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-Aryan 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] though sometimes they are also classified as external to the Indo-Aryan branch.[2] They 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, most of whom live around North-East India, Nepal, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. 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. This is particularly true for many ethnic groups in the northeastern parts of South Asia who are ethnically and culturally related to peoples of the Far East. 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 470 million.
List
People who speak an Indo-Aryan language.
Most of the North Indian population is of Indo-Aryan descent. The Ra1a1 gene haplotype is found in at least 50% of the populations from North/East India to Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
- 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
- Bihari people
- Gujarati people
- Hindkis
- Hindkowans
- Konkani people
- Mahl people (or Divehis) of Maldives and India
- 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
- Kurdish people
- Parsi people
- Pashtun people
- Lohani (Pashtun ethnic group)
- 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.
- Kurukh (Oraon)
- Khonds
- Gondi people
- Kannadigas
- Kodava
- Malayalis
- Malto people
- Tamil people
- Telugu people
- Toda people
- Tuluvas
- Irulas
- Brahui
- 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
- Hazaras
- The Mughal Dynasty (Turko-Mongolian and Persian)
- Mogholi
- possibly Hunza (may be related to Yenisei Siberians)
- Muhajirs often claim some level of Turkic/Mongolian Ancestry
- 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
- Deccan A community of Muslims in Southern and Northern parts of the Deccan Plateau such as Hyderabadi Muslims
- Labbay Arab traders who settled in South India (trace ancestry back to Egyptian traders)
- Memons Possibly the earliest Muslims to arrive in India,(trace ancestry to Syrians who came with Muhammad Bin Qasim) during the expedition of Sindh.
- Boras Trace ancestors to Arab traders and Merchants.
- Chaush Trace ancestors to traders from Yemen
- Punjabi Shaikhs Dawah workers thats arrived in 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
- Indians in Germany
- 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
- Indo-Guyanese
- Indo-Grenadians
- Indians in Guadeloupe
- Indians in Panama
- Indians in Belgium
- Indian diaspora in France
- Indians in Israel
- Indians in Italy
- Indians in Portugal
- Indian community in Spain
- 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