Portuguese Burghers
Encyclopedia
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 as a second language. It is to be noted that a large number of Portuguese Burghers exist in the east coast of Sri Lanka are of Portuguese/Dutch descent, this is evident in the Sri Lanka-Indo Portuguese language which has many affiliations to Sinhalese and Portuguese.
When the Dutch took over Coastal Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), the descendants of the Portuguese took refuge in the central hills of Kandyan Kingdom under Sinhalese rule.
In time, the Dutch and Portuguese descendants intermarried. Though under Dutch rule Portuguese was banned; the Portuguese speaking community was so widespread that even the Dutch started to speak Portuguese.
In the 18th century, the Eurasian
community (a mixture of Portuguese, Dutch, and Sinhalese as well as Tamil, known as the Burgher
, grew, speaking Portuguese or Dutch.
The Portuguese Burghers were more mixed, following Catholicism and speaking a Portuguese creole language. Despite the socio-economic disadvantage, the Burghers maintained their Portuguese cultural identity. In Batticaloa
, the Catholic Burgher Union
reinforced this. The Portuguese Creole continued to be used amongst the Dutch Burghers families as the informal language until the end of the 19th century.
In today's Sri Lanka, the Creole is limited to the spoken form. Most of the speakers are the Burghers in the Eastern province (Batticaloa
and Trincomalee
). But there are also the Kaffir
s (people of African origin) in the Northwestern province (Puttalam
). The Portuguese, Dutch and British brought the Kaffirs to Sri Lanka, for labour purposes. They have assumed Portuguese culture and religion.
with dark to light brown skin (usually Portuguese Burghers or Kaffirs) and possess European facial features common to the Mediterranean basin (see Mediterraneans
), they have a very distinct look compared to unmixed Sri Lankans. In some Portuguese Burgher families it is common to have both, very dark children and children with fair skin. Most light skinned Burghers are usually of Dutch or British descent.
The Burgher population worldwide is approximated to be around 100,000, concentrated mostly in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
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...
, of mixed Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
and Sri Lankan descent. They are Roman Catholic
Roman Catholicism in Sri Lanka
The Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.The country comes under the province of Colombo and is divided into 11 dioceses including one archdiocese.There are approximately 1.4 million Catholics...
and spoke the Sri Lanka Indo-Portuguese language
Sri Lanka Indo-Portuguese language
Sri Lanka Indo-Portuguese,Ceylonese Portuguese Creole or Sri Lankan Portuguese Creole is a language spoken in Sri Lanka. While the predominant languages of the island are Sinhala and Tamil, the interaction of the Portuguese and the Sri Lankans led to the evolution of a new language, Sri Lanka...
, a creole
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
based on Portuguese. In modern times, English has become the common language while Sinhalese is taught in school as a second language. It is to be noted that a large number of Portuguese Burghers exist in the east coast of Sri Lanka are of Portuguese/Dutch descent, this is evident in the Sri Lanka-Indo Portuguese language which has many affiliations to Sinhalese and Portuguese.
Origins
The Portuguese Burghers are largely descendant from the Sri Lanka Mestiços, the people of mixed Portuguese and Sri Lankan descent (either a Portuguese father and a Sri Lankan mother, or a Sri Lankan mother of Portuguese descent and a Sri Lankan father) who appeared in the 16th century, after the Portuguese explorers found the sea route to the Indian Ocean.When the Dutch took over Coastal Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), the descendants of the Portuguese took refuge in the central hills of Kandyan Kingdom under Sinhalese rule.
In time, the Dutch and Portuguese descendants intermarried. Though under Dutch rule Portuguese was banned; the Portuguese speaking community was so widespread that even the Dutch started to speak Portuguese.
In the 18th century, the Eurasian
Eurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
community (a mixture of Portuguese, Dutch, and Sinhalese as well as Tamil, known as the Burgher
Burgher people
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 and local women, with some minorities of Swedish, Norwegian, French and Irish.Today the mother tongue of the Burghers...
, grew, speaking Portuguese or Dutch.
The Portuguese Burghers were more mixed, following Catholicism and speaking a Portuguese creole language. Despite the socio-economic disadvantage, the Burghers maintained their Portuguese cultural identity. In Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
, the Catholic Burgher Union
Catholic Burgher Union
The Catholic Burgher Union is an organisation of Portuguese Burghers in the town of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka...
reinforced this. The Portuguese Creole continued to be used amongst the Dutch Burghers families as the informal language until the end of the 19th century.
In today's Sri Lanka, the Creole is limited to the spoken form. Most of the speakers are the Burghers in the Eastern province (Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
and Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
). But there are also the Kaffir
Sri Lanka Kaffir people
The Sri Lankan Kaffirs are an ethnic group in Sri Lanka who are partially descended from 16th century Portuguese traders and the African slaves who were brought by them to work as labourers and soldiers to fight against the Sri Lankan kings...
s (people of African origin) in the Northwestern province (Puttalam
Puttalam
Puttalam is the capital city of the Puttalam District in North Western Province, Sri Lanka.-History:The history of this dry zone dates back to the arrival of Prince Vijaya, nearly 2500 years ago, when his vessel washed ashore. The name "Puttalam" may be a modification of the Tamil word Uppuththalam...
). The Portuguese, Dutch and British brought the Kaffirs to Sri Lanka, for labour purposes. They have assumed Portuguese culture and religion.
Genetics
Phenotypically Burghers can be either light skinned or dark skinned, depending on their ancestral history it is common to find BurghersBurgher people
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 and local women, with some minorities of Swedish, Norwegian, French and Irish.Today the mother tongue of the Burghers...
with dark to light brown skin (usually Portuguese Burghers or Kaffirs) and possess European facial features common to the Mediterranean basin (see Mediterraneans
Mediterranean race
The Mediterranean race was one of the three sub-categories into which the Caucasian race and the people of Europe were divided by anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, following the publication of William Z. Ripley's book The Races of Europe...
), they have a very distinct look compared to unmixed Sri Lankans. In some Portuguese Burgher families it is common to have both, very dark children and children with fair skin. Most light skinned Burghers are usually of Dutch or British descent.
Current status
At the 1981 Census, the Burghers (Dutch and Portuguese) were almost 40,000 (0.3% of the population of Sri Lanka). Many Burghers emigrated to other countries. There are still 100 families in Batticaloa and Trincomalee and 80 Kaffir families in Puttalam that still speak the Portuguese Creole; they have been out of contact with Portugal since 1656.The Burgher population worldwide is approximated to be around 100,000, concentrated mostly in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.