Kerala Christians

Author(s): Mathew K. Jacob and Leela Dube

Source: Man, New Series, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Aug., 1977), pp. 340-342
Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
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 CORRESPONDENCE 34I

themselves under their Christians bishop

also got separatedwho
into Catholics
had come
with them. They adopted the religious prac- and non-Catholics and later on both these
tices of the immigrants including the Syriac groups had and have still their own bishops.
language for worship. Hence the native In our study of the Orthodox Syrian
Christians came to be known as Syrian Christian community out of 545 cases there
Christians. (It is common knowledge for is theonly one case of marriage of a Syrian with
inhabitants of Kerala that before this immigra-a Knanaya Christian and that is a 'love
tion the native Christians were known as marriage' (Jacob I975: 242).
'Nazarenees', meaning the followers of Jesus In the light of these historical facts and our
of Nazareth. Foreigners referred to them as data we want to stress the following main
St Thomas Christians because their ancestors points:
were converted by St Thomas.)
i. Fuller's grouping of the Christians is not
Thomas of Cana (locally known as Knayi
correct. On the basis of endogamy which is
Thommen) and his colonists lived on the
adhered to among them, the Christians in
southern side of the river and did not freely
Kerala can be divided into four groups, viz.,
mix with the 'Nazaranees' who lived on the
Nazaranee Christians, Knanaya Christians,
northern side. They considered themselves
Latin Christians, and Puthu (New) Chris-
superior and neither preferred marriage with
tians.
the local Christians nor converted any natives,
but were interested only in trade and com- 2. It is extremely misleading to suggest that
merce. This separatist tendency has persisted 'the Syrians were originally immigrants to
through centuries, and even today they are India like the Jews of Cochin or the Ashraf
known as the Southerners-Thekkumbhagar Muslims of north India' (p. 54), because
-while the Nazaranees are known as Nor- Syrian Christians include both Nazaranee
therners-Vadakkumbhagar (Tisserant I957: Christians and Knanaya Christians who are
8; Mathew & Thomas I967: p. I9). The not only endogamous but who had dif-
Southerners or Knanaya Syrian Christians are ferent origins. In fact only the Knanaya
more strictly endogamous when compared Christians were originally immigrants to
with any other Christian groups in Kerala and India like theJews of Cochin and the Ashraf
this is supported by our own data from a Muslims of North India.
rural area in Kottayam Taluk (Jacob I975: 3. Fuller's criteria for dividing the Kerala
242-7) which is only about 25 km north of Christians are 'to which caste the original
Changanassery (field of Fuller's study) and in- converts from whom the members of each
between which there is a strong concentration grouping claim descent belonged, and the
of Knanaya Christians. It is surprising that date of these original conversions' (p. 54).
Fuller's 'informants were not even aware' of We agree with him as far the first criterion
the existence of the division (p. 57). is concerned, but certainly not with the
The second most important event in the second one. These criteria are broadly
history of Christianity in Kerala is the arrival applicable to the groups whom Fuller has
of the Portuguese and the consequent split of mentioned, but certainly not to the
the Christian community into Catholics and Knanaya Christians. In point of fact history
non-Catholics. In I595, at the time of Alexis tells of some more waves of immigrants
de Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, the local who were gradually absorbed by the Syrian
leader of the native Christians accepted the Christians. We feel that continuing endo-
Roman faith for the first time and promised gamy separates the four groups. Further
not to receive a bishop who was not sent by there is a distinctly visible tendency among
the Pope. In the famous 'Coonan Cross' Oath the Syrian as also the Knanaya Christians to
of I653 at Mattancherry in Cochin the marry within their own denominations.
majority of the Christians in Kerala renounced This tendency is very strong among the
the Roman faith and returned to the earlier Catholics.
faith (Mackenzie I905: 27; Mathew & 4. Fuller states that 'if a new convert ac-
Thomas I967: 36). The community thus quired land and had a fair complexion his
became divided into Pazhayakuttukar (old descendants would probably be accepted,
adherents) who adhered to the Church of publicly at least, as Syrians after two or
Rome, and Puthankuttukar (new adherents) three generations' (p. 62). But our findings
who returned to the earlier faith. Contrary to contradict Fuller's understanding of the
what Fuller says (p. 59) these names came into situation. We have found that even after
use since the seventeenth century. (It is five or six generations a new convert's
obvious that these names are used in the descendants are not considered as Syrian or
wrong order, and were against the facts of Nazaranee Christians especially in matri-
history.) The former party formed the monial matters, even though they may have
Catholic Church and the latter the Orthodox the same church and may interdine with the
or Jacobite Church. In this split the Knanaya Syrian Christians.

