Tamils

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Tamils
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Population
77,000,000
Significant regions
IndiaIndia India 72,147,030 (2011)
Sri LankaSri Lanka Sri Lanka 3,092,676 (2001)
MalaysiaMalaysia Malaysia 1,392,000 (2000)
SingaporeSingapore Singapore 188,591 (2010)
for others see under Tamils ​​in the Diaspora
Tamil girls in Kalmunai , Sri Lanka
Highland Tamil woman in Sri Lanka picking tea

The Tamils ( Tamil தமிழர் tamiḻar [ ˈtamɨɻɑr ]) are a Dravidian people from the Indian subcontinent with a history going back more than two millennia.

General

The oldest Tamil communities live in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in northern Sri Lanka . In addition, numerous Tamils ​​have lived as immigrants in countries such as Malaysia , South Africa , Singapore and Mauritius for several generations . The civil war in Sri Lanka since the 1980s has contributed to the emergence of significant Tamil communities in Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Norway and Switzerland; there are an estimated 79 million members of this tribe worldwide.

Tamil arts (see Tamil culture ) have made a significant contribution to India's cultural achievements - the Tamil language is one of the oldest written languages ​​in India. Their oldest texts come from the 3rd century BC. Classical music, classical dances as well as temple building and sculpture by the Tamils ​​are still taught and practiced today. The Tamil language can look back on an independent literary history of over 2000 years. It is therefore the only Indian language to be considered a classic and modern idiom at the same time.

Unlike many other peoples, the Tamils ​​as a whole were mostly not governed by a single political power. Tamilakam , the traditional name for the Tamil area, was only politically united under the Chola Empire between the 9th and 12th centuries .

The Tamil identity was and is primarily defined linguistically, although today tradition and culture are also seen as a constituent characteristic, since many emigrants no longer speak the language themselves, but still see themselves as Tamils.

Tamils ​​are ethnically, linguistically and culturally related to the other Dravidian peoples of southern India.

story

Prehistoric Age

The great temple of Thanjavur (built during the Chola era).

The origin of the Tamils ​​is - like that of other Dravidian peoples - largely unknown. However, genetic and archaeological evidence point to a possible migration of Dravidian tribes from the Middle East to India during the 6th millennium BC. Chr. The oldest clear evidence of the presence of the Tamils ​​in today's Tamil Nadu is the megalithic urn burials from the 1st millennium BC. BC, which were found in various places in Tamil Nadu. These urn burials can be found in classical Tamil texts and are therefore regarded as concrete evidence of the existence of the Tamils ​​in southern India during this period.

Classic age

Since the 3rd century BC Three dynasties ruled over the Tamil settlement area: Chola , Chera and Pandya , each of which represented an independent kingdom. Since the 3rd century BC Ancient Tamil sangam literature flourished. Classical Tamil texts and inscriptions also tell of smaller autonomous regions that were led by various petty princes; Conflicts between kings and princes were not uncommon. The kings and princes were the patrons of the Tamil arts and there is an extensive literary canon from this period, which also testifies that many cultural customs were specific to the Tamils.

Agriculture was central to the Tamil culture of this era and there is evidence that irrigation systems were built as early as the early 2nd century AD. Trade with other peoples flourished at this time and there is evidence of intensive trade relations with the Roman Empire (large amounts of Roman coins and traces of the presence of the Romans were found in the vicinity of Karur and Arikamedu ) - also said to be from the Pandya -Kings at least two ambassadors have been sent to the court of Emperor Augustus . Potsherds with Tamil inscriptions found during excavations in the Red Sea indicate that Tamil merchants were active there. The author of the ancient Greek Periplus Maris Erythraei reported in great detail about the ports of the Pandya and Chera empires and named black pepper , bay leaves , nutmeg , pearls , ivory , silk , diamonds , sapphires and turtle shells as the main export articles of the ancient Tamils .

The classical age ended in the 4th century AD with the invasion of the Kalabhra . This era is known as the Dark Age of the Tamils ​​and ended with the rise of the Pallava dynasty.

Detail from the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram The Tamil kings were the patrons of art and built many ornate temples.
Dominion of the Cholas (approx. 1025 AD)

Imperial and post-imperial ages

Although records of the Pallava can be traced back to the 2nd century AD, they were not mentioned as an imperial dynasty until the 6th century. The Pallava were not originally Tamils, but they quickly adopted the Tamil culture and language. They also adapted the models of dynastic succession to the north Indian empires such as B. that of the Maurya or the Gupta empire . The former royal dynasties became an imperial dynasty and attempts were made to unite large territories into one empire. Originally the Pallavas were Buddhists , but later converted to Hinduism and as such promoted the Bhakti movement to counter the growing influences of Buddhism and Jainism . Under the Pallavas, the construction of large and magnificent temples began, which laid the foundation for the Dravidian temple architecture.

