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Tamil Culture and Language in
South Africa
Mathavakrishnan Mudeliar
(Kajan)
(formerly of South Africa, an active member
of the Tamil community in Sydney. member of the
Australian Tamil Federation)
Courtesy
Tamil Federation of KwaZulu Natal
The indentured Indians arrived in South Africa in
1860 onwards from all parts of southern and eastern
India and various factors motivated them. For most
it was a case of escaping from conditions of
extreme poverty and its resultant misery and
disease, while others were spurred by ambition or a
sense of adventure. Coming as they did from all
parts of India different languages and cultures
were present among the immigrants. There were a few
Christians and a small number of Muslims, but the
majority were Hindus belonging to different caste
systems.
The indentured or immigrant Indians were followed
by other groups known as passenger Indians ( as
they paid their own passage ) mainly to live and
conduct their commercial activities. The majority
of passenger Indians were Muslims and spoke
Gujerati and Urdu, while the indentured Indians
spoke Tamil, Telegu and Hindi. Some of the
Gujerati- speaking passenger Indians was of the
Hindu faith.
The descendants of indentured workers in the
sugarcane fields of Natal and of the passenger
Indians are now part of South Africa's
heterogeneous population. Until the beginning of
the twentieth century it was still necessary, for
obvious reasons, to differentiate between passenger
and indentured Indians. But the remarkable progress
of the community as a whole in economic and
educational spheres has made this differentiation
unnecessary and in 1963 the Government was able to
introduce legislation that placed all Indians in
South Africa on an equal footing.
The Indian immigrants brought with them to South
Africa the heritage of an ancient caste system.
Each caste was a distinct, exclusive social entity
that bound a member from birth to death. The caste
system was characterised by a strict hierarchy and
contact between the different castes brought
unforgivable disgrace. That those on the lower
rungs of the hierarchy emigrated as indentured
labourers is understandable; that any one of
elevated position should choose to do so, despite
this involving social contact with those of low
caste, even sharing amenities, is remarkable and
indicates how compelling the economic and other
factors were. It also reflects a degree of
adaptability, particularly when seen in the
traditional Indian context.
The adaptability, the capacity to accept the
realities of life, is characteristic of South
African Indians. They found that the caste system
did not work in south Africa and from the beginning
adapted themselves to the differing circumstances.
A few isolated attempts were made to institute a
village caste system, but these were soon abandoned
when the young people left for urban areas to seek
employment and were influenced by Western cultural
and economic concepts. Now-a-days the caste system
is virtually non-existent with the exception of a
few Hindu communities that continue to practise
endogamy.
It is reasonable to assume that the Indians,
because they rejected the caste system in favour of
a Western way of life, would also tend to reject
their faith. But this is not so. The Hindu religion
has more than 75% of the Indians as adherents,
while the remainder, more than 20% are of the
Islamic faith and the rest Christians and other
faiths, the Indian community has thus retained its
essentially Oriental character in many vital
respects, despite western cultural influences.
Many Indians speak English as it enables them to
overcome language barriers in their business
dealings with those who speak other Indian
languages and with members of the other national
groups. English has in fact also become the
language of social communication within the Indian
community and many young Indians hardly speak their
mother tongue at all. English also dominates the
field of education, so that were not for the
efforts of certain cultural groups, the survival of
the Indian languages would be jeapardised. However,
the Indians in South Africa have always been able
to retain vital contact with the age-old traditions
and customs of their own culture.The Indians are a
compassionate people and they are always ready to
make financial sacrifices. This is part of their
cultural and religious background. With sanguine
enthusiasm and robust faith the early Indians taxed
their own scanty means to promote and nurture the
Tamil culture and language not only for their
children but also for the generations to follow.
