ceylon Tamils, Indian   Moors, (also known as Coast Moors) Ceylon\nMoors, Malays, Burghers, Veddahs, Europeans and Other\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1911 Census said Sinhalese and Tamils\nare distinct, clearly\ndifferentiated races. They have their own religion and speak\ndifferent languages. \u2018Their settlements are clearly defined.\u2019 Intermarriage between them is very\nrare. Even a\nsuperficial observer could see, it said, that there are marked physical\ndifferences between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. However,  the 1921 census has photographs of the\n\u2018races\u2019. They all look alike. The  \ndifference was in their costumes, not in facial or physical\ncharacteristic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ponnambalam\nArunachalam in his introduction to the 1901 census used history to show that\nthe Sinhala and Tamil races were genuine and long standing. Arunachalam added a\nchapter on the history of Ceylon to the 1901 census. This   was not there in the earlier reports.  He wrote that the Tamils and Sinhalese have\nlived in the island for two thousand years. He drew attention to Dutugemunu\u2019s\nfight with Elara. Denham in 1911 said\nthat the Sinhalese and Tamils had been in Sri Lanka for centuries, fighting\nwith each other. However, he added that\nonly\nthe Sinhalese could \u2018regard Ceylon as home\u2019. It was the \u2018shrine of their\nnational traditions.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each district was   designated \u2018Tamil\u2019 district\u2019 and \u2018Sinhala district\u2019 according to the racial percentage.\nThis created geographically contiguous \u2018Tamil areas\u2019 and \u2018Sinhala areas\u2019.   Census\nof 1871 showed 50-90% Sinhalese in all provinces except Jaffna, Vanni, Mannar\n(5%) and Trincomalee, Batticaloa (10%). Tamils were 90% in Vanni and Jaffna,\n70% in Mannar and Eastern province, 40% in Central province and 16% in Badulla.\nMoors were 35% in Batticaloa 30-20% in Mannar, Trincomalee and Puttalam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Census of 1891 has three separate\nmaps indicating the \u2018relative proportions of races\u2019 for Tamil, Sinhala and\nMoor. Jaffna, Vanni, Mannar, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts were assigned\nin bright pink to the Tamils. These figures ignore the important issue of\npopulation density.  The 1911 census\nshowed the following population density. In Northern Province, Jaffna with 998\nsq miles had 326,510 persons. Mannar had 904 sq miles and 25,603 persons,\nMullaitivu had 1466 sq miles and 17,336 persons.  In Eastern province, Batticaloa had 2800 sq\nmiles and 153,943 persons Trincomalee had 1048 sq miles and 29,374 persons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometime\nafter the Sinhala race\u201d was invented, it got bisected.  Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Superintendant of Census,\ndivided the Sinhalese into Kandyan and Low country for the 1901 census. Then he\nsaid that Tamils were equal to each of the Sinhala groups when taken\nseparately. Census of 1921 stated that the Kandyan Sinhalese differed from the\nLow country Sinhalese in all respects except those of color, religion and\nlanguage. Kandyan villagers saw the Low country Sinhalese as a separate race\n(pahata rata minissu), probably due to the impact of Portuguese, Dutch,\nBritish, Malay and Chinese influences (sic). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Census of 1911 \nhowever, stated \u2018 the distinction between Kandyan and Low country\nSinhalese is every year lessened, intermarriages are on the increase and in\nmany parts   of the  \u2018Up country\u2019, it is difficult to\ndistinguish  between Kandyan and Low country\nmen and women\u2019.  Then  in  1922   a \ndistrict court case dealing with property rights in marriage  went \ninto appeal and  Supreme Court\nruled that  that Low country Sinhalese  and Kandyan Sinhalese were the same race.\n(NLR vol.24 p245) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as late as 1946, persons from the Central,\nNorth central, Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces, the Kurunegala and Puttalam\ndistricts and the \u2019Sinhalese divisions\u2019 of the districts of Batticaloa,\nTrincomalee and Vavuniya continued to be Kandyan. Persons from Western and\nSouthern provinces and Chilaw and Puttalam districts were Low country (Census\n1946). Arthur Ranasinghe, Superintendant of census for 1946 cited the 1922 case\nand observed that this division made no sense. Kandyan and Low- country Sinhalese were treated\nas two separate\ncensus groups from 1901 to 1971.  