Norteiro

Norteiros were a historical people who lived in the former Portuguese exclaves in the western littoral parts of the northern Konkan region, in the present-day Greater Bombay Metropolitan Area and the union territory of Damaon, Diu& Silvassa.

''Norteiro'' means "northerner" in the European Portuguese language and its Indo-Portuguese creoles; the term referred to the people inhabiting the territory of the Northern Province (''Província do Norte''), centred in and around the present-day Bassein (Vasai), headquartered at Fort San Sebastian of Bassein which was styled "the Court of the North" (''A Corte do Norte''). It included the Bombay harbour and stood second only to the capital (metropole) of Velha Goa in south Konkan, among Portuguese East Indies colonies in Portuguese India.

''Norteiro'' has largely fallen into disuse, the descendants are the Luso-Indians as in the case of the Damanese of Damaon territory and the Korlaite Christians of Chaul, the natives identify as the Bombay East Indians, i.e. those Christians who inhabit Bassein (Vasai), Old Bombay, New Bombay& other locales in Greater Bombay. The latter are still known as ''Nodtheir'' (male), ''Nodtheirni'' (female)& ''Nodtheira'' (plural) in the Konkani language.

Culture

Except for Dio district, which lies in the historical "Sorath" or Saurashtra (region), the remaining settlements were all within the north Konkan region, partitioned between the union territory of Damaon, Diu& Silvassa and Maharashtra state. They were populated predominantly by native Konkani people.

Basseinites spoke a distinct ''Norteiro'' creole of Indo-Portuguese, it was described in detail and compared with other varieties by Rodolf Dalgado.

History

Capture of Bassein

During the period of Peshva rule of the Maratha Empire, territory of Portuguese Bombay was invaded when the Portuguese refused to pay the "trading permit tax" to stop Maratha attacks and naval raids. Under the Peshva, Marathas seized most of the headquartered at Fort Bassein. A brother to the Peshva , Chimaji Appa ordered the destruction and vandalism of nearly all Christian places, the Basilica of Mount Bandra (Bombay) was the only structure spared and many Norteiros switched loyalties, they also switched to speaking Marathi in Konkan. When the English East India Company later took over the seven islands of Bombay from the Portuguese capital at Velha Goa, and Bassein (Vasai) and from the Maratha, they called the Norteiros "Bombay Portuguese".

British era

After the involvement of England in Goan affairs as a result of the French Revolutionary Wars & the Napoleonic Wars, England occupied Portuguese Goa for several years, ostensibly to protect it from a French takeover. The Goans were encouraged to migrate to Bombay and find employment. Because of the influx of Goans, called "Goan Portuguese" by the English, the "Bombay Portuguese" decided to rename themselves with a name emphasising their status as subjects of the English Crown, to distinguish them from the Goans, who were Portuguese citizens (since Pombal enfranchised Goa). These ''Norteiros'' began calling themselves "Bombay East Indians", to identify with the English East India Company which ruled them on behalf of England.

Other communities, such as that of Kristi creole people of Chaul, Damaon& Dio, continued to identify Luso-Indians.

Both the Damanese and the Kristi communities are often wrongly called Norteiro people, derived from the native Marathi people. However, the Dio, Damaonite& Kristi Norteiros share a single trait, as compared to the Bombay East Indians who are culturally different from them.

See also

* History of Konkan
*Konkani people
*Marathi people
*List of topics on the Portuguese Empire in the East

References

{{Reflist

Ethnic groups in India
History of Portugal
History of Maharashtra
History of Mumbai
History of Christianity in Asia
History of Goa
Colonial India