The Pallava dynasty was brought down in the 9th century by the revitalized Chola empire. The Chola became the dominant empire of South Asia, whose sphere of influence extended over all of South India, Sri Lanka , Sumatra to Thailand and Burma . Their end came with the resurgence of the Pandya in the 12th and 13th centuries. Pandya rule ended in the 15th century after recurring Muslim invasions in southern India. The western Tamil regions became politically more independent of the rest of the Tamil regions after both the Chola and Pandya empires lost control of these areas in the 13th century. As a result, a language different from Tamil with its own literary history developed in the west of South India - this can be seen as the birth of Malayalam . After the collapse of the Pandya Empire, there were no longer any larger central empires and Tamil Nadu was ruled only by local princes for a time, such as B. from the nayaks from today's states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. From the 17th century, European powers began to set up trading posts and branches; In the 18th century there was therefore a conflict between the French, the British and the Danes for supremacy in Tamil Nadu, which the British finally won at the end of the 18th century.

The Muneeswaran Temple in Jaffna

Tamils ​​in Sri Lanka

There is little consensus among historians about the history of the Tamil-speaking part of Sri Lanka. Sinhala historians claim that there was no organized Tamil presence in Sri Lanka until the Chola Empire came to dominate Sri Lanka in the 10th century, whereas Tamil historians counter that the Tamils ​​were the original inhabitants of the island and these Araipadi and Were called Elapadi . None of these claims can be historically proven.

It is considered a fact, however, that since the 2nd century BC Tamil kingdoms in India were involved in Sri Lankan affairs. There is also evidence that Tamil merchants lived in the 1st century BC. Were in Anuradhapura and also settled there. With the annexation of Sri Lanka in the 10th century by the Chola Empire, a noticeably large Tamil population group settled on the island. After the end of the Chola occupation at the end of the 11th century, the Polonnaruwa monarchy was restored. In 1215 the Arya Chakaravarthi dynasty established an independent kingdom on the Jaffna Peninsula and parts of northern Sri Lanka. The Arya Chakaravarthi dynasty ruled large parts of northern and eastern Sri Lanka until the Portuguese occupied large parts of the island in 1619. In 1796 the whole island became part of the British Empire .

From 1983 to 2009 a civil war broke out between Tamil separatists , especially the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and the Sri Lankan government .

Modern age

Tamil brahmin couple from colonial times.

The British colonial government combined the various Tamil areas of South India with other areas to form the Madras Presidency , which were integrated into British India . At the same time, the Tamil part of Sri Lanka and the rest of the island were named Ceylon Colony and also part of British India. Even after India's independence in 1947 and Sri Lanka in 1948, these two administrative structures remained in place; in the case of Sri Lanka, this would later be one of the reasons for the outbreak of civil war .

With India's independence in 1947, the Madras Presidency became the state of Madras, which in 1956 took the form of today's Tamil Nadu under the States Reorganization Act . The new federal state was linguistically separated, thus enabling the Indian Tamils ​​to be grouped together as much as possible in one state. The state of Madras received its current name Tamil Nadu in 1968.

Initially, voices were raised calling for an independent Tamil state in southern India; there were also demonstrations against the introduction of Hindi as the national language of India. The Tamil side argued that, as a legacy of the British occupation, the English language had long since become a kind of national language for India and that the introduction of Hindi as the official language would make many Tamils ​​practically illiterate. As a reaction to the increasing unrest in the south of India, the parliament passed the so-called three language formula , according to which there is no official national language of India as a whole, but only official languages ​​in each individual state. Accordingly, English is automatically the official language, to which the predominant language of the population of the respective state and (optionally) Hindi are added. As a result, there are a total of 22 official languages ​​in the states of India, with English playing the role of a lingua franca , while Hindi is the quasi-factual national language. The official languages ​​of Tamil Nadus State are English and Tamil. Due to the federal structure of India and the three language formula , there are hardly any efforts these days for an independent Tamil state in India.

