Sinhalese people

Sinhala
Anagarika.jpgAhubudu2.jpgD S Senanayake.jpgKumar Sangakkara.jpgM.Wickramasinghe.jpg
Rajasimha-II.jpgPrasanna Vithanage.jpgSirErnestdeSilva.JPGMahinda Rajapaksa 2006.jpgWimalaratne Kumaragama.jpg
Rosy senanayake.jpgOsaka07 D7A Susanthika Jayasinghe medal.jpgSwarna2.jpgNadeeka Perera.jpgSirima Bandaranaike.JPG
Row 1: Anagarika Dharmapala • Arisen Ahubudu • Don Stephen Senanayake • Kumar Sangakkara • Martin Wickramasinghe

Row 2: Rajasinghe II • Prasanna Vithanage • Ernest de Silva • Mahinda Rajapaksa • Wimalaratne Kumaragama
Row 3: Rosy Senanayake • Susanthika Jayasinghe • Swarna Mallawarachchi • Nadeeka Perera • Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Total population
Sinhalese
estimated - 14 million
Regions with significant populations
 Sri Lanka       13.88 million [1]
 Australia 73,849 [2]
 Italy 68,738 [3]
 USA 13,000 [4]
 Malaysia 10,000 [5]
Languages

Sinhala, English, Tamil
Religion

Buddhism - School of Theravada
Minority Christianity and Hinduism.
Related ethnic groups

Sri Lankan people,Sri Lankan Tamil,South Indian Tamil, Indo-Aryans, Bengali people
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The Sinhalese are the majority ethnic group of Sri Lanka, constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population. They speak Sinhala an Indo-Aryan language, and number approximately 14 million in the world.[6] They live mainly in central, south and west Sri Lanka. According to legend they are the descendants of the exiled Prince Vijaya who arrived to Sri Lanka in 5 BCE. The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The vast majority of Sinhalese speak Sinhala and are Theravada Buddhists.

Contents

Etymology

The Sinhalese are also known as "Hela" or "Sinhala". These synonyms find their origins in the two words Sinha (meaning "lion") and Hela (meaning "pristine"). The name Sinhala translates to "lion people" and refers to the myths regarding the descent of the legendary founder of the Sinhalese people, the prince Vijaya. The royal dynasty from ancient times on the island was the Sinha (Lion) royal dynasty and the word Sinha finds its origins here.

Geographic distribution

Sri Lanka

Percentage of Sinhalese people per district based on 2001 or 1981 (cursive) census.

Within Sri Lanka the majority of the Sinhalese reside in the south, central and western parts of the country. This districts with the largest sinhalese populations in Sri Lanka (>90%) are Hambantota, Galle, Gampaha, Kurunegala, Moneragala and Polonnaruwa.[7]

Diaspora

As with many of the people from former colonies, Sinhalese have emigrated to several countries. There are small communities in the UK, Australia, United States and Canada with Sinhalese ancestry. In addition to this there are many Sinhalese, who reside in the above mentioned countries and countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe, temporarily in connection with empolyment and education. They are often employed as guest workers in the Middle East and professionals in the other regions.

History

See also: History of Sri Lanka

Ancient history

According to local legend, the Sinhalese are descended from the exiled Prince Vijaya and his party of several hundred who arrived on the island between 543 and 483 BC. These people arrived in Sri Lanka after being exiled from the city of Sinhapura in Bengal, North East India.[8] The origin legend and early recorded history of the Buddhist Sinhalese is chronicled in two historic documents, the Mahavamsa, written in Pāli around the 4th century BC, and the much later Chulavamsa (probably penned in the 13 century CE by the Buddhist monk Dhammakitti). These are ancient sources which cover the histories of the powerful ancient kingdoms of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. The Mahavansa describes the existence of fields of rice and reservoirs, indicating a well developed agrarian society. The oral tradition of the Sinhalese people also speaks of many royal dynasties prior to the Sinha royal dynasty: Manu, Tharaka, Mahabali, Raavana, etc. The Sinhalese have spread to other countries like the Maldives and Mauritius.

