Giraavaru Culture

Intro 

           The Giravaru people are mentioned in ancient legends and local folklore of the Maldives. Of the Maldivian population, there is a small minority called the “Giraavaru people” who are often considered to be the descendants of one of the earliest, if not the earliest stream of immigrants to the atolls who would have arrived long before the Legendary King Koimalaa Kalo. the Giravaru people are said to be the indigenous people of the Giravaru islands, part of the Maldives.  They were the earliest island community of the Maldives and their presence predates Buddhism in the Maldives folklores said that they believe to be Tamil people.

                     According to research done by Xavier Romero Frias, The Giraavaru origins are descendants of ancient Tamils from the southwestern coast of India and northwestern shores of Sri Lanka, who probably settled on the island around the Sangam period (300BC-300AD)Until the twentieth century the Giraavaru people displayed recognizable physical, linguistic and cultural differences to the nearby islands. Their culture and language were of clear Tamil-Malayalam substratum

                   According to tradition and the claims of the Giraavaru people, they were the ancient owners and rulers of the Maldives. Then a visiting foreign prince (Koimala Kalo) and his entourage asked for and were given their permission to settle on the neighboring island of Male''.

                         Giraavaru island was much bigger, housing magnificent buildings and temples in those days, as the surrounding lagoon still testifies. Changing weather patterns gradually eroded the bulk of the island, which was once the capital of a proud and civilized people.

                 Giraavaru island is on the western side of the lagoon of North Male' Atoll. It is not clear whether or not Giraavaru was its original name. Giraa means 'eroding' in the Maldivian language. It was thought that the island was called Giraavaru because it was gradually being eroded away into the sea. It is quite possible that the name proceeded the word. Indeed the word 'g  iraa' may have been coined as a result of the natural calamity that was claiming an important island.

Facts

• some folklores suggest that male', was used for cutting and processing the fish that the Giravaru people caught. it was said that they called male'enbeyrumathi-angolhi, Galu-olhi, in earlier times.
• 
  The legends also suggest that in a visit, a foreign prince(koimala Kalo) and his followers or members asked for permission to settle in male', and were granted permission to settle in the island of male' decedents of Giravaru.

Giravaru Attire

                  The attire of the women  was similar to the rest of the Maldive islanders particularly that of the Male' middle classes however there was the visible difference

                           The attire of the women was similar to the rest of the Maldives Islanders, particularly that of the Male' middle classes. However, there were visible differences. They tied their hair in a bun on the left-hand side, while most of the other Maldives islanders tied theirs on the right-hand side or the back. They wore unusual jewelry.

                             The most distinct items were necklaces of tiny blue beads which no other Maldive islanders wore. They also wore a number of silver bangles on both wrists. These were made of strips of metal about 8 millimeters in width bent into circular bangles with the ends left without being soldered together. They wore four to five per wrist. 

Dialects

             The Giraavaru dialect was very unusual for a community that lived only a few kilometers from Male'. They had a slightly different vocabulary and some consonants were different from the standard Maldive language. For instance, they used the sound r instead of the sound lh.

Language Status

                    Ordinary Maldivians were required to address the Male' nobility in a different level of speech. The Giraavaru people did not observe this custom and addressed the Male' nobility as they would address themselves. The nobility did not challenge this attitude and always chose to ignore it. Any other lesser Maldivian who displayed this type of self-assured confidence would have found him or herself in deep trouble.
                      Common citizens of Male', who regarded the Giraavaru people as an inferior race, seemed to resent the apparent privileges enjoyed by them under the sultans and mocked them mercilessly. It was believed that the Giraavaru people were mortally scared of frogs. In order to tease and victimize them, Male' folk would throw frogs at them. 

Political System

                    The Giraavaru people were a community headed always by a woman. It was the only island in the Maldives where the sultan's civil authority was deputized always to a woman. 

                    The sultans of the Maldives seemed to recognize the autonomy of the Giraavaru people and A feMale'-dominated monogamous culture in a world of Male'-dominated polygamy did not apply quite the same laws on them as they did on the rest of their realm. The Giraavaru people never seemed to fully recognize the sovereignty of the sultans. 

                     In the presence of the Male' nobility, the Giraavaru people were self-assured and never showed any signs of intimidation as did the lower classes of Male' and the other Maldive islanders. The Giraavaru people had ready access to those who were in power and thought of themselves as equals with the ruling elite. 

Graivaru culture extinct

                             In 1968, due to heavy erosion of the island and as a result, reduction of the community to a few members, they were forced to abandon their island under an Islamic regulation that did not recognize communities with fewer than 40 adult males, which was the minimum required for the regular performance of Friday prayers. The proud Giraavaru elders tried very hard to preserve their culture, but their youth very quickly lost their sense of identity and were soon assimilated into the Male' culture proud culture was thus wiped from the face of the earth in the latter years of the twentieth century. 

                              The Giraavaru people were ferried across the atoll lagoon to Hulhulé Island and resettled there. When the airport there was extended they were shifted across to Malé and housed in a few blocks in newly reclaimed areas in the Maafanu district. The distinct Giraavaru culture swiftly disappeared when the Giraavaru young people were assimilated into the wider Malé society through intermarriage. "Pure" Giraavaru is now thought to be extinct. The Giraavarus were isolated and thus an endogamous society with a relatively low population for more than a millennium. An ancient and The island of Giraavaru is now a tourist resort managed by Centara Hotels & Resorts

Opinion

this can be reserved and maintained by teamwork, regulation in the community.

Reference 

https://maldivescomplete.com/maldivesv/docs/History%20of%20Giraavrau%20Island%20-%20Centara%20Ras%20Fushi.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraavaru_people#End_of_the_culture

http://mauloofahmed.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-giraavaru-people-of-maldivian.html

Exploring social studies grade 7 book- 2.3 pg 62,63, 64