In Sri Lanka, British rule led to the preference of the Tamil minority in terms of education and profession (for example in colonial administration), which was perceived as a social injustice by the Sinhalese majority after independence in 1948 . Therefore, after the unification of the country, the Sri Lankan Tamils ​​were discriminated against by the Sinhalese government; this discrimination has fueled the desire for autonomy and self-determination among the Tamil minority since the 1970s. This conflict escalated into a civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the rebels of the LTTE ( Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ) in the early 1980s , which lasted until 2009. Although there was a ceasefire agreement in 2002 with promising rapprochement between the two parties, it was broken by both sides in August 2006 and officially terminated by the Sri Lankan government in January 2008.

Geographical distribution

Indian Tamils

Geographical distribution of the Tamils ​​in South Asia

The vast majority of Indian Tamils ​​live in the state of Tamil Nadu . They are also the majority of the population in the Union territory of Puducherry , a former French colony that is now a subnational enclave in Tamil Nadu. Tamils ​​also make up a significant proportion of the population of India's largest cities, which - due to the national economy - is made up of many ethnic groups anyway. Finally, there are the Tamils who have lived in the areas of Kerala , Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra for centuries .

Sri Lankan Tamils

There are two large Tamil groups in Sri Lanka today, which differ less in their ethnicity than in their geographical origin. The first group includes the Sri Lankan Tamils (also known as Ceylon families) who have lived in the north and east of the island for centuries . The second group is called Indian Tamils or Highland Tamils , who were brought from India to the highlands in the heart of Sri Lanka in the 19th century under the British colonial power to work on the tea plantations. Ceylon families are therefore mainly found in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka as well as in and around Colombo, whereas highland Tamils ​​can be found almost exclusively in the central high mountains of the country. Both the Highland Tamils ​​and the Ceylon Tamils ​​saw themselves as separate communities.

Through an agreement between the Sri Lankan and Indian governments, 40% of the Highland Tamils ​​obtained Sri Lankan citizenship. The remaining highland Tamils ​​were repatriated back to India. As a result of the ethnic conflict , Ceylon and Highland Tamils ​​have become closer and a common awareness of their Tamil identity has developed.

There is a noteworthy proportion of Tamil-speaking Muslims (so-called Moors ) who, unlike the Tamil Muslims of India, do not see themselves as ethnic Tamils ​​and are therefore listed as a separate ethnic group.

Tamils ​​in the Diaspora

Tamil festival in Paris

Since the 18th century there have been major waves of emigration among the Tamils, as the British colonial government brought many poor Tamils to remote parts of the British Empire as so-called "indentured laborers" . As a result, Tamils ​​have been found in Malaysia , Singapore , South Africa , Réunion , Fiji , Mauritius and the Caribbean for generations . At the same time, Tamil merchants also emigrated to other parts of the Empire, such as Burma and East Africa . Tamils ​​still live in these countries today and have retained a large part of their culture, identity and language - for example, in countries such as Malaysia, Mauritius and Réunion there are schools that teach all their lessons in Tamil. Although English is used as the language of instruction in multi-ethnic Singapore, many Tamil children learn Tamil as a second language at their school, and although Tamil only makes up about 10% of the population of Singapore, Tamil has been declared one of the official languages ​​of the city-state. Other Tamil communities, such as those in Fiji and South Africa, no longer actively master Tamil, but still understand it and have retained a strong connection to their Tamil identity and culture .

The last major wave of Tamil emigration has originated in Sri Lanka since the 1980s, as many Tamils ​​are trying to escape the civil war there. Most of the refugees fled to Australia , Europe , North America and Southeast Asia . The largest communities outside of South Asia can now be found in Durban , Toronto , London and Paris . The largest Tamil community in Germany is in Dortmund. The largest Tamil Hindu temple in continental Europe is in Hamm ( Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple )

The prospect of better job prospects has also prompted many young Tamil workers from India to emigrate to Europe or the USA.

