Mestiços (Sri Lanka)
Encyclopedia
In Sri Lanka
, the names Mestiços (Portuguese
for "Mixed People") or Casados ("Married") were applied to people of mixed Portuguese
and Sri Lankan (Sinhalese
and Tamil
) descent, starting in the 16th century.
.
When the Dutch
took over coastal Sri Lanka, the descendants of the mestiços took refuge in the central hills of Kandyan Kingdom under Sinhalese rule.
By the middle of the 18th century, the descendants of the mestiços had partly merged with descendants of the Dutch, giving rise to the a Eurasian community (a mixture of Portuguese, Dutch, Sinhalese and Tamil), known as the Burghers. Some of these people spoke Portuguese, others spoke Dutch
. Later, the Burgher community developed into two different communities: the Dutch Burghers and the Portuguese Burghers
.
The Portuguese presence in Sri Lanka was extended to non-urban areas, there is a wide Portuguese heritage in Sri Lankan society, culture and administration. Lexicon of Portuguese origin
can be found in the Sinhala language (at least 1,000 words), there may be more but insufficient study has been carried out.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, the names Mestiços (Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
for "Mixed People") or Casados ("Married") were applied to people of mixed Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and Sri Lankan (Sinhalese
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
and Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
) descent, starting in the 16th century.
History
The first mestiços descended from Portuguese explorers, soldiers and merchants who reached Sri Lanka after the pioneering voyage of Vasco da GamaVasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
.
When the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
took over coastal Sri Lanka, the descendants of the mestiços took refuge in the central hills of Kandyan Kingdom under Sinhalese rule.
By the middle of the 18th century, the descendants of the mestiços had partly merged with descendants of the Dutch, giving rise to the a Eurasian community (a mixture of Portuguese, Dutch, Sinhalese and Tamil), known as the Burghers. Some of these people spoke Portuguese, others spoke Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. Later, the Burgher community developed into two different communities: the Dutch Burghers and the Portuguese Burghers
Portuguese Burghers
The Portuguese Burghers are an ethnic group in Sri Lanka, of mixed Portuguese and Sri Lankan descent. They are Roman Catholic and spoke the Sri Lanka Indo-Portuguese language, a creole based on Portuguese. In modern times, English has become the common language while Sinhalese is taught in school...
.
The Portuguese presence in Sri Lanka was extended to non-urban areas, there is a wide Portuguese heritage in Sri Lankan society, culture and administration. Lexicon of Portuguese origin
Sinhala words of Portuguese origin
This article is about Sinhala words of Portuguese origin.Note: For information on the transcription used, see National Library at Calcutta romanization...
can be found in the Sinhala language (at least 1,000 words), there may be more but insufficient study has been carried out.