Buddhism was introduced to the Sinhalese from India by Mahinda, son of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great, during the 3rd century BC. Buddhism has since been closely tied to both the Sinhalese identity and the history of Sri Lanka. To this day Buddhism has survived in Sri Lanka while it was forcibly rooted out in other parts of the subcontinent, hence Sri Lanka is the last bastion of Theravada Buddhism in South Asia.

Modern history

The Sinhalese are identified through their Sinhala language, ancestral heritage and Buddhist faith. These culture complexes set them apart from the main ethnic minority of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Tamils.

A policy of universal healthcare provision has raised average life expectancy to 72 years. Female emancipation reflects many social changes including greater parity between the sexes. Prominent female politicians include former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike and President Chandrika Kumaratunga. The Sinhalese have a stable birth rate and a population that has been growing at a slow pace relative to India and other Asian countries. The Sinhalese make up about 74% of the Sri Lankan population. The life expectancy has gone up because of the state funded health care.

Genetic Studies

Genetic admixture of Sinhalese.
Genetic distance of Sinhalese to other ethnic groups.

Origin of Sinhalese

According to genetic evidence, the Sinhalese have their origins in South India and North-East India, particularly Tamil Nadu and West Bengal . Due to relatively easy access from South India and Tamil workers being brought from South India under British rule, mixing of the Tamil and Sinhalese groups has been occurring for many generations. The Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils have been in close proximity to each other historically, linguistically, and culturally for over 2000 years. This explains why they share a common gene pool of 55%.[9]

A genetic admixture study found the Sinhalese had the greatest contribution from South Indian Tamils (69.86% +/- 0.61), followed by Bengalis from the North East India (25.41% +/- 0.51). Similarly, Sri Lankan Tamils have a greater contribution from the Sinhalese of Sri Lanka (55.20% +/- 9.47) than Indian Tamils (16.63% +/- 8.73). In addition, a study found the Sinhalese to have the least genetic affinity with North Western Indians.[10] Thus, the evidence suggests that the legend of the Sinhalese being the descendents of Prince Vijaya and his companions, coming from northwest India, may not be true or that the genetic contribution by Prince Vijaya and his companions has been erased by the contributions of other population groups, such as the Tamils and Bengalis, over 2000 years.[9]

This is also supported by a genetic distance study, which showed low differences in genetic distance between the Sinhalese and the Tamil, Keralite and Bengali volunteers.[11] D1S80 allele frequency (A popular allele for genetic fingerprinting) is also similar between the Sinhalese and Bengalis, suggesting the two groups are closely related.[12]. The Sinhalese have similar frequencies of the allele MTHFR 677T (13%) to West Bengalis (17%).[13][14] In addition, the Sinhalese and South Indian Tamils have similar cultures in terms of kinship classification, cousin marriage, dress and housing.[15]

Evidence for North Indian origin

A study in 2007 found similar frequencies of the allele HLA-A*02 in sinhalese (7.4%) and North Indian subjects (6.7%).HLA-A*02 is a rare allele which has a relatively high frequency in North Indian populations and is considered to be a novel allele among the North Indian population. This suggests possible North Indian origin of the Sinhalese.[16]

Relationship to other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka

A study looking at genetic variation of the FUT2 gene in the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamil population, found similar genetic backgrounds for both ethnic groups, with little genetic flow from other neighbouring Asian population groups.[17] Studies have also found no significant difference with regards to blood group, blood genetic markers and single-nucleotide polymorphism between the Sinhalese and other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka.[18][19][20] Another study has also found "no significant genetic variation among the major ethnic groups in Sri Lanka".[21]. This is further supported by a study which found very similar frequencies of alleles MTHFR 677T, F2 20210A & F5 1691A in South Indian tamil, Sinhalese, Sri Lankan tamil and Moor populations.[14]

Relationship to East Asians and Roma

The Sinhalese are likely to have received little or no genetic flow from neighboring East or Southeast Asian populations,[22] and have closer affinities to Western Eurasia. This is supported by study looking at protein and blood group loci that suggests the Sinhalese are closer to Iranians and Afghans than to Mongoloids.[23] and comparisons of root and canal morphology of Sri Lankan mandibular molars.[24]

A 2003 Nature study found the Romani language to be most closely related to Sinhalese language.[25] In addition the Romani people and Sinhalese both have a high requency of Haplogroup H (Y-DNA).[26] The Sinhalese and Sinti Roma also have a high frequency of Haplogroup R2 (38% and 53% respectively), as do West Bengalis of which the sinhalese are related to.[27][28] These haplogroups are thought to have arisen 25,000-30,000 YBP.[28][29] Therefore the Sinhalese and Roma may both be related to the same group of paleolithic inhabitants that lived in Central India 25,000 years ago.