See also

literature

  • GL Hart: The Poems of Ancient Tamil: Their Milieu and their Sanskrit Counterparts . University of California Press, Berkeley 1975, ISBN 0-520-02672-1 .
  • GL Hart: The Nature of Tamil Devotion. In: MM Deshpande, PE Hook (Ed.): Aryan and Non-Aryan in India. Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, Ann Arbor MI 1979, ISBN 0-89148-014-5 , pp. 11-33.
  • Iravatham Mahadevan: Early Tamil Epigraphy from the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century AD Cambridge, Harvard University Press; Chennai, India 2003, ISBN 0-674-01227-5 .
  • Sumathi Ramaswamy: Passions of the Tongue: language devotion in Tamil India 1891-1970 . Munshiram, Delhi 1998, ISBN 81-215-0851-7 .
  • Vijaya Ramaswamy: Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. The Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland 2007.
  • KS Ramaswamy Sastri: The Tamils: The People, Their History and Culture. Volume 1: An Introduction to Tamil History and Society . Cosmo Publications, New Delhi 2002, ISBN 81-7755-406-9 .
  • Kurt Salentin, Markus Gröne: Tamil refugees in the Federal Republic . IKO - Verlag für Interkulturelle Kommunikation, Frankfurt 2002, ISBN 3-88939-642-9 .
  • Manorama Sharma: Folk India: A Comprehensive Study of Indian Folk Music and Culture. Volume 11: Tamil Nadu and Kerala . Sundeep Prakashan, New Delhi 2004, ISBN 81-7574-141-4 .
  • Rama Sivaram: Early Chola Art: Origin and Emergence of Style . Navrang, New Delhi 1994, ISBN 81-7013-079-4 .
  • V. Suryanarayan: In search of a new identity. In: Frontline. 18 (2), 2001.
  • SS Iyer Swaminatha: A Brief History of the Tamil Country. Part 1: The Cholas . GS Maniya, Tanjore 1910.
  • K. Zvebil: The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. Brill, Leiden 1974, ISBN 90-04-03591-5 .

