Dutch Burghers

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Dutch Burghers
Regions with significant populations
Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA
Languages
Sri Lankan Portuguese Creole, English, Sinhala and Tamil
Religion
Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Burgher people, Portuguese, Portuguese Burghers, Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamil

The Dutch Burghers[1][2] are an ethnic group in Sri Lanka, of mixed Dutch, Portuguese Burghers and Sri Lankan descent.[3] However, they are different community when it compare with Portuguese Burghers.[4] They are Protestant and speak English and the local languages Sinhala and Tamil.

Origins

The Dutch Burghers largely descend from the Dutch people, with admixtures of Portuguese Burghers and Sri Lankans (either a Dutch father and a Sri Lankan mother, or a Sri Lankan mother of Dutch descent and a Sri Lankan father).

In the 17th century the Dutch East India Company (VOC) took over coastal Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) from the Portuguese. During the VOC rule the Dutch and Portuguese descendants intermarried.[5]

In the 18th century the Eurasian community (a mixture of Portuguese, Dutch, Sinhalese and Tamil) known as the Burghers grew, speaking Portuguese or Dutch.

Burgher by definition means "citizen" in Dutch, hence was originally used to differentiate the Dutch from the other Europeans in Ceylon. "Burgher" is now used to describe the Eurasians (of mixed European and Asian ancestry) from Sri Lanka.[6]

Current status

At the 1981 Census, the Burghers (Dutch and Portuguese) numbered almost 40,000 (0.3% of the population of Sri Lanka). Many Burghers emigrated to other countries. The Burgher population worldwide is approximated to be around 100,000,[7] concentrated mostly in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Dutch Burghers' lifestyle is a mix of Sri Lankan and Western influence, and many embrace their heritage through participation in the Dutch Burgher Union.[8]

See also

References

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  8. ↑ Dutch Burgher Union

External links

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