Skin pigmentation

In 2008 a study looked at SLC24A5 polymorphism which accounts for 25-40% of the skin complexion difference in Europeans and Africans[30] and up to 30% of skin colour variation in South asians.[31][32] The study found that the rs1426654 SNP of SLC24A5, which is fixed in European populations[33] and found more commonly in light skinned individuals than dark skinned individuals (49% compared to 10%), has a frequency of ~50% in the Sinhalese and ~30% in Sri lankan tamils.[32] This allele could have arised in the sinhalese due to migration or strong selection factors.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Sri Lanka

Sinhalese culture features a wide variety of folk beliefs and rituals traditionally. Folk songs were sung by workers of various trades in the past to accompany their work. Buddhist festivals are dotted by unique music using traditionally Sinhala instruments. More ancient rituals like tovils (Devil exorcism) continue to enthrall audiences today.

Concerning popular music, Ananda Samarakoon developed the reflective and poignant Sarala gee style with his work in the late 1930s/early 1940s. He has been followed by artists of repute such as W. D. Amaradeva, Nanda Malini, Victor Ratnayake, T. M. Jayaratne, Sanath Nandasiri, Sunil Edirisinghe, Neela Wickremasinghe, Gunadasa Kapuge, Malini Bulathsinghala and Edward Jayakody.

Dramatist Ediriweera Sarachchandra revitalized the drama form with Maname in 1956. Also the same year, film director Lester James Peries created the artistic masterwork Rekava which sought to create a uniquely Sinhala cinema with artistic integrity. Since then, Peries and other directors like Vasantha Obeysekera, Dharmasena Pathiraja, Mahagama Sekera, W. A. B. de Silva, Sunil Ariyaratne, Siri Gunasinghe, G. D. L. Perera, Piyasiri Gunaratne, Titus Thotawatte, D. B. Nihalsinghe, Ranjith Lal, Dayananda Gunawardena, Mudalinayake Somaratne and Prasanna Vithanage have developed an artistic Sinhala cinema.

Language

Main article: Sinhala language
The spread of Sinhalese language in the United States

The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, also known as "Helabasa"; this language has two varieties, spoken and written. Sinhala is an Indo-Aryan language[6] brought to Sri Lanka by North East Indians who settled on the island in the fifth century.[34][35] Sinhala developed in a way different from the other Indo-Aryan languages because of the geographic separation from its Indo-Aryan sister languages. Sinhala was influenced by many languages, prominently Pali, the sacred language of Southern Buddhism, and Sanskrit. Many early Sinhala texts such as the Hela Atuwa were lost after their translation into Pali. Other significant Sinhala texts include Amāvatura, Kavu Silumina, Jathaka Potha and Sala Liheeniya. Sinhala has also borrowed words from Dravidian languages of South India and the colonial languages Portuguese, Dutch, and English.[36] In 2009 the Sinhala language won international recognition as one of the most creative in the world.[37]

Literature

Main articles: Sri Lankan literature and Sinhalese literature

Sinhala literature dates back to antiquity with the Mahavamsa and the Culavamsa. Buddhism (which was a later development of Hinduism) did not overtake Hinduism in India, but Sri Lanka (and the Sinhalese) converted to Buddhist culture through history remaining a centre of Buddhist scholarly activities.

Folk tales like Mahadana Mutha saha Golayo and Kawate Andare continue to entertain children today. Mahadana Mutha tells the tale of a fool cum Pandit who travels around the country with his followers (Golayo) creating mischief through his ignorance. Kawate Andare tells the tale of a witty court jester and his interactions with the royal court and his son.

