Dress Code Of Indian

Plantation Labours In

South Asia

Ramesha Jayneththi

Department of History

University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

IntroductionDiasporic culture in South Asia

• Diasporic culture survives as a result of the spreading of communities in South Asian region with causing of many economic and other dynamic social factors.

• Diaspora communities symbolize and preserve a cultural difference from their locating countries and often maintaining strong ties with their mother country and the origin of that culture.

• India as the leading main land in South Asian region, the cultural value of the Indian society remained as a collective cultural identities of many South Indian Diasporas.

• Diasporic culture of Indian Tamil plantation labours specially their dress code also remained some Indian cultural background and that was unique from other native Tamils like in Sri Lanka.

• Indian plantation labours are wide spread Diaspora in many South Asian countries, especially in Sri Lanka. Indian plantation labours have been considered as a minority group in ethnic hierarchy of these countries.

• The social structure of the plantation sector resembles the South Indian rural social structure. The community is generally bound by the caste system.

• In a plantation field, the tea or rubber factory is the center of activities and it stands in the central part of the plantation. Especially they were identified as a subaltern group with subaltern cultural values and rituals in their own estates.

• After emerging the post colonial historical discourse, the

value of historical and cultural aspects of many diasporas

has been advanced.

• The discussion about the uniqueness of Tamil plantation

labours' culture as a subaltern and migrant community, is

valuable. As the dress code is unwritten rules in the society

or community with regards to clothing, it reflects strong

cultural value of this community .

• In this research, there is an attempt to find about the

uniqueness of dress code of Indian Tamil plantation

labours with comparing with other native dress patterns.

Methodology• Identifying and analyzing data in primary sources

according to the current historical discourse.

• Privet records and publications of British administrators,

planters and travelers.

• Mary E. Steuart - Everyday Life on a Ceylon Cocoa Estate

• Arnold Wright - Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon:

its History, People, Commerce, Industries and Resources

• H.W. Cave - Picturesque Ceylon

• Discussions with Tamil Plantation labours in Sri Lanka

Discussion

• The dress code was a reflection of the cultural and social background of Tamil plantation labours.

• In the beginning they were very isolated community with practicing there own agamic believes and rituals

• Though they were migrant community, the social hierarchy which practiced in there mother land was kept continually.

• There is an evolution of dress code of them in colonial era and post colonial era with combined of social, religious and cultural changes.

• The differences of dress patterns which they used in factories, fields, weddings and ritual ceremonies, funeral were less.

Common practices of this dress code

• In the British period

• Since the economic and social level of this rural

community, they used sarees without jackets.

• Some ladies of high families in caste hierarchy like

Kanganis used to wore saree with appropriate jackets.

• In weddings also they practiced that simple dress pattern

but the remarkable thing was ladies always used heavy

head dress design by flowers.

• In funerals men used to stay as topless. They played

thappu or traditional drum until it’s over.

Common features of Dress code among

the Plantation Labours Attires

Saree and Sarong– Selei and Wetti (Census of Ceylon 1921)

Saree PatternsMaterial Type

• Rough and raw materials

• Mostly hard cotton and Indian hand loomed

• Dark or light plain colours (Red)

• Simple or less designs and borders

• Low-grade materials

• Marital and other goods were provided by Estate stores once or twice a week according to their ration books

Sari Pattern

• Used simple and un-tidy pattern

• The pattern was suitable for hard field workings

• But also same used for other daily activities

• Commonly with showing social level,used this pattern without saree jackets

• Some women used saree jackets according to their social

level (Some Kangani families)

• Rich material saree with border

• Without slippers or sankals

• Heavy jewelries

• In weddings women used rich

saree called Pattu Selei

Women in the plantation field

Upcountry Tamil lady in Modern era

• Ornaments

• Earrings – Thandatti Simple Earrings

Attiyal Heavy Earrings

Thea Karambu Used to enlarge the hole of ears

• Ornaments for Nose

• On the nose - Muukuththi

• Using in Nostril - Pillakaal

• Bangles – Walayal - Normal bangles

Kaippatti – Used between shoulders & elbow

• Necklaces - Normally simple & cheap one used for fields

Thali - Traditional necklace for Brides

• Anklets were used in normal life – Heavy anklets- Kolusa

• Normal rings for fingers and Minji for toes

• Mail dress

• Kanganis- Used Western Coat and Wetti

• Normal dress – Weiii / Sarong

• Indian Tamil man belongs to Baber caste in Ceylon

• Head dress –Talappa – Turban

Mundasi

• Tamil boys with thalappa

Compare with other natives - Jaffna Tamils

• Jaffna Tamil ladies

High caste Tamil girl in Jaffna

Some Brahmans in Ceylon

Traditional Kandyan dress

Kandyan girl in British era

Low country Sinhalese - Showing mix pattern of

Eastern and Western traditions

Low country Sinhala girls

Malay women in Ceylon

Madras women in South India

Madras woman

Tamil ladies in rural South India

Conclusion

• There is an obvious relationship between social status of this rural plantation labours and their simple dress pattern.

• There rituals, agamic believes and the caste hierarchy directly affected to design and maintain their attires and costumes.

• Also the historical and social practice of their mother land in India was obviously influenced to create of their unique cultural value of dress.

• They kept some differences of attires from other native Tamils in Sri Lanka and India.

• The simple life style with hard field works cause to maintain the simple dress code from British era to modern day.

Thank You