Ethnicity in Kerala

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. These Dravidians spoke Tamil. But around 1000 B.C. some of the fair skinned, tall Aryans who had already migrated and settled in Northern India from the Mesopotamian region started moving down South. Some settled amicably, intermingled with the Dravidian elite (namely royalty) and were honored due to their superior intellect. Others waged wars and invaded the territory to establish themselves.

Thus started the caste system, with the Aryans declaring themselves “Brahmins”, a superior class due to their high education and superior intellectual capabilities. They vehemently discouraged intermingling in the sense, their marriages were carefully arranged and caste based. However, in the later times, with the raise of the Nair caste, the Namboodiri (Bramin) men made it a practice to marry Nair women. Very often these women belonged to the Taravads or matriarchal lineage based families. These women were allowed to marry many men from their own or a higher caste. Polygyny was also commonly practiced. All these led to an ethnological admixture of the two races.

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. So much so, that they introduce themselves in all religious rituals as “Mama Arya Putra” (Me, the son of the Aryans). As of the current day scenario, the fair skin and long hair of Malayali women may be more due to their food habits and natural habitat rather than racial descent.