Ethnic groups in South Asia
The ethno-linguistic composition of the population of South Asia, that is the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka is highly diverse. The majority of the population fall within two large groups, Indo-European and Dravidian. These groups are further subdivided into numerous sub-groups, castes and tribes. Indo-Aryans form the predominant ethno-linguistic group in Northern India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Dravidians form the predominant ethno-linguistic group in southern India and the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka, and a small pocket in Pakistan. Iranian peoples, grouped with Indo-Aryans in the Indo-Iranian language group, also have a significant presence in South Asia, the large majority of whom are located in Pakistan - with heavy concentrations in Balochistan, North-West Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Dardic peoples form a minority among the Indo-Aryans. They are classified as belonging to the Indo-Aryan language group[1] Sometimes they are also classified as external to the Indo-Aryan branch[2], and are found in northern Pakistan (Northern Areas and North-West Frontier Province) and in Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Minority groups not falling within either large group mostly belong to the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman language families. The Andamanese (Sentinel, Onge, Jarawa, Great Andamanese) live on some of the Andaman Islands and speak a language isolate, as do the Kusunda in central Nepal[3], the Vedda in Sri Lanka, and the Nihali of central India, who number about 5000 people. The people of the Hunza valley in Pakistan are another distinct population. They speak Burushaski, a language isolate.
The traditions of different ethnic groups in South Asia have diverged, influenced by external cultures, especially in the northwestern parts of South Asia (where Turkic and Iranian peoples have had much influence) and in the border regions and busy ports, where there are greater levels of contact with external cultures. The largest ethno-linguistic group in South Asia are the Indo-Aryans, numbering around 1 billion, and the largest sub-group are the native speakers of Hindi languages, numbering more than 300 million.
List
Indo-Aryan peoples People who speak an Indo-European language
- Assamese people (i.e. the Assamese speakers of the Brahmaputra valley, not to be confused with the multi-ethnic people of Assam)[4]
- Bengali people
- Bhils
- Bihari people
- Dom people
- Gujarati people
- Hindkis
- Hindkowans
- Konkani people
- Maldivian people
- Marathi people
- Mers
- Muhajir people
- Oriya people
- Paharis
- Dogra people
- Garhwali people
- Gurkha or Gorkha
- Khas
- Kumauni People or Kumaoni people
- Punjabi people
- Seraikis
- Sinhalese people
- Sindhi people
- Tharu people
- Balochi people
- Hazaras
- Irani
- Parsi people
- Pashtun people
- Tajik people
- Muhajirs often claim some level of Persian ancestry
Note: The Dardic languages are largely seen as Indo-Aryan, but are sometimes seen as a separate Indo-Iranian branch.
Other Indo-Iranian
- Kurukh (Oraon)
- Khonds
- Gondi people
- Kannadigas
- Kodava
- Malayalis
- Malto people
- Tamil people
- Telugu people
- Toda people
- Tuluvas
- Irulas
- Brahui
- Hazaras
- The Mughal Dynasty (Turko-Mongolian and Persian)
- Mogholi
- possibly Hunza (may be related to Yenisei Siberians)
- Tibetans and Tibetan-speaking speaking peoples
- Chepang
- Gurung
- Karbi or Mikir
- Kirat people
- Lepcha people
- Magar people
- Manipuri or Meithei people
- Naga people
- Newar people
- Tamang
- Thakali
- Thami
- Tripuris
- Memba
- Khowa
- Nishi
- Indian Jews
- Cochin Jews (Malayali Jews)
- Bene Israel (Marathi Jews)
- Baghdadi Jews (Arab Jews in Bengal)
- Bnei Menashe (Mizo and Kuki Jews)
- Bene Ephraim (Telugu Jews)
- Syrian Malabar Nasranis are descendents of Jewish converts to Christianity
- Knanaya(a sub-group of Syrian Malabar Nasranis)
- Paradesi Jews (European Jews in India)
- Arabs or mixed Arab and Indo-Aryan or Dravidian
- Konkani Muslims (trace ancestry to Arab traders on the west coast of India)
- Mappila (trace ancestry to Arab traders in the State of Kerala ,India)
- Sri Lankan Moors ( trace ancestry to Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka)
- Muhajirs often claim some level of Arab ancestry
- Iraqi biradri A community of Muslims in north India
Linguistically isolate groups
Diaspora
Many South Asian ethnic groups and nationalities have substantial diasporas outside of South Asia.
- South Asian American
- South Asian Canadian
- British Asian
- South Asian Australian
- Indo Kiwi
- Indians in Singapore
- Malaysian Indian
- Indian Indonesian
- Indo-Mauritian
- Indo-Caribbean
- Burmese Indians
- South Asians in Hong Kong
- South Asians in the Philippines
- Indian-Germans
- Indian South Africans
- Indians in Botswana
- Indians in Kenya
- Indians in Madagascar
- Indo-Mauritian
- Indians in Mozambique
- Indo-Réunionnaise
- Indo-Seychellois
- Indians in Tanzania
- Indians in Uganda
- Indians in Zambia
- Indians in Zimbabwe
- Indians in Iran
- Indians in Thailand
- Indians in the United Arab Emirates
- Indians in Vietnam
- Indians in Barbados
- Indians in Belize
- Indian Chilean
- Indian Mexican
- Indo-Guyanese
- Indo-Grenadians
- Indians in Guadeloupe
- Indians in Panama
- Indians in Belgium
- Indo French
- Indo Gibraltarians
- Indians in Israel
- Indo Italian
- Indo Portuguese
- Indo Spanish
- Indo-Fijian
- Indians in New Caledonia
- Hindoestanen
See also Punjabi diaspora, Tamil diaspora, Pakistani diaspora, Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora and Indian diaspora.
Two (or possibly three) other people groups have ethnic and linguistic ties with the region:
- Dom people
- Romani people
- Lom people (who speak a language both related to Indo-Aryan and Armenian)
References
- ^ G. Morgenstierne Irano-Dardica. Wiesbaden 1973; Morgenstierne, G. Indo-Iranian frontier languages. (Instituttet for sammenlignende kulturforskning. Publ. ser. B: Skrifter, no. 11, 35, 40) Oslo: H. Aschehoug, 1929 sqq, reprint Oslo 1973,C. Masica The Indo-Aryan languages, New York 1991, p. 21; R.L. Trail and G.R. Cooper, Kalasha Dictionary, Islamabad & High Wycombe 1999 p. xi; The Indo-Aryan languages, edited by George Cardona and Dhanesh Jain. London, New York : Routledge, 2003
- ^ G.A. Grierson, The Pisaca Languages of North-Western India,Asiatic Society, London, 1906, repr. Delhi 1969, p. 4-6; still repeated in: History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Ahmad Hasan Dani, Vadim Mikhaĭlovich Masson, János Harmatta, Boris Abramovich Litvinovskiĭ, Clifford, 1999
- ^ D.E. Watters, Notes on Kusunda (a language isolate of Nepal), Kathmandu 2005
- ^ Yasmin Saikia. Fragmented Memories.
See also
- Genetics and Archaeogenetics of South Asia
- Historical definitions of races in India
- Languages of India
- Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes
- Demographics of Pakistan
- Demographics of India
- Demographics of Sri Lanka
- Demographics of Bangladesh
- Demographics of Bhutan
- Demographics of Nepal
- Demographics of Iran
- Demographics of Myanmar
- Demographics of Afghanistan
- Indian diaspora
- Pakistani diaspora
- Desi
- Languages of South Asia
- Languages of Pakistan
- Ethnic groups in Pakistan
- Assamese people
- Sikkimese people