Category Archives: Aboriginality

October 19, 2021 · 7:46 pm

Presenting the Portuguese Burghers of Sri Lanka: Today and Yesterday

Earl Barthelot, in Ceylon Digest, 22 February 2020, where the title reads “The Portuguese Burghers of Ceylon”

Sri Lanka is well known for its diversity with over 22 numerically small communities and majority communities such as Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. Burgher community is one of the numerically small communities. Large proportions of the Burghers do live in the Batticaloa District and a small proportion live both in Trincomalee and Ampara District. At the same time there are Portuguese Burghers living in all parts of the country in small numbers.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Aboriginality, Afro-Asians, ancient civilisations, art & allure bewitching, British imperialism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, discrimination, disparagement, economic processes, education, ethnicity, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian traditions, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, meditations, modernity & modernization, performance, politIcal discourse, Portuguese in Indian Ocean, power politics, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes

October 9, 2021 · 6:37 pm

Waltzing Matilda in Kriol … in the Northern Territory, Australia

Waltzing Matilda sung in Kriol, a mixture of local aboriginal dialect, pidgin English and a smidgen of Chinese…..  http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=WgLtzD6JxcA&vq=medium

BACKGROUND:  note the spatial distribution of the related indigenous Kriol languages … https://www.2m.com.au/blog/australian-kriol-languages/… 

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Aboriginality, ancient civilisations, art & allure bewitching, Australian culture, australian media, centre-periphery relations, heritage, historical interpretation, meditations, performance, photography, self-reflexivity, travelogue, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes

October 6, 2021 · 10:35 pm

Daily Duality for the Citizens of Longwa

BETWIXT MYANMAR and INDIA …. as Dual Citiezens …. ITEM in Al-Jazeera …https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/28/tribes-along-india-myanmar-border-dream-of-a-united-nagaland

The Two Faces of the LONGWAR of NAGALAND …. and the king of the KONYOK TRIBE sleeps in Myanmar, but eats in India – his house, village and people divided by a mountain border which serves as a vulnerable lifeline now severed by a coronavirus lockdown.

People at a Union Solidarity and Development Party house in Karmawlawyi village in Myanmar’s Sagaing region [Ye Aung Thu/AFP]

Read ……………… https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/28/tribes-along-india-myanmar-border-dream-of-a-united-nagaland

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Aboriginality, accountability, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, insurrections, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

August 29, 2021 · 2:03 pm

Vijaya and Kuveni: Two Legendary Figures of the Pali Chronicles

Chandre Dharmawardana

“This may confuse some since Madura became a part of the Chola kingdom, and that Vijaya called for a Chola princess after rejecting Kuveni. In reality, many south Indian kings sought North Indian brides as they were fair-skinned”.**

Cholas, Pandyas, and Cheras, are mentioned in the Ashokasthamba (Asoka-Pillar) inscriptions (3rd century BC although some historians think the pillar inscriptions may have been even earlier). When did Vijaya come to Tambrapanni? Is Vijaya even a real person?

I believe there have been many invasions (basically, not necessarily invasions, but people coming in even to farm, fish or trade, and by boats and settling down). Even Vijaya’s landing as described in the Pali chronicles was accidental.

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under Aboriginality, ancient civilisations, art & allure bewitching, cultural transmission, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, the imaginary and the real, transport and communications, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

August 11, 2021 · 2:07 pm

Qadri Ismail’s Challenging Essay: An Iconoclastic Hurrah!

Qadri Ismail, in Groundviews in 2015 with this title “The Import Of Sri Lankan Muslim Names”

My name is Mohamed Qadri Ismail. Mohamed Qadri Ismail is not my name.

The statements may prompt a wtf. (The acronym, btw, of the World Taekwondo Federation.) Surely one cannot affirm a position and its contradiction. Yet I do.  The second sentence doesn’t necessarily negate the first.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Aboriginality, accountability, atrocities, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, fundamentalism, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, modernity & modernization, Muslims in Lanka, nationalism, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sri Lankan scoiety, teaching profession, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, world events & processes, zealotry

August 6, 2021 · 7:36 pm

Adam’s Bridge? Evaluating the Legend

Patrick Ranasinghe, at elanka 2 August 2021, where the title runs thus: “Could This Be The Legendary “Magic Bridge” Connecting India And Sri Lanka? “

eLanka _ Could This Be The Legendary _Magic Bridge_ Connecting India And Sri Lanka_ – by Patrick Ranasinghe – eLanka

