Burgher people
Burghers |
---|
Total population |
100,000 |
Regions with significant populations |
Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand |
Language(s) |
English, Sinhalese, Portuguese Creole, Dutch |
Religion(s) |
Related ethnic groups |
Portuguese Burghers, Portuguese, Dutch, English, Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Colombo Chetty |
The Burghers are a Eurasian ethnic group, historically from Sri Lanka, consisting for the most part of male-line descendants of European colonists from the 16th to 20th centuries (mostly Portuguese, Dutch and British) and local Sinhalese women.
Today the mother tongue of the Burghers is English, but historically other languages were spoken by the community, in particular the Sri Lanka Indo-Portuguese, a creole language based on Portuguese and Sinhala.[citation needed]
Contents |
Demographics
In the census of 1981, the Burgher population of Sri Lanka was enumerated at 39,374 persons and it is still less than 1%. The highest concentration of Burghers is in Colombo (0.72%) and Gampaha (0.5%). There are also similar, significant communities in Trincomalee and Batticaloa, but due to conflict in those areas during the 2001 census, figures are not available. The world population (mostly in Sri Lanka, Australia, the US, the UK and Canada) is probably no more than 100,000.
Legal definition
The Burghers were legally defined by law in 1883, by the Chief Justice of Ceylon, Sir , given before the Commission which was appointed in connection with the establishment of a legislative Council in Ceylon. It was decided that in order to be defined as a Burgher, one's father had to have been born in Sri Lanka, with at least one European ancestor on one's direct paternal side, regardless of the ethnic origin of one's mother, or what other ethnic groups may be found on the father's side. Because of this definition, Burghers almost always have European surnames (mostly of Portuguese, Dutch and British origin, although it is not uncommon to also find German, French or Russian surnames).
History
The Portuguese arrived in what was then known by outsiders as Ceylon, in 1505. Since there were no women in the Portuguese navy, the Portuguese sailors married local Sinhalese women. This practice of intermarriage with local people was encouraged by the Portuguese, not only in Ceylon, but also in their other colonies, such as Macau in China and Malacca in Malaysia.
When the Dutch took over in 1653, they expelled all the Portuguese. However, they permitted stateless persons of Portuguese-Jewish (Marrano) descent, and of mixed Portuguese-Sinhalese ancestry to stay. As a result, Burghers with Portuguese names are likely to be of either Jewish or mixed Portuguese-Sinhalese ancestry.
During the Dutch period, all Dutch colonial operations were overseen by the VOC, ('Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie' or Dutch East India Company). Virtually all Burghers from this period were employees of the VOC. The VOC employed not only Dutch nationals, but also enlisted men from the Southern Netherlands, the German states, Sweden, Denmark and Austria. It is therefore not unusual to find ancestors from these countries in many Burgher family trees.
The word 'Burgher' comes from the Dutch/German word VryBurger, meaning "free citizen" or "town's dweller", and is cognate with the French and English word "bourgeois". At this time feudalism in Europe had disintegrated and instead of there being just two classes, i.e the nobles and the peasants, we see the emergence of a group between these two, a middle class, consisting of people who were neither aristocrats nor serfs. These were the traders and businessmen, who lived in towns and were considered free citizens. In Europe they were called Burghers, and they were encouraged to migrate to the colonies in order to expand their business horizons. Thus in Dutch Colonial Ceylon we see two classes of people who were of European descent: those who were paid by the VOC and were referred to as Company servants (i.e. employees) and those who had migrated of their own free will in order to carry out their trade. They were referred to as Burghers and formed the European civilian population in Ceylon.
When the British took over in 1796, many Dutch people chose to leave. However, a significant number chose to stay, mostly those of mixed descent. Some choose to go to Batavia, which was the headquarters of the VOC, but it is said that about 900 families, both Burghers and Company Servants, decided to remain in Ceylon. Under the British they were all referred to as Burghers. One condition of their being allowed to stay was that they had to sign a Treaty of Capitulation to the British, and many Burghers can find their ancestors' names in this treaty. At the time of the British conquest, there were about 900 Burgher families residing in Ceylon, concentrated in Colombo, Galle, Matara and Jaffna.
Culture
Until the early 1900s, as well as English, many Burghers also spoke a form of Portuguese Creole, even those of Dutch descent. It is now only spoken in parts of the coastal towns of Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Most of its vocabulary is from Portuguese, but its grammar is based on that of Sinhalese.
Burgher culture is a rich mixture of east and west, reflecting their ancestry. They are the most westernised of the ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. Most of them wear western clothing, although it is not uncommon for a man to be seen wearing a sarong, or for a woman to wear a sari.
