Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 5 of 7

Edgar Thurston

• Publisher: Otbebookpublishing
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9783965379169
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

Excerpt: "The Marakk?yars are described, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as "a Tamil-speaking Musalman tribe of mixed Hindu and Musalman origin, the people of which are usually traders. They seem to be distinct from the Labbais (q.v.) in several respects, but the statistics of the two have apparently been confused, as the numbers of the Marakk?yars are smaller than they should be." Concerning the Marakk?yars of the South Arcot district, Mr. Francis writes as follows.1 "The Marakk?yars are largely big traders with other countries such as Ceylon and the Straits Settlements, and own most of the native coasting craft. They are particularly numerous in Porto Novo. The word Marakk?yar is usually derived from the Arabic markab, a boat. The story goes that, when the first immigrants of this class (who, like the Labbais, were driven from their own country by persecutions) landed on the Indian shore, they were naturally asked who they were, and whence they came. In answer they pointed to their boats, and pronounced the word markab, and they became in consequence known to the Hindus as Marakk?yars, or [2]the people of markab. The Musalmans of pure descent hold themselves to be socially superior to the Marakk?ayars, and the Marakk?yars consider themselves better than the Labbais. There is, of course, no religious bar to intermarriages between these different sub-divisions, but such unions are rare, and are usually only brought about by the offer of strong financial inducements to the socially superior party. Generally speaking, the pure-bred Musalmans differ from those of mixed descent by dressing themselves and their women in the strict Musalman fashion, and by speaking Hindust?ni at home among themselves."

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