Sri Lankan Chetties

Sri Lankan Chetties (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා චෙට්ටි, romanized: Śī laṁkā Ceṭṭi, Tamil: இலங்கை செட்டி, romanized: Ilaṅkai Ceṭṭi) also known as Colombo Chetties, is an elite, royal and a high class ethnicity in the island of Sri Lanka. This [1] Before 2001, they were known as the Sri Lankan Tamil ( ශ්‍රී ලංකා දෙමළ) caste, but then after 2001, they were classified as a separate ethnic group in the 2001 census.[2][3] Now they are known as the Colombo Chetties as a whole. They are an elite class of people who are said to have migrated from India under Portuguese rule but now they are considered as one of the most elite, richest and high classed ethnicities in Sri Lanka and in Colombo.[4] Apart from their titled race, these people showcase no difference from the Sinhala people in Sri Lanka and in the present and nowadays, most chetties grow in Sinhala backgrounds and are basically Sinhala apart from their written identity. "Hetti] is another term used in this context where the term Hetti refers to the present generation of chetties who doesn't have any relation to India but are solely from Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Chetties
Total population
6,075 (2012 census)
Regions with significant populations
Province
Western5,427
Northern348
Central193
Languages
Sinhala

English

Tamil
Religion
Christianity (mostly Roman Catholic and Anglican), Hinduism

Types

Sinhala Chetties (Sri Lankan)

English Chetties

Tamil Chetties (Indian)


Etymology

The word is thought to have been derived from the Tamil word Etti, an honorific title bestowed on the leading and noble people.[5]

History
See also: Chettiar
A Sri Lankan Chetty of 19th century

They settled mostly in western Sri Lanka, especially in the ports of Colombo from the 16th century to mid 17th century, during the rule of the Portuguese and Dutch.[6][7] The Chetties of Western Sri Lanka converted to various forms of Christianity during the colonial era: Roman Catholicism under Portuguese rule, as well as to Anglicanism and Reformed Christianity under British rule and Dutch rule, respectively.[8] Marriages between Sinhalese ( Sinhala people) and Chetties are very common and therefore, many also got Sinhalised.[9][10] However, the Colombo Chetties showcases no differences from the Sinhalese people in Sri lanka apart from their origins.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
2001 10,800—    
2011 6,075−43.8%
Source:Department of Census
& Statistics[11]
Data is based on
Sri Lankan Government Census.

Representatives of the Colombo Chetty Association stressed out their distinctiveness, appealing for forming a separate ethnic group. The Chetties were notably also from 1814 to 1817 listed as a separate ethnic group.[4]

As an elite, prosperous and a noble group, they no longer strictly marry amongst themselves. In addition, migration to Australia, England, United States of America and Canada has tended to dilute their numbers.

See also

References
Sources
  • Casiechitty S, The Castes, Customs, Manners and Literature of the Tamils. Colombo: Ceylon Printers, 1934.
  • Pulle Tissera Shirley - History of The Colombo Chetties - 2000
  • Thurston E, Castes and Tribes of Southern India
Notes
  1. "Census of Population and Housing 2011". www.statistics.gov.lk. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  2. Reeves, Peter (2014-03-07). The Encyclopedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora. Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore: Editions Didier Millet. p. 27. ISBN 9789814260831.
  3. Holt, John (2011-04-13). The Sri Lanka Reader: History, Cultured , Politics. Duke University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0822349822.
  4. Wickramasinghe, Nira (2015). Sri Lanka in the Modern Age: A History. 165, 174, 274: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190225797.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. West Rudner, David (1987). "Religious Gifting and Inland Commerce in Seventeenth-Century South India". The Journal of Asian Studies. 46 (2): 361–379. doi:10.2307/2056019. JSTOR 2056019.
  6. Sivaratnam, C. (1964). An outline of the cultural history and principles of Hinduism. Stangard Printers. p. 276.
  7. Silva, K. M. De (1981). A History of Sri Lanka. University of California Press. pp. 175. ISBN 9780520043206.
  8. Vijayalakshmi, E.; Studies, International Centre for Ethnic (2005-01-01). Cultural minorities of Sri Lanka: their growth, achievements, and relevance today. International Centre for Ethnic Studies. p. 8. ISBN 9789555800969.
  9. Vijayalakshmi, E.; Studies, International Centre for Ethnic (2005-01-01). Cultural minorities of Sri Lanka: their growth, achievements, and relevance today. International Centre for Ethnic Studies. p. 10. ISBN 9789555800969.
  10. Peebles, Patrick (2015-10-22). Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 78. ISBN 9781442255852.
  11. "Population by ethnic group, census years" (PDF). Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
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