"Native" in this context has a clear historical meaning established by long usage. It was employed to distinguish "ethnic Ceylonese" -- Singhalese, Tamils, Moors, Chetties, etc., -- whose long-term roots lay in the island, from those of European descent, (regardless of whether these "Euros" were born in Ceylon). The anomaly -- which everybody recognised and accepted -- was the Burgher. (They were considered a stand-alone categorisation.) An illustrative example is so-called "Native" Ranks: Gate Mudaliyar; Mudaliyar; Rate Mahatmaya; Vannia; Muhandiram, etc. They were "Native" because of whom they applied -- and the title was certainly not taken as pejorative. Whether or not "native" held a pejorative connotation, therefore, depended largely upon the context of its use in any given instance -- much as with terms such as "Yankee". "Yankee go home!" is clearly pejorative; but "Good old Yankee ingenuity" clearly is not. My two annas worth. Cheers, Glen Hodgins Ottawa, Canada ----- Original Message ----- From: <rvantwes@uoguelph.ca> To: <SRILANKA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2005 1:16 PM Subject: [SRILANKA] Native research > Wow! We have a thread growing on this forum after a long time. Our last > prolonged discussion was on the topic of Burgher or not to Burgher. Please > don't nip it off just yet. I got to have my two cents worth before getting > back > to the grind. Is if interesting how terms can evolve like living entities. > I can > not recall a single instance from my Ceylankan experience where the term > native > was used to describe a person born there, perhaps this is what is in use > presently, but I have my doubts. Dictionary definitions not withstanding, > native was invariable used to denigrate someone as uncivilized, > nonwestern, > vernacular or even savage. During the time of the Raj 'to go native' was > used > to delineate one of their own that had adopted local customs, manners, > language > or habits. So who is a native from a genealogical context? In Canada the > term > native usually suggest someone from the indigenous population. When I say > indigenous that suggests that the community did not originate from another > territory (country) or there is no cultural history of coming from > somewhere > else. From a Ceylankan context that could apply to the extinct Veddah > population, whereas the extent communities e.g. Sinhalese, Tamils,Burghers > have > originated from else where, some in more distant times than others. I > believe > that Michael Ondaatje in one of his novels (Anil's Ghost?) explores the > native > conundrum as well. > > Cheers > Rohan van Twest > Ontario, Canada.