Mukkuvar is a maritime
ethnic
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
group found in the
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
states of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
and the Eastern and North Western coastal regions of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. They are mostly found on the Malabar Coast, South Travancore Coast and Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, who have traditionally been involved in
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
and other maritime activities.
Etymology
The caste name proposes several etymology theories. One view holds that the name ''Mukkuvar'' is derived from the
Dravidian term ''muluku'' or ''mukku'' meaning "to dive", suggesting their traditional occupation in diving for
pearls
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living animal shell, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pea ...
and
seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washe ...
.
Other titles used by the community are ''Kukankulam, Murkukan'' and ''Mukkiyar''.
The Mukkuvars are divided into
exogamous
Exogamy is the social norm of marrying outside one's social group. The group defines the scope and extent of exogamy, and the rules and enforcement mechanisms that ensure its continuity. One form of exogamy is dual exogamy, in which two groups c ...
clans known as ''llam'' meaning "house". The Mukkuvars of Northern Malabar are known as ''Nalillakkar'' (meaning "of the four illams") consisted of the clans known as ''Ponillam'' (from ''pon'' meaning "gold"), ''Chembillam'' (from ''chembu'' meaning "copper"), ''Karillam'' and ''Kachillam''. The Mukkuvars of Southern Malabar have only three clans, with the absence of Ponillam, and are therefore known as ''Munillakar'' (meaning "of the three illams").
History
Early history
The Mukkuvars historically were inhabitants of the ''Neithal'' (coastal) lands of ancient Tamilakam, and find mention in various ancient
Tamil literary works. As suggested by their name they probably involved in diving for pearls and conch.
They were maritime inhabitants of the littoral
Sangam landscape
The Sangam landscape (Tamil: அகத்திணை "inner classification") is the name given to a poetic device that was characteristic of love poetry in classical Tamil Sangam literature. The core of the device was the categorisation of poe ...
known as ''Neithal,'' who were involved in pearls-harvesting, boat-building, fishing, among other maritime activities. Tamil Literature
Akananuru describes the ship building capabilities of Neithal inhabitants in the ancient Tamilakam in chapter
6:1-2
Mukkuvars had trade relation in Srilanka from 12'th century and few settled there from then. According to the legend of the Mukkuvar from Kerala, they emigrated to and from Sri Lanka. The ''
Mattakallappu Manmiyam
''Mattakkalappu Maanmiyam'' (; ''The Glory of Batticaloa'') is a Tamil language historical book concerning the history of Batticaloa. It was compiled by F. X. Nadarajah from the collections of palm-leaf manuscript
Palm-leaf manuscripts are m ...
'' text and other local
palm-leaf manuscripts
Palm-leaf manuscripts are manuscripts made out of dried palm leaves. Palm leaves were used as writing materials in the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia reportedly dating back to the 5th century BCE. Their use began in South Asia and sp ...
in Srilanka attribute the emigration of the Sri Lankan Mukkuvar from
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
under the rule of
Kalinga Magha
Kalinga Magha or Gangaraja Kalinga Vijayabahu ( ta, கலிங்க மாகன் / கலிங்க மாகோன் / கங்கராஜ காலிங்க விஜயவாகு மகன் , si, කාලිංග මාඝ, ...
in 12th century AD, who delegates the power to local petty kings whose successors are identified as belonging to ''Kukankulam''. The Mukkuvars in Kanyakumari district still have the Srilankan dialect of Tamil, which shows they emigrated to and from southern part of ancient Tamilakam and Srilanka
Medieval history
In the 8th century made mercantile
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
appearances in Kerala, where they among other married natives such as those from the Mukkuvar community, and formed social groups such as the
Mappilas
Mappila Muslim, often shortened to Mappila, formerly anglicized as Moplah/Mopla and historically known as Jonaka/Chonaka Mappila or Moors Mopulars/Mouros da Terra and Mouros Malabares, in general, is a member of the Muslim community of same n ...
. The Mukkuvars were in addition to fishing and seafaring, involved in
warfare
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...