In the Modern period, Sinhala writers such as Martin Wickremasinghe and G. B. Senanayake have drawn widespread acclaim. Other writers of repute include Mahagama Sekera and Madewela S. Ratnayake. Martin Wickramasinghe wrote the immensely popular children's novel Madol Duwa. Munadasa Cumaratunga's Hath Pana is also widely known.

Dress

Traditionally during recreation the Sinhalese wear a sarong, (sarama in Sinhala). Men may wear a shirt with the sarong, while women wear a tight-fitting, short-sleeved jacket. In the more populated areas, the Sinhalese men also wear Western-style clothing wearing suits while the women wearing skirts and blouses. However for formal and ceremonial occasions women wear the traditional Kandyan (Osaria) style, which consists of a full blouse which covers the midriff completely, and is partially tucked in at the front. However, modern intermingling of styles has led to most wearers baring the midriff. The Kandyan style is considered as the national dress of Sinhalese women. An example of its use is the Uniform of air hostesses of Sri Lankan Airlines.[36]

Religion

Main article: Buddhism in Sri Lanka
The Buddha statue at Mihintale.

Most of the Sinhalese follow the Theravada school of Buddhism. In 1988 almost 93% of the sinhalese speaking population in Sri Lanka were buddhist.[38] Sinhalese Buddhists include various religious elements from Hinduism in their religious practices and ancient indigenous traditions of godlings and demons, which are native to the island.[36][39][40] Sinhalese Buddhists worship Hindu gods such as Vishnu, who has a special place in their religious practices, since he is entrusted with both protecting Buddhism in the island and the island itself. He is also recognised as bodhisattva, or "awakening being" to Sinhalese Buddhists.[39][40]

Prominent Sri Lankan anthropologists Gananath Obeyesekere and Kitsiri Malalgoda used the term "Protestant Buddhism" to describe a type of buddhism that appeared among the sinhalese in Sri Lanka as a response to Protestant Christian missionaries and their evangelical activities during the British colonial period. This kind of Buddhism involved emulating the protestant method of converting, by the establishment of Buddhist schools and Buddhist organizations such as the Young Men's Buddhist Association. As well as printing pamphlets to encourage people to participate in debates and religious controversies to defend Buddhism.[41]

There is also a siginifiant Sinhalese Christian community, in the maritime provinces of Sri Lanka.[36] Christianity was brought to the Sinhalese by Portuguese, Dutch, and British missionary groups during their respective periods of rule.[42] Sinhalese Christians mainly follow Roman Catholicism, followed by Protestantism.[38] Their cultural centre is Negombo.

Religion is considered very important among the Sinhalese. According to a 2008 Gallup poll, 99% of Sri Lankans considered religion an important aspect of their daily lives.[43]

Education

Main article: Education in Sri Lanka

The Sinhalese have a long history of literacy and formal learning. Instruction in basic fields like writing and reading by Buddhist Monks pre-date the birth of Christ. This traditional system followed religious rule and was meant to foster Buddhist understanding. Training of officials in such skills as keeping track of revenue and other records for administrative purposes occurred under this institution.[44]

Technical education such as the building of reservoirs and canals was passed down from generation to generation through home training and outside craft apprenticeships.[44]

The arrival of the Portuguese and Dutch and the subsequent colonization maintained religion as the center of education though in certain communities under Catholic and Presbyterian hierarchy. The British in the 1800s initially followed the same course. Following 1870 however they began a campaign for better education facilities in the region. Christian missionary groups were at the forefront of this development contributing to a high literacy among Christians.[44]

By 1901 schools in the South and the North were well tended. The inner regions lagged behind however. Also, English education facilities presented hurdles for the general populace through fees and lack of access.[44]

See also

References

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Other references

  • De Silva, K.M. History of Sri Lanka (Univ. of Calif. Press, 1981)
  • Gunasekera, Tamara. Hierarchy and Egalitarianism: Caste, Class, and Power in Sinhalese Peasant Society (Athlone, 1994).
  • Roberts, Michael. Sri Lanka: Collective Identities Revisited (Colombo-Marga Institute, 1997).
  • Wickremeratne, Ananda. Buddhism and Ethnicity in Sri Lanka: A Historical Analysis (New Delhi-Vikas Publishing House, 1995).

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