| Total population |
|---|
| 180,000[1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Saint-André, Saint-Denis |
| Languages |
| Religion |
|
Christianity (principally Catholicism), Hinduism, syncretic religion |
| Related ethnic groups |
|
Indo-Réunionnais, Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin, Tamils, Sri Lankan Tamils |
Malbars are an ethnic group of Tamil origin in Réunion, a French island in the Southwest Indian Ocean, estimated to number 180,000. There are no official figures because the French government does not collect census data on ethnic groups.
There have been people of Tamil origin on the island since the 17th century, and those were mostly from Pondicherry.[2] Most were originally brought in as indentured laborers in the second half of the 19th century and were mostly South Indian Tamils and Telugus.[3] Since then, Tamils have developed some patterns of behavior that are not quite those of their ancestors from Tamil Nadu nor those of the other inhabitants of Réunion.
Contents |
Malbars is derived from Malabars, a word used by the French and the Dutch in the colonial era that was eventually used by Westerners to refer to all the people of South India (Tamils, Telugus, Malayalees and Kannadigas included). The term is based on the Malabar (Northern Kerala)Malabar region of the present state of Kerala in India.[4] This term, applied by the French to Tamil laborers coming to La Réunion, has been kept by the latter and others on the island to label their own identity.
Indian workers came to Réunion from South India, mostly from French settlements in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Karikal and also from parts of Jaffna. Most of these immigrants were ritually low in the caste system.[5] Hard living conditions at home were the main reason behind their departure to La Réunion. The immigration of indentured workers from South India started in 1827 but it was only after 1848 that indentured immigration began on a big scale.[6]
The French government in Réunion made the first Malbars become Christian.[5] However, many Malbars were only nominally Christian.[5] The Tamil language was lost to language shift.[7]
The Malbars desire to learn their ancestors' culture, and started studying their language and religions especially from Tamil Nadu.[1] Recently many Malbars, particularly those of upper and middle classes, have started to become completely Hindu rather than nominally Christian.[8]
They also now wanted to translate their newly acquired civic and political rights into a gradual and increasing participation in local and other elections. A sit-in protest was organized to support Sri Lanka Tamils by the Réunionnais organisation TAMIL SANGAM presided by Dr. Shanmugam. Hundreds of Tamils and non Tamils protested against the genocide of Sri Lanka Tamils.[9]
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