The seamen from Minicoy : an oral history of the social transition in the laccadive sea

Abstract

Seamen from Minicoy (Maliku), the southernmost island of the Lakshadweep, were and are an integral part of the local maritime economy. Since time immemorial the people of Maliku developed an ocean-based economy including fishing, trading and boat building. Local society was based on a matrilineal and matrilocal kinship system and Muslim faith. From the eighteenth century onwards Malikun worked as seamen on ships in South Asia and beyond. In sharp contrast to other seamen, Malikun are not uprooted individuals or “marginal men”, because seafaring was the best, and almost only option for young men from this island and has always been an honourable occupation. Today, most of them work worldwide in the merchant navy. This article is based on interviews during a multi sited fieldwork in Maliku, Kochi and Mumbai. I shall argue that long-lasting dynamics in the twentieth century were induced by their Seamen´s association and by the Indian state and its administration. The most significant change is the disaggregation of an ancient status system and a growing diaspora in Kochi. The Minicoy People´s Welfare Association, formerly Minicoy Seamen´s Association, owns hostels in Mumbai and became a home-away-from-home. This network provides information and offers help in the complex legal context which controls the movements of Indian seamen.