|
The people of Maldives therefore form the principal component of the social identity of Maldives. Various ethnic groups that inhabit the island of Maldives are products of historical events and large scale immigration. Maldives people consist of a mixture of Sinhalese, the Dravidian, Arabs, Australasian and Africans.
Early settlers of Maldives comprised the Dravidian from South India. Later, they were replaced by the Dhivehi speaking people from Sri Lanka. The Arabs form the last group of people to arrive in Maldives. Along with these major ethnic races there are also the Africans who form a significant part of the people in Maldives. Among the minor races are the Indians, Sri Lankans and religious minorities. Therefore the people of Maldives display diverse ethnic traits.
The Maldives people can be grouped under two broad divisions with respect to the social structure of the island. Residing at Male, the capital of Maldives, are the elite comprising the members of the royal family, the nobility, sultans, the traditional ruling families, business people, government officials, professionals, scholarly people etc. The rest of the population of Maldives constitutes immigrants and native islanders. These communities inhabit the smaller and outer islands of Maldives. Thus class division is a dominant feature of the society in Maldives.
The Maldives people live in small groups or communities and their principal occupation is fishing. These groups are called atolls. The people of Maldives have small and nuclear families. Women in Maldives enjoy number of privileges and rights and their status is quite high. Maldives people are warn and hospitable and contain in them the traditional characteristics of the island.
|