Web links

Commons : Tamils  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Top 30 Languages ​​by Number of Native Speakers: sourced from Ethnologue: Languages ​​of the World, 15th ed. (2005). In: Vistawide - World Languages ​​& Cultures. Retrieved April 3, 2007 .
  2. ↑ Indian Census - Abstract of Strength of Mother Tongues. In: Indian Census, 2001. Retrieved January 7, 2008 .
  3. ^ Brief Analysis of Population and Housing Characteristics. (PDF; 430 kB) In: Sri Lanka census of population and housing 2001. Accessed January 7, 2008 .
  4. ↑ Ethnologue report for language code tam. In: Ethnologue: Languages ​​of the World. Retrieved July 31, 2007 .
  5. ^ Census of Population 2010 Statistical Release 1: Demographic Characteristics, Education, Language and Religion. (PDF) (No longer available online.) In: Singapore Government. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017 ; accessed on May 8, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.singstat.gov.sg
  6. ↑ MB Emeneau: India as a Linguistic Area . In: Language . tape 32 , no. 1 (Jan – Mar), 1956, pp. 5 , JSTOR : 410649 (English): “Of the four literary Dravidian languages, Tamil has voluminous records dating back at least two millennia”
  7. ↑ Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot by Mohan Lal p. 4284
  8. ^ Burton Stein: Circulation and the Historical Geography of Tamil Country . In: The Journal of Asian Studies . tape 37 , November 1977, p. 7–26 , JSTOR : 2053325 (English): “Tamil is one of the two longest-surviving classical languages ​​in India.”
  9. ^ Gadgil et al .: Peopling of India. The Indian / Sri Lankan Human Heritage
  10. ↑ K. De B. Codrington: Indian Cairn and Urn Burials . In: Man . tape October 30 , 1930, p. 190–196 , JSTOR : 2790468 (English): “… at Perambair & Pallavaram a second type of burial exists in legged urns…”
  11. ↑ K. De B. Codrington: Indian Cairn and Urn Burials . In: Man . tape October 30 , 1930, p. 194 , JSTOR : 2790468 (English): “It is necessary to draw attention to certain passages in early Tamil literature which throw a great deal of light upon this strange burial ceremonial…”
  12. ↑ Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature by Kamil Zvelebil, p. 105
  13. ↑ K. Sivathamby: Early South Indian Society and Economy: The Tinai Concept . In: Social Scientist . tape 3 , no. 5 , December 1974, p. 20-37 , JSTOR : 3516448 (English): “Those who ruled over small territories were called Kurunilamannar. The area ruled by such a small ruler usually corresponded to a geographical unit. In Purananuru a number of such chieftains are mentioned; .. ”
  14. ↑ Grand Anaicut. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 3, 2006 .
  15. ^ MGS Narayanan: The Role of Peasants in the Early History of Tamilakam in South India . In: Social Scientist . tape 16 , no. 9 , September 1988, pp. 17-34 , JSTOR : 3517170 .
  16. ↑ Pandya Dynasty. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 3, 2007 .
  17. ↑ Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Maritime Spice Route Between India, Egypt. (No longer available online.) In: Veluppillai, Prof. A.,. dickran.net, archived from the original on October 9, 2006 ; Retrieved November 15, 2006 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dickran.net
  18. ↑ The term Periplus refers to the region of the eastern seaboard of South India as Damirica - The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century. In: Ancient History source book. Retrieved February 3, 2011 .
  19. ^ Indian Geographical Society: The Indian Geographical Journal . Indian Geographical Society, 1941, pp. 69 (English): "These Kalabhras were thrown out by the powerful Pallava dynasty in the fourth century AD ... this period is aptly known as" Dark Ages "of Tamil Nadu. … ”
  20. ^ KAN Sastri: A History of South India.
  21. ↑ Marilyn Hirsh: Mahendravarman I Pallava: Artist and Patron of Mamallapuram . In: Artibus Asiae . tape 48 , no. 1/2 , 1987, pp. 122 , JSTOR : 3249854 .
  22. ^ A b c Vincent Arthur Smith: The Early History of India . The Clarendon press, 1904, pp. 336-358 .
  23. ↑ V. Venkayya: Annual Report 1906-7, Archaeological Survey of India . reprint Swati Publications, Delhi 1907, p. 217-243 .
  24. ↑ Chandra Satish: Medieval India: From the Sultanate to the Mughals (1206-1526) - I . Har-Anand Publications, 1997, OCLC 634705405 , pp. 250 (English): “… Starting from the Tamil lands under the Pallava kings, bhakti spread to different parts of south India…”
  25. ↑ KAN Sastri: Srinivasachari. Advanced History of India, pp. 296-297.
  26. ↑ "Malayalam first appeared in writing in the vazhappalli inscription which dates from about 830 AD." Writing Systems and Languages ​​of the World. In: Omniglot. Omniglot.com, accessed November 15, 2006 .
  27. ^ CR de Silva: Sri Lanka - A History. Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi 1987/1997, ISBN 81-259-0461-1 , pp. 30-32.
  28. ^ GC Mendis: Ceylon Today and Yesterday. Lake House, Colombo 1957/1995, ISBN 955-552-096-8 , pp. 24-25.
  29. ↑ NALLUR SWAMI S. GNANA PRAKASAR OMI: Beginnings of tamil rule in ceylon. lankalibrary.com, accessed December 5, 2006 .
  30. ^ CR de Silva: Sri Lanka - A History. Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi 1987/1997, ISBN 81-259-0461-1 , pp. 46, 48, 75.
  31. ^ GC Mendis: Ceylon Today and Yesterday. Lake House, Colombo 1957/1995, ISBN 955-552-096-8 , pp. 30-31.
  32. ^ VA Smith: The Oxford History of India. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1958, ISBN 0-19-561297-3 , p. 224.
  33. ^ CR de Silva: Sri Lanka - A History. Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi 1987/1997, ISBN 81-259-0461-1 , p. 76.
  34. ↑ PC Vinoj Kumar: Tamil Nadu at the Crossroads. (No longer available online.) Www.tehelka.com, archived from the original on December 1, 2006 ; Retrieved December 2, 2006 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tehelka.com
  35. ↑ Conflict in Sri Lanka - Armistice over
  36. ^ CR de Silva: Sri Lanka - A History. Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi 1987/1997, ISBN 81-259-0461-1 , pp. 177, 181.
  37. ^ A b Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka: Population by Ethnicity according to District and Sector. (No longer available online.) Statistics.gov.lk, archived from the original on May 9, 2007 ; Retrieved May 3, 2007 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.statistics.gov.lk
  38. ^ CR de Silva: Sri Lanka - A History. Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi 1987/1997, ISBN 81-259-0461-1 , p. 262.
  39. ↑ V. Suryanarayan: In search of a new identity. ( Memento of the original from February 8, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Frontline. 18 (2) 2001. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.flonnet.com
  40. ^ CR de Silva: Sri Lanka - A History. Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi 1987/1997, ISBN 81-259-0461-1 , pp. 3–5, 9.
  41. ↑ Christophe Z Guilmoto: The Tamil Migration Cycle 1830–1950. Tamilnation.org, accessed December 4, 2006 .
  42. ↑ TAMIL DIASPORA - A TRANS STATE NATION. Tamilnation.org, accessed December 4, 2006 .
  43. ↑ Chris McDowell: A Tamil Asylum Diaspora: Sri Lankan Migration, Settlement and Politics in Switzerland . Berghahn Books, New York, ISBN 1-57181-917-7 .
  44. ^ Tamil Studies - History. (No longer available online.) In: Tamil Studies at the University of Toronto. The University of Toronto, archived from the original on September 7, 2006 ; Retrieved December 4, 2006 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / tamilstudies.org
  45. ↑ http://www.unionviertel.de/sivalingam-rasan/