Cultural Geography
Colonization, Language, and Dance
Colonization, Language, and Dance
Lakshadweep has a population of 64,429 people, and the first islands to become occupied in this archipelago were Amini, Andrott, Kavaratti, and Agatti. Hindi settlements were found as early as the 6th and 7th century (States). These islands were later populated by Buddists and more recently Muslims, due to the migration of Arab merchants in the 14th century. Later, the Portuguese populated island to further their coir production due to Lakshadweeps high amount of coconuts. After this, the British took over after the country fell into debt. It was not until 1947 that the island reached its independence, however, immediately after this they fell under Indian rule and remain so (India.gov).
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The people of Lakshadweep descend from the Malabar Coast, which is located on the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. However, the people from the island of Minicoy descend from the Maldives (Noble). Malayaman is one of the main languages spoken in Lakshadweep, with the other two being Jeseri and Mahi. In the northern islands, a dialect of Malayaman is used. This dialect stems from Arabic and Tamil. On the southern islands, people speak Mahl which stems from the Dhivehi language. And lastly, Jeseri is a Malayaman dialect that is spoken throughout the islands (India.gov).
Much of Lakshadweep’s culture is inspired by the Kerala region of India. The island has adopted their popular dances from the region which are the lava dance, Kolkali dance, Parichakli dance. Additionally, they have many celebrations and songs for each. Some of these celebrations include hole boring, birthdays, and marriage. It is a Lakshadweep custom to name a baby on the third day after its birth and then to shave its head on the 40th day (India.gov).
