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The word “Malayalam” originally means mountainous country. The region which is present day Kerala was under the rule of the Tamil dynasty of kings called the Cheras. Hence, probably the name as Malay means mountain in Tamil. The ethnicity of the modern Malayali comes from a variety of races and hence cannot be categorized under any one head.
The original mountain dwellers of the region are believed to be Negritos. The physical features that distinguished them were dark skin, curly black hair and a very short height. Then wanderers of the Proto-Australoids (Austrics) started trickling into the region. These were people of medium height, dark complexion and had long heads and flat noses. It is generally believed that between 2500 B.C. and 1500 B.C. a race, called the Dravidians had migrated from the Mediterranean region and started to inhabit India. They soon crossed the Vindhya Mountain range in search of fertile lands where their agriculture would prosper. Thus started the caste system, with the Aryans declaring themselves “Brahmins”, a superior class due to their high education and superior intellectual capabilities.
Soon the caste oppression grew acute. The lowest classes such as the Cherumans, the Pulayas and Parayas grew increasingly dissatisfied with the inequalities meted out to them. At about this time, mass Muslim conversions and subsequent intermarriages were forced upon the natives by the armies of Tipu Sultan. Later, the French Missionaries landed St. Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles landed in Kerala and preached the word of Jesus. Christianity and the concept of universal brotherhood came as a boon to the lower castes who converted in huge numbers and again here we find an intermingling with the Europeans.
Thus the ethnic distinctions became finer and finer. Today Kerala is a heterogeneous, multi ethnic group. Most are of Dravidian descent but the Brahmins still take pride in their Aryan ancestry. The equality of religion along with the equality among people makes them to demand for Kerala flats , which is a true symbol of unity. |
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