They were combined in the 1981 census. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ponnambalam\nArunachalam said in the 1901 census that the \u2018modern\u2019 approach at that time was\nto identify \u2018aggregations of persons believed or presumed to belong to the same\nstock and having a common language, character and political institutions.\u2019  But no objective criteria  were devised for this. The answer given by\nthe respondent was accepted by\nthe enumerators\nin 1981. Denham had said\nin 1911 that it is inconceivable that any Sinhalese would enter himself as\nTamil or vice versa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Census of 1946, the enumerators were\noffered a list of races and had to slot people into one of them. The enumerators were instructed, \u2018 enter the\nrace of each as Low country Sinhala, Kandyan Sinhalese, Ceylon Tamil, Indian\nTamil,  Ceylon Moor .Indian Moor, Malay,\nEnglish, scotch, Irish etc. also state whether Malay, Parsee, Borah. Do not use general terms such as British , Ceylonese.\nThe children were given their fathers\u2019 race. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1946, the criteria for deciding if a person\nwas a  Ceylon Tamil ,was \u2018racial stock\u2019. Ceylon\nTamils are those who can trace their origins to a \u2018Tamil district in Ceylon,\u2019  said\nthe Census. A Ceylon Tamil therefore  was\na person who traditionally had his origins in a Tamil district. It was \u2018stock\u2019 not birthplace that decided. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For language, 1946 census said\u2019 Enter in this\ncage the language of the race to which the father belongs. For Moor, Burghers,\nEurasians the language used in the home. \nThe census asked for \u2018mother tongue.\u2019 But father\u2019s tongue must be stated\n for the mother tongue. Enter father\u2019s\nlanguage in the mother tongue column\u201d, the Census instructed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Census asked whether   a person could speak Sinhala or Tamil. There\nwas a separate question for literacy, which asked can they read and write\nSinhala or Tamil.  Jennings said the\ncensus would have been more useful if it has asked, instead for mother tongue,  for languages spoken, literacy in mother\ntongue, literacy in other languages. The\n1950 Whitepaper quietly dropped mother tongue and substituted the language of\nthe home, noted Jennings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1981 census\nclassified the population into six ethnic\ngroups: \u2018Sinhalese, Sri Lanka Tamil, Indian Tamil, Sri Lanka Moor, Burgher, Malay and other.\u2019  The 2012\ncensus added \u2018Sri Lanka Chetty\u2019 and \u2018Bharatha\u2019 to the list. The ethnic pattern\nin 2012 was: Sinhalese (15,250,081) Sri Lanka Tamil (2,269,266) Indian\nTamil (839,504) Sri Lanka Moor (1,892,638) Burgher (38,293) Malay (44,130) Sri\nLanka Chetty (5,595), Bharatha (1,717) Other (18,215).  Total 20,359,439. (Census 2012).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nPopulation Census, which is based on the Census Ordinance, has a great\ndeal of authority and influence, observed Tudor Silva. Its statistics are used as\nthe base for many economic activities, such as distribution of state resources.   Its ethnic\ncategories, which are utterly artificial, are accepted as official. This has led to other complications. These artificial ethnic Identities then started to    develop a life   and history of their own   and become fixed.   Now they\nare claiming land rights and   sovereignty,\nTudor concluded. (Continued)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS The first census of Ceylon of which there is a record is the census of 1824. That was an incomplete census which grouped the population by caste.  The first complete population census   of Ceylon was the census of 1871.  This census left out \u2018caste\u2019 and introduced \u2018race\u2019 and \u2018nationality\u2019,   two European   concepts which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119957\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}