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 342 CORRESPONDENCE

S. Because of and collective

the above settlements; the sociology ofexampl
Fuller's
the attempt to buy 'Syrian status by religion. The current topic is 'the sociology of
offering enormous dowries' is again mis- collective settlements', and an entry must be
leading, even incredible. He has not men- submitted by November Ist, I977, for the
tioned the original caste of the family I978 award. Unpublished work, and that
which tried to purchase the 'Syrian status'. under consideration for publication may be
Again, the history of the so-called 'Genuine submitted. Manuscripts may be in either
Syrians' needs to be carefully examined. English, French or Hebrew, and be appro-
Perhaps they were the descendants of the priate for publication in a social science
low caste converts to whom some of journal. Published work is not acceptable.
Fuller's informants have 'attributed Syrian Persons may apply up to ten years after re-
status'. ceiving their doctorates. Six copies of the
6. Based on the example of giving an manuscript and six copies of a curriculum
enormous dowry to obtain 'Syrian status' vitae must be submitted to:
a conclusion or a generalisation about in-
Dr Charlotte Green Schwartz
dividual mobility between the groups
I64 Gardner Road
cannot be made because of the above men-
Brookline, Mass. 02I46
tioned two points.
U.S.A.
Mathew K. Jacob
Leela Dube Further information can be obtained either
from the Dept of Sociology, Hebrew Uni-
Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Simla versity, Jerusalem, or from Dr Schwartz.
Esther Goody
Dumnont, Louis. I970. Homo hierarchicus. University of Cambridge
Delhi: Vikas Publications.
Fuller, C. J. I975. Kerala Christians and the
caste system. Man (N.S.) II, 53-70.
Firth, C. B. I960. Introduction to the Indian Nuer and Dinka
Church history. Madras: The Christian SIR,
Literature Society. Southall (I976: 466) states that Newcomer
Jacob, M. K. I975. Kinship system and social and I spoke of the Nuer and the Dinka 'as
organisation of a Christian community. though they were unambiguously distinct
Thesis University of Sagar. groups each one capable of distinctive
Mackenzie, G. T. I905. The Travancore State characterisation and concerted action'.
Manual. Trivandrum: Travancore In fact I explicitly denied that they are
Government Press, 'unified and exclusive units' (Glickman I972:
Mathew, C. P. & M. M. Thomas I967. The 586), and spoke of' the sociological differences
Indian Churches of St Thomas. Delhi: between the Nuer and the Dinka as relative'
ISPCK. (I972: 590), and pointed out that 'the Nuer as
Moraes, G. I964. A history of Christianity in such never mobilise collectively' (I972: 59I).
India. Vol. I. Bombay: Manaktalas. The notion which Southall attributes to me I
Pothen, S. G. I963. The Syrian Christians of attributed to the mythology of the area (I972:
Kerala. Bombay: Asia Publishing House. 593).
Tisserant, Eugene. I957. Eastern Christianity in Maurice Glickman
India. Orient-Longmans. University of Cambridge

Glickman, M. I972. The Nuer and the Dinka:

Yonina Talmon Prize a further note. Man (N.S.) 7, 586-94.
Southall, A. I976. Nuer and Dinka are people:
SIR,
ecology, ethnicity and logical possibility.
The committee for the Yonina Talmon Man (N.S.) II, 463-9I.
prize are anxious to bring this annual essay
competition to the attention of a wider body
of scholars. Dr Talmon was a central figure in
Israeli social science until her early death, and Correction
the Talmon prize has been established both in In the Postscript to N. J. Allen's article
honour of her memory and to encourage re- 'Sherpa kinship terminology in diachronic
search in the areas in which she herself was perspective' (Man (N.S.) II, 569-87) the
active. It is open to a scholar from any country. second sentence should have read: 'This has
Each year a topic is set which reflects one of led me to distinguish sharply between those
Dr Talmon's particular research interests: vertical equations that link adjacent genea-
Family and kinship (including social aspects of logical levels and those that link alternate
gerontology); the sociology of the kibbutz ones '.

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