Burgher people

Not to be confused with burgher (social class).
Burghers
Total population
55,375 (2012 census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Province
 Western42,484
 Eastern4,458
 Central3,347
 North Western2,192
Languages
Languages of Sri Lanka: Sinhala,
English, Tamil, Sri Lankan Portuguese creole
Religion
and Buddhism
Related ethnic groups

Burgher people, also known simply as Burghers, are a small Eurasian ethnic group in Sri Lanka descended from Portuguese, Dutch, British[2][3] and other Europeans who settled in Ceylon.[4] The Portuguese and Dutch had held some of the maritime provinces of the island for centuries before the advent of the British Empire.[5][6][7] Burgher people are often referred to as belonging to one of two sub-groups, either Dutch Burghers or Portuguese Burghers, though both are of mixed descent.[8]

Most of those who retained close ties with the Netherlands departed with the establishment of British Ceylon as a crown colony at the end of the 18th century. However, a significant community of Burghers remained and largely adopted the English language.[6] During British rule, they occupied a highly important place in Sri Lankan social and economic life.[7] Portuguese settlers were mostly traders who formed colonies. Lisbon did not discourage European settlement—even to the extent of advocating intermarriage with the Sinhalese. This was not encouraged by the Sinhalese. It was not the policy of the Dutch East India Company to endorse similar unions, although unofficial liaisons between its employees and local women occurred in the late eighteenth century.[6]

Burghers may vary from generation to generation in physical characteristics; some intermarried with the British[7] and produced descendants with predominantly European phenotypes, including fairer skin and a heavier physique, while others were almost indistinguishable from Sinhalese or Tamils.[5] Most Burgher people have preserved European customs, especially those of Portuguese ancestry, who "retained their European religion and language with pride."[9][10]

  1. ^ "A2: Population by ethnic group according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  2. ^ Peter Reeves, ed. (2014). The Encyclopedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora. Editions Didier Millet. p. 28. ISBN 978-981-4260-83-1. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. ^ Sarwal, Amit (2015). Labels and Locations: Gender, Family, Class and Caste – The Short Narratives of South Asian Diaspora in Australia. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-1-4438-7582-0. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  4. ^ Reeves, Peter (2014). The Encyclopedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora. Editions Didier Millet. p. 28.
  5. ^ a b Orizio, Riccardo (2000). "Sri Lanka: Dutch Burghers of Ceylon". Lost White Tribes: The End of Privilege and the Last Colonials in Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Brazil, Haiti, Namibia, and Guadeloupe. Simon and Schuster. pp. 5–55. ISBN 978-0-7432-1197-0. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Pakeman, SA. Nations of the Modern World: Ceylon (1964 ed.). Frederick A Praeger. pp. 18–19. ASIN B0000CM2VW.
  7. ^ a b c Cook, Elsie K (1953). Ceylon – Its Geography, Its Resources and Its People. London: Macmillan & Company Ltd 1953. pp 272—274.
  8. ^ McGilvray, Dennis B. (April 1982). "Dutch Burghers and Portuguese Mechanics: Eurasian Ethnicity in Sri Lanka". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 24 (2): 235–263. doi:10.1017/S0010417500009919.
  9. ^ Smith, IR. Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole Phonology. 1978. Dravidian Linguistics Association.
  10. ^ de Silva Jayasuriya, Shihan (December 1998). "The Portuguese Cultural Imprint on Sri Lanka" (PDF). Lusotopie 2000. pp. 253–259. Retrieved 19 March 2016.