The fact that the Tamils, the original inhabitants of the island of Sri Lanka
The fact that the Tamils, the original inhabitants of the island of Sri Lanka
The fact that the Tamils, the original inhabitants of the island of Sri Lanka, have become a minority on that island today is not something that happened naturally.
While the immigrants of Sri Lanka are 74%, the fact that the true inhabitants (Tamils) are 12% may come as a surprise to many. How is it that the immigrants are many times more than the true inhabitants? Let us see the answer below with global historical examples.
In history, it has been a common strategy for settlers with strong state power to reduce the number of the original inhabitants of that land. The original owners of the America were the Native Americans. But the settlers who came from Europe destroyed the original inhabitants with guns and tricks.
Today, the population of the United States is 98% made up of Europeans and other ethnic groups. The true inhabitants are confined to a small area of just 2%.
The people who lived there for thousands of years were Aboriginal people. But after British colonization, much of the population of Australia today is white. The indigenous people are marginalized to a very small percentage.
After World War II, Jewish settlers from Europe have now taken control of a large part of Palestine. The original Arabs are now being turned into refugees and minorities in their own land.
A similar historical trick has been played out on the island of Sri Lanka.
The Sinhalese race is not a race that originated from a single place. It is a composite race of immigrants who came from different directions at different times.
The so-called ‘Vijayan Padayata’, which is the early history of the Sinhalese, refers to immigration from Odisha (Kalingam) and Bengal. Their DNA and their physical resemblance are like those of the Bengalis.
When agriculture and irrigation flourished in the central highlands and southern parts of Sri Lanka, millions of people from Kerala (Malayalam), Andhra Pradesh (Telugu) and Karnataka migrated in search of livelihood and trade. Wherever the economy and agriculture flourished, people gathered there.
They learned the state-sponsored ‘Sinhala’ language. Gradually, the various ethnic groups abandoned their mother tongues and became Sinhalese as a common identity.
Those who came to the Hambantota region from islands such as Java in Indonesia through sea voyages also later associated themselves with the Sinhala identity.
The best example is Mahinda Rajapaksa.
It is a historical fact that the Tamils living in the western regions, especially the areas from Puttalam to Wennappuwa, eventually became Sinhalese. Due to the influence of Buddhist monks and the need for state recognition, many Tamil families embraced the Sinhalese identity.
In the generational change, the Tamil language was abandoned, and Sinhalese was imposed. Many families with Sinhalese names today (for example: Varnakulasuriya, Gurukulsuriya) have a background in the Tamil fishing community.
All these people acquired the identity of ‘Sinhala’ by accepting Buddhism and the Sinhalese language that emerged in its background.
Let us see how the Naku War caused the decline in the number of Tamils. Estimates say that about 2 lakh Tamils were killed in the war that took place from 1976 to 2009. Most of them were between the ages of 18-35. This pushed the Tamil birth rate (Fertility Rate) lower than that of other ethnic groups.
About 1 million-1.5 million Tamils who left Sri Lanka and lived in Europe and North America have obtained citizenship there. The fact that they cannot return to their homeland has permanently reduced the number of Tamils.
Several human rights organizations have alleged that certain medical measures were taken to reduce the birth rate in the Tamil areas during and after the war.
The ethnic transformation of Sri Lanka was not something that happened spontaneously. It was the combined effect of planned laws, land grabbing, genocide and forced religious/language conversions.
The indigenous Tamils always lived within a secure boundary (the North and East). They did not assimilate other ethnic groups like the settlers (Pure and Static).
The systematic land occupations and acts of depriving the Tamils of their citizenship over time have put the indigenous people on the defensive. The indigenous Tamils are today reduced in number and politically weakened in their own land.
This is what is called Structural Genocide. The Tamils in Sri Lanka are not just a minority. They are the original inhabitants of this land. But political power and religious fanaticism are trying to wipe an indigenous people from history.
Recovering lost land and a dwindling population is an imperative for Tamils.
(Translation by Tamilpriya)
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