Before the advent of passport requirements in the 20th century, Minicoy islanders travelled frequently to the Kingdom of the Maldives to the south and had established many family ties there. A very prominent Maldive noble family from Male, the Kakaageys had settled in Minicoy in the 19th century. Their descendants are still in both Minicoy and the Maldives. Some of them married into the Divehi-ganduvaru, Serikkal, Landran-awgothi and Oludu-gothi families.
It must be remembered that Minicoy is not a part of the Maldives and there is no evidence that it ever was. In the early 1980's a senior official of the Maldive regime made a public comment claiming Minicoy for the Maldives, and that landed quite a bit of egg on a few faces. Even today many Maldivians privately harbour such sentiments.
We need to remember that what determines international borders is neither geographic proximity nor cultural affinity. In historic times, as far as can be ascertained, Minicoy has always been within the jurisdiction of various states on the Indian subcontinent. From 1905 Minicoy was under the jurisdiction of the Emperors of India (The Raj).
The status of Minicoy appeared to be in limbo between 1947 and 1956. Right now it is an integral part of the Indian Republic. In the civilised world we live in, sovereignty of states must be respected. People have a right to self determination and to live under the rule of law.
A walk through the winding lanes of the villages gives an indication of the culture. Minicoy is renowned for its dance tradition: the lava dance is performed on festive occasions.
Within the status group system of Minicoy, the Bodun or Manikfans are considered to be of the highest class. They alone owned private property and were the leisured class. The Malimin or Thakurufans were the sailors who mainly piloted sailing vessels.
Medukembin or Takurus worked in the boats during voyages while the Raveris were the labourers. Women of the four status groups are known as Manikka, Beefan, Beebee and Kambilo respectively. In between Thakurufan and Thakuru , there is a sub-caste known as Bebe.
According to local oral tradition, the four status groups correspond to those among the passengers and crew of a ship carrying two Maldive princesses Kamboranin and Kohoratukamana that came to Minicoy sometime in antiquity. Those who sailed in the ship displaced the previous inhabitants of the island and became the ancestors of modern Minicoy islanders.
Marco Polo referred to Minicoy as the "female island" because of its matrilineal society. Until recently real estate was retained by women and passed in the female line. Both men and women took on their mothers' surnames (house names). Upon marriage, the husband took the wife's surname. All affairs of the household were managed by the senior female member. |