The majority of the Indian immigrants of the
nineteenth century arrived in South Africa with
little else but the clothes they wore. Today,
because of the economic opportunities open to them,
their position is in no way comparable with that of
their forebears or of their compatriots in other
countries. Well -paid respectable positions have
been open to all and many have their own commercial
enterprises, while several have become
millionaires. In addition to the continued general
support given by the Indian community the Indian
commercial community has been generous and
donations from Indian trading enterprises assist
the cultural, religious and educational progress of
the community. Individual traders and commercial
enterprises also make contributions towards
erecting and maintaining mosques, temples and
schools.
In order to propagate the language they started
Tamil schools in their homes by gathering a few
children together in the evening. The only reader
in use in the early days was the " Aritchuvadi "
which was used from the beginning to the end, and
whoever completed the whole reader with success was
regarded as reasonably learned in Tamil. With the
establishment of various organisations in different
parts of the country , Tamil schools were
established on modern lines. New readers graded
from 1 to 6 were imported from India.
It must be noted that nearly all the Tamils of the
early period spoke only Tamil and hardly knew
English. As a source of communication and t give
news about the country adopted, as well as India
the first Tamil newspaper - VIVEKA BANU - was
introduced. The Tamils read this with avid
interest. This came to an end when the principal
editor went back to India. The 1930's saw the
appearance of another Tamil newspaper - SENTHAMIL
SELVAN - that satisfied the desire of the Tamils
for news in their own language. Several other
publications followed but they were short-lived for
want of material support. The Tamil immigrants
pursued, in a modest form, aspects, of their
culture, at the same time exposing their children
to them. They spoke their mother tongue within the
confines of the barracks compound and outside and
worshipped their chosen Deity at their simple make
- shift temples. Some of the children were
fortunate enough to receive the rudiments of Tamil
from educated elders who may be counted among the
many unsung personalities of early Tamil education.
In spite of steady progress being maintained, Tamil
leaders began to express concern about the future
of Tamil education, because they feared that, as a
strong priority was given to English education and
there was motivation for it, the promotion of Tamil
education would be neglected. More Tamil leaders
emerged to promote Tamil culture vigorously.
To sustain interest and to keep the language alive,
organisations like the Natal Tamil Vedic Society
have established Eisteddfod committees which
organise elocution, drama and music on a
competitive basis for the pupils attending Tamil
schools, especially in the small towns and
suburbs.
Whilst the spoken language has suffered from
environmental changes, other features of Tamil
culture have remained intact up to the present day.
A number of factors helped in this direction. In
recent years religious organisations and cultural
bodies, upon providing a well-motivated request,
may receive government funding for the promotion of
culture. Cultural bodies with meaningful names
created for the training and promotion of music and
the arts are to be found throughout South Africa
where Tamils live in appreciable numbers. Special
functions are organised for the presentation of
modern music or Katcheri (classical music and song
recitals). A number of dance schools have been
opened at which training is given by tutors who
made a special study of the art in India.
An important aspect of the Tamils social life in
South Africa revolves around the observance of
cultural traditions, which include weddings,
funeral rites, amongst others the various
festivals, and poojays such as the Adi and
Puratassi months. Tamil weddings are well organised
and conducted timeously amidst music appropriate to
the occasion. At any of these weddings, one would
see a colourful spectacle of South Indian women
gracefully attired in saris, approved by their
culture.
Hindu women in South Africa, like their
counterparts in South India, represent a resilient
aspect of Tamil life, as it is she who makes up the
home. In every Tamil home religion is a dominant
idiom as it is with the other sections of the Hindu
community. A room or part of it is set aside for
daily worship before a sacred lamp and she is in
complete charge of it.
South Africa is presently undergoing a new order
where the different races are coming in close
contact with one another, learning together and
working together and all this would be expected to
change the lifestyle of every South African
citizen. In spite of the acculturation that is
taking place, important features of ethnic cultures
would continue to be promoted. Indian culture in
general and that of the Tamils in particular, which
is of great antiquity, possesses a lasting richness
in human values and the spirit - elevating features
of culture brought to South Africa by the Indian
immigrants continue to be pursued, promoted and
nurtured.
