Knanaya
Sign in to saveThe '''K'nānāya' (, from Syriac: K'nā'nāya "Canaanite") also known as the Southists or Tekkumbhagar, are an endogamous ethnic group found among the Saint Thomas Christian community of Kerala, India. They are differentiated from another part of the community, known in this context as the Northists (Vaddakkumbhagar''). There are about 300,000 Knanaya in India and elsewhere.
Key facts
- Ethnic group.image
- Ethappan Parel a Knanaya Opium and Textile Merchant With His Family (1899-1900).jpg
- Ethnic group.image_caption
- A Knanaya Opium Merchant and His Family (1899-1900) Kottayam, Kingdom of Travancore
- Ethnic group.group
- Knanaya
- Ethnic group.native_name
- ക്നാനായ
- Ethnic group.popplace
- c. 300,000
- Ethnic group.pop1
- 250,000
- Ethnic group.pop2
- 25,000
- Ethnic group.pop3
- 8,000
- Ethnic group.pop4
- 4,000
- Ethnic group.pop5
- 2,900
- Ethnic group.pop6
- 1,900
- Ethnic group.pop7
- 900
- Ethnic group.pop8
- 700
- Ethnic group.pop9
- 500
- Ethnic group.pop10
- 300
- Ethnic group.pop11
- 2500-3000
- Ethnic group.langs
- Malayalam: local languages Liturgical and Traditional: Syriac Written: Suriyani Malayalam
- Ethnic group.rels
- Predominantly Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Minorities include Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and Pentecostal Saint Thomas Christians
via Wikipedia infobox
~59 min read
Encyclopedic overview
27 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Other designations
- History
- Origins and traditions
- Thomas of Cana's arrival
- Jewish-Christian ancestry
- Two-wives legend
- Medieval era
- Early Portuguese era
- Later Portuguese era
- Later Colonial era
- Modern era
- Religion
- Culture
- Folk songs
- Songs of Hindu bards
- Folk traditions
- Passover traditions
- Wedding traditions
- Food
- Dress and ornaments
- Dance
- Funeral traditions
- Institutions
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
The '''K'nānāya' (, from Syriac: K'nā'nāya "Canaanite") also known as the Southists or Tekkumbhagar, are an endogamous ethnic group found among the Saint Thomas Christian community of Kerala, India. They are differentiated from another part of the community, known in this context as the Northists (Vaddakkumbhagar''). There are about 300,000 Knanaya in India and elsewhere.
The origins of the Knanaya community is traced back to the arrival of the Syriac merchant Thomas of Cana (Knāi Thoma) who led a migration of Jewish-Christians (early Syriac Christians) from the Mesopotamian province of Sassanian Persia to the city of Kodungallur, India in the year AD 345. The community's arrival was recorded on the Thomas of Cana copper plates which were extant in Kerala until the 17th century. The ethnic division between the Knanaya and other St. Thomas Christians was observed during the Portuguese colonization of India in the 16th century and was noted throughout the European colonial era.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Knanaya” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.