. Native rulers such as the
Zamorin of Calicut
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited by ...
promoted Mukkuvars in coversion to
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
in order to man their
navies
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...
. Up to 1000 AD were the Mukkuvars recruited to the naval fleets of the
Chera dynasty. South Indian communities were often invited to
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
as mercenaries. The
Sinhala text known as ''Dambadeni Asna'' refers to Mukkuvar warriors serving in the army of
Parakramabahu II of Dambadeniya
Parakramabahu II, also known as Panditha Parakramabāhu, was the King of Dambadeniya in 13th century, whose reign lasted from 1234 to 1269. As a pioneer in literature, he was bestowed with the honorary title "Kalikala Sahitya Sarvagna Pandita". Pa ...
. As mentioned in
Mattakallappu Manmiyam
''Mattakkalappu Maanmiyam'' (; ''The Glory of Batticaloa'') is a Tamil language historical book concerning the history of Batticaloa. It was compiled by F. X. Nadarajah from the collections of palm-leaf manuscript
Palm-leaf manuscripts are m ...
, they also served in the 13th century in the army of the invader
Kalinga Magha
Kalinga Magha or Gangaraja Kalinga Vijayabahu ( ta, கலிங்க மாகன் / கலிங்க மாகோன் / கங்கராஜ காலிங்க விஜயவாகு மகன் , si, කාලිංග මාඝ, ...
, who seized control of northern and eastern parts of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. The Kerala-derived Mukkuvars, whose descendants are the
Sri Lankan Mukkuvars, under
Kalinga Magha
Kalinga Magha or Gangaraja Kalinga Vijayabahu ( ta, கலிங்க மாகன் / கலிங்க மாகோன் / கங்கராஜ காலிங்க விஜயவாகு மகன் , si, කාලිංග මාඝ, ...
were made chieftains known as
''Vanniar'' in the
Batticaloa
Batticaloa ( ta, மட்டக்களப்பு, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu''; si, මඩකලපුව, ''Maḍakalapuwa'') is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the B ...
region, where they also formed
matrilinear
Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance o ...
landlords known as ''Podiyar'' and exhibited significant political domination. Mukkuvars in alliance with Arabs encamped at the
Puttalam region where in an campaign initiated by
Parakramabahu VI of Kotte
Parâkramabâhu VI (1410/1412/1415–1467) was a king in the Sri Lankan kingdom of Kotte. He is the last great king in Sri Lanka who managed to unite the island under one flag. His rule is famous for the political stability which he maintained i ...
, battled and chased away by
Karaiyar
Karaiyar is a Sri Lankan Tamil caste found mainly on the northern and eastern coastal areas of Sri Lanka, and globally among the Tamil diaspora.
They are traditionally a seafaring community that is engaged in fishing, shipment and seaborne t ...
mercenaries, mentioned in
Mukkara Hatana
The Mukkara Hatana ("''The'' ''Mukkuvar War"'') is a 17th-century palm-leaf manuscript from Sri Lanka. Written in Sinhalese, the work celebrates the victory of the Karaiyars, also known as Karavas, over the Mukkuvars, who battled for the dominanc ...
(meaning Mukkuvar war). Mukkuvar women intermarried with their allied Arabs, whose descendants reside in the
Sri Lankan Moor
Sri Lankan Moors ( ta, இலங்கைச் சோனகர், translit=Ilaṅkaic Cōṉakar; si, ලංකා යෝනක, translit=Lanka Yonaka; formerly Ceylon Moors; colloquially referred to as Sri Lankan Muslims) are an ethnic minorit ...
ethnicity.
[{{Cite book, last1=Mayer, first1=Markus, title=Building Local Capacities for Peace: Rethinking Conflict and Development in Sri Lanka, last2=Rajasingham-Senanayake, first2=Darini, last3=Thangarajah, first3=Yuvi, date=2003, publisher=Macmillan India, isbn=978-0-333-93921-5, pages=69, language=en]
References
Indian castes
Social groups of Kerala