Wherever Indians settled, their approach was one of
selecting, synthesizing and harmonising with the
best in all fields of thinking and endeavour. This
involved the synthesizing and harmonising of old
ways and new: orthodox and unorthodox; sacred and
secular; religion, science and mysticism; and most
importantly, the synthesizing of western, eastern
and indigenous cultures and traditions. Yet in all
these cross-cultural exchanges, their roots
remained and weathered many storms and continue to
do so.
References:
1. Fiat Lux, Durban vol 2 1988
2.Kuppusami C,Tamil culture in South Africa.
3.Natal Tamil Vedic Society- Souvenir Brochure
4.The Department of Information, Pretoria: The
Indian South African.
5.The South African Tamil Federation - 25th
Anniversary Brochure
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 Kavadi in the South African Cult
of Murukan - Dr. Sarres Padayachee (abstract
of paper presented at the Third Murukan Conference, Kuala
Lumpur 2-5 November 2003)
 The
indentured Indians who left India, the cradle of
Hindu culture and mother of Hindu tradition,
arrived in South Africa during the second half of
the 19th Century. They brought with them a
historic culture which was distinct from the
dominant Western and indigenous black cultures in
modes of worship and philosophy. Thus were the
seeds of Hindu religio-cultural expression, which
embraced a plethora of oral traditions, rituals
and festivals, transplanted into a fecund African
and colonial environment.
Despite their lack of literacy and schooling, the
influences of Western and other cultures, the
strictures and obstructions of the colonial and
apartheid eras, and a profusion of
socio-political and economic difficulties, these
custodians of Hindu culture have retained their
identity. These pioneers could not have imagined
how their simple wood and iron temples would
mushroom into major religious monuments
symbolizing ultimate enlightenment.
Their committed perseverance gave rise to the
birth of many Murugan temples which today stand
as beacons of Hindu culture catering for the
religious needs of the Murugan worshippers in the
Kwa Zulu-Natal, Gauteng and Cape Provinces of
South Africa. Amongst the many Murugan Temples in
South Africa, the Sri Siva Soobramaniar Temple in
Brake Village, Tongaat, and the Shree Siva
Subramaniar Temple in Melrose truly enjoy the
status of "pilgrim centres" where devotees
assemble to pay homage to Lord Muruga.
Today, 142 years later, the unbroken continuity
of the Murugan cult in South Africa has become an
important component of popular Hinduism. This is
evidenced when a vast assembly of Murugan
worshippers from all walks of life gather to pay
obeisance to Lord Muruga and fulfill their vows
during the Tai Pucam, Sithiraa Paruvam and
Punkuni Uttiram Kavadi festivals. The growing
popularity of the Kavadi festivals also attracts
observers from other ethnic milieus in a
multi-cultural South Africa, including devotees
from the black community. Devotees ascribe the
growth of kavadi to the benefits that the kavadi
bearer experiences in the form of better health,
which many call a "new life", spiritual
attainment and material prosperity.
This paper will investigate the Murugan cult in
South Africa with special emphasis on the kavadi
ritual as practiced at two historic temples viz.
The Panguni Uththiram Kavady Festival as
practised at the Sri Siva Soobramaniar Temple in
Brake Village, Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal and the Tai
Pucam Kavady Festival as practised at the Shree
Siva Subramaniar Temple in Melrose, Gauteng. In
this context the pre-Kavady rituals, the main
kavadi festival and the post-kavadi rituals will
be dealt with. The paper will also include a
brief synopsis of Skanda Sasthi as well as other
Murugan cult practices not undertaken at the
above-mentioned temples. The presentation will
include visual information on the important
Murugan shrines found in South Africa. A
documentary video-recording of the kavadi
festival and its component rituals as practiced
at Brake Village will form part of the
presentation.
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