A number of elements in Burgher culture have actually extended to become part of the cultures of other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. For example, baila music, which has its origin in the music of 16th century Portugal, has found its way into mainstream popular Sinhalese music. Lacemaking, which began as a domestic pastime of Burgher women, is now a part of Sinhalese culture too. Even certain foods, such as , (layered cake), , and frikkadels (savoury meatballs), have become an integral part of Sri Lankan national cuisine.
Burghers are not physically homogeneous. It is possible to have a blond, fair-skinned Burgher, as well as a Burgher with a very dark complexion and black hair. Fair-skinned and dark-skinned children can even appear as brother and sister in the same family of the same parents. Burghers share a common culture rather than a common ethnicity. While the older generations of Burghers tried to dismiss the obvious Asian side of their ancestry, many younger Burghers today highly value this variety in their heritage.
Burghers have a very strong interest in their family histories. Many old Burgher families kept stamboeks (from the Dutch for "Clan Books"). These recorded not only dates of births, marriages and deaths, but also significant events in the history of a family, such as details of moving house, illnesses, school records, and even major family disputes. An extensive, multi-volume stamboek of many family lineages is kept by the .
Individual families have traditions which reflect their specific family origins. Burghers of Dutch origin sometimes celebrate the Feast of Saint Nicholas in December, and those of Portuguese-Jewish origin observe customs such as the separation time of a woman after childbirth (see Leviticus 12:2-5), the redemption of the Firstborn (Pidyon ha-Ben), and the purification bath (taharah) after a daughter’s first period (see niddah). Most of the latter Burgher families, being unaware of the Jewish origins of these customs, have given them a Catholic slant.
However, some of these so-called Jewish left-over traditions can also be explained as borrowings or retention from neighboring Tamil and Sinhalese communities with whom many Burgher families also share ancestry and culture. For example, the purification bath after a girl’s first period is a common cultural feature of the Tamil and Sinhalese communities of Sri Lanka and neighboring India. Hence its prevalence amongst some Burghers families of Sri Lanka is not necessarily of Jewish origins.
Some would even say that a certain attitude has become part of Burgher culture, that of tolerance. While inter-communal strife has sadly become a feature of modern Sri Lankan life, Burghers have on the whole worked to maintain good relations with other ethnic groups. It is safe to say that racial and religious tolerance is an integral part of Burgher culture too.
A new development as regards the Burghers is the establishment of The Burgher Association on 13th October 2001 with headquarters situated at No.393, Union Place, Colombo 2 Sri Lanka. The website of The Burgher Association is http://www.theburgherassociation.com/.
Famous Burghers
- Jamie Durie - media personality
- Nigel Barker - fashion photographer
- Geoff Jansz - Australian TV chef
- Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha - poet and activist
- Michael Ondaatje - writer of 'The English Patient'
- Professor David de Kretser - Governor of Victoria, Australia
- - former athlete and philanthropist
- - musician in Australia
- Keith Potger - musician, member of Australian folk group 'The Seekers, ' founder of the 'New Seekers.'
- Douglas Meerwald - deceased, big band singer
- Cliff Foenander - deceased - leading musician
- Robin Foenander -Australian musician and broadcaster
- - Australian musician
- - rising Sri Lankan musician
- - deceased - Sri Lankan educationist
- -deceased - Sri Lankan business tycoon
- - Sri Lankan Rugby star
- - founder, dance school
- - Sri Lankan Anglican clergyman
- Pieter Keuneman - Sri Lankan Politician
- - Sri Lankan tennis star
- Michael Vandort - Sri Lankan cricketer
- Graeme Labrooy - Former Sri Lankan cricketer
- - Sri Lanka journalist
- - Professional Chef
- - American Football Player
- - Hotelier
- - Historical Author, writer of '' (1505-1972)
- - Commander of HM Royal Navy, famous rugby player and marine engineer
- - Historian
- Lionel Wendt - Sri Lankan photographer and founder of the 43' Group.
- George Keyt - Sri Lankan painter and founding member of 43'Group
- Geoff Beling - Sri Lankan painter and founding member of 43'Group
- Aubrey Collete - Sri Lankan Cartoonist and founding member of the 43' group
- George Claasen - Sri Lankan painter and founding member of 43'Group
- Barbara Sansoni - Artist
- Elaine Cole - Baila Dancer
- Jean Arasanayagam - poet and painter
- - prolific author of many books including , , and '
See also
References
|
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|