Location   The bridge starts as a chain of shoals from the Dhanushkodi tip of India’s Pamban Island. It ends at Sri Lanka’s Mannar Island. Pamban Island is accessed from the Indian mainland by the 2-km-long Pamban Bridge. Mannar Island is connected to mainland Sri Lanka by a causeway.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Aboriginality, ancient civilisations, centre-periphery relations, economic processes, historical interpretation, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, photography, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, world events & processes

August 6, 2021 · 3:15 am

Sinhalaness in Pre-British Ceylon: Issues and Pathways

A Review Essay by Alan Strathern** dissecting a Book by Michael Roberts published in 2004

This item was located by Thuppahi in the web-site Colombo Telegraph on 26 December 2012 (see https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-royal-we-sinhala-identity-in-the-dynastic-state/). However, it appeared initially in 2005 in the prestigious journal Modern Asian Studies,  39: 1013–1026.

AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE by Michael Roberts, 7 August 2021

This item is a review essay not a standard review. Alan Strathern is an accomplished historian who happens to be the son of a leading social anthropologist, viz., Marilyn Strathern of ANU and Cambridge University. You will find that his prose is as refined and clear-cut as demanding. After some hesitation, I decided to adhere to my normal policy of highlighting some parts of the text with blue colour – for the benefit of readers facing the difficulties posed by complex issues in historical sociology. On occasions I have also imposed a break in extra-long paragraphs. The illustrations too are my impositions intended to promote reader interest.

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Aboriginality, ancient civilisations, architects & architecture, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, British imperialism, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, commoditification, cultural transmission, economic processes, ethnicity, hatan kavi, heritage, historical interpretation, insurrections, Kandyan kingdom, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, military strategy, modernity & modernization, nationalism, patriotism, performance, pilgrimages, politIcal discourse, Portuguese imperialism, religiosity, Saivism, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, unusual people, violence of language, world events & processes

July 31, 2021 · 1:35 am

Three Cricketers lined up for Hefty Punishments

Rex Clementine in Island, 29 June 2021, where the title is “Banned”

Sri Lanka Cricket’s Disciplinary Committee has recommended lengthy suspensions for three players who breached a bio-secure bubble in England last month that resulted in them being sent home halfway through the tour. Accordingly, Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis with previous offences have been banned for two years while Niroshan Dickwella has been handed a suspension of 18 months. Each player also has been fined 25,000 USD for their offence.

A NOTE …the photo of the three players alienated the computer which rejected that shot !@#!$ … so this is shot of one… Dhanushka Gunatilleka

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Aboriginality, disparagement, life stories, performance, sri lankan society, taking the piss, trauma, unusual people

July 13, 2021 · 11:40 am

Outback Magic: Indigenous Music Traversing Boundaries

Music Outback Foundation had its beginnings in late 2001 when Founding Director Steve Berry took an opportunity to conduct a week long music workshop at M’bunghara, a small Indigenous community in remote Central Australia.

Steve’s time there left him inspired to return to the Northern Territory and pursue the possibility of providing regular music education opportunities to remote Indigenous schools.   In September 2002 he visited four more schools conducting workshops at each location, and the success of these visits resulted in an invitation to expand the developing program to 12 remote schools in Central Australia.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Aboriginality, ancient civilisations, art & allure bewitching, Australian culture, australian media, charitable outreach, communal relations, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, heritage, life stories, patriotism, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, tolerance, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

July 11, 2021 · 8:21 pm

Australian Aboriginal Peoples as Sophisticated Hunter-Gatherers?

Christine Judith Nicholls, reviewing the book Farmers or Hunter-Gatherers? authored by Peter Sutton & Keryn Walshe …. with highlighting imposed by The Editor Thuppahi

Eminent Australian anthropologist Peter Sutton and respected field archaeologist Keryn Walshe have co-authored a meticulously researched n a meticulously researched new book, Farmers or Hunter-gatherers? The Dark Emu Debate. It’s set to become the definitive critique of Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu: Black Seeds — Agriculture or Accident?

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Aboriginality, accountability, art & allure bewitching, Australian culture, australian media, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, performance, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, teaching profession, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, world events & processes