List of Sri Lankan Moors

This is a list of Sri Lankan Moors. Sri Lankan Moors (Tamil: இலங்கைச் சோனகர், romanized: Ilaṅkaic Cōṉakar; Sinhala: ලංකා යෝනක, romanized: Lanka Yonaka formerly Ceylon Moors; colloquially referred to as Muslims or Moors) are a minority ethnic group in Sri Lanka, comprising 9.3% of the country's total population. They are mainly native speakers of the Tamil language with influence of Sinhalese and Arabic words, however, some of them use Sinhalese as their native tongue. They are predominantly followers of Islam.
The Moors trace their ancestry to Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka in waves beginning from the 8th century. The population of Moors are the highest in the Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts.
The Portuguese named the Muslims in India and Sri Lanka after the Muslim Moors they met in Iberia. The word Moors did not exist in Sri Lanka before the arrival of the Portuguese colonists. The term 'Moor' was chosen because of the Islamic faith of these people and was not a reflection of their origin.
The Tamil term for Moors is Sonakar, which is thought to be derived from the word sunni. The Tamil term Sonakar along with the Sinhalese term Yonaka have been thought to have been derived from the term Yona, a term originally applied to Greeks, but sometimes also Arabs.
The native headmen system was an integral part of the administration of the island of Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) under the successive European colonial powers, namely the Portuguese Empire, the Dutch East India Company and the British Empire. Native headmen or leaders were appointed by the European colonial administrators to function as intermediates between the Europeans and the native populace. During different periods through this system these headmen functioned in military, policing, administrative and ceremonial capacities. They served as translators and revenue collectors, and wielded quasi-judicial powers. Much of the system evolved and changed over time until some of the last vestiges of it were removed in the post-independent Ceylon.
With the onset of British rule, Governor North restructured the native headmen system. The system was transformed into a salaried system with land grants and tenured service abolished. They became the second tier of the civil administration of the island with appointments made by the Government Agent of the Province. Appointments were non-transferable and usually hereditary, made to locals, usually from wealthy influential families loyal the British Crown. The holder had much control over the people of the area and had limited police powers since he was responsible to keep the peace, carry out revenue collection and assist in judicial functions. Over the next century, the headmen grew to be a powerful and affluent class consolidating economic power through land ownership and marriage. Gradually functions of headmen were transferred to various departments that were established by the British administration.
Following the formation of the State Council of Ceylon in 1931, one of its members, H. W. Amarasuriya, called for an inquiry into the Native Headman System. A commission was formed made up of retired civil servants and lawyers headed by H.M. Wedderburn. The commission reported on reforming the headman system or replacing it with transferable District Revenue Officers. The Native Headman System was abolished as an administrative system, with the titles of Mudaliyar (Mudali – මුදලි) and Muhandiram retained by government to be awarded as honors. This practice remained until suspension of Celanese honors in 1956. The minor headman positions were retained, surviving well into the 1970s when the posts of Vidane (විදානේ) in Low Country / Tamil Area and Town Arachchi (ටවුන් ආරච්චි) / Gan Arachchi (ගන් ආරච්චි) in Kandyan Area were replaced with the transferable post of Grama Niladhari (Village Officer).
"Peace Officer" includes Police Officer and the Headman of an area appointed in writing to perform police duties by the Government Agent of the Province by virtue of the powers vested in him by His Excellency the Governor.
The headmen system in the coastal and low country evolved over time under the colonial administration of the Portuguese, the Dutch and then the British.
Head Mudaliyar was the head of the low country native headmen and native aide-de-camp to the Governor of Ceylon.
Korale Mudaliyar was in charge of an area known as a Korale and had several Muhandiram's under his supervision
A Muhandiram had several Vidane Arachchies under his supervision
A Vidane Arachchi had several Vidanes under his supervision
A village or a group of small villages placed under his administration. Vidane was a Low Country headman ranking immediately below that of a Vidane Arachchi in Low Country and below that of a Udayar in Tamil Area in the Native Headmen System. A Vidane was equivalent in ranking to the Kandyan Areas headmen Town Arachchi or a Gan Arachchi
in charge of police duties in the Village under the supervision of the vidane
In charge of distributing water from the wewa (tank) to villagers for cultivation under the supervision of the vidane
In charge of distributing Sugar under the supervision of the vidane
The Northern and Eastern provinces had the following classes of native headmen:
Source:
Vanniar or Vanniyar had several Maniyagar under his supervision.
Maniyagar had several Udayar's under his supervision
Udayar had several Vidane's under his supervision
A village or a group of small villages placed under his administration. Vidane was a Low Country headman ranking immediately below that of a Vidane Arachchi in Low Country and below that of a Udayar in Tamil Area in the Native Headmen System. A Vidane was equivalent in ranking to the Kandyan Areas headmen Town Arachchi or a Gan Arachchi
in charge of police duties in the Village under the supervision of the vidane
In charge of distributing water from the wewa (tank) to villagers for cultivation under the supervision of the vidane
In charge of distributing Sugar under the supervision of the vidane
Following the Uva Rebellion in 1818 and changes to the administrative divisions of the island with the creation of Districts, British Government Agents (GA) took over the duties of the Dissava (with the remaining and newly appointed Dissavas being mere honorary titles), with Rate Mahatmaya becoming a subordinate to the local Government Agents and Assistant Government Agents. In the same way, after 1818 the position of the remaining and newly appointed Adigar (Maha Adigar or 1st Adigar) became mere honorary titles.
An honorary appointment
British Government Agent of the Province took over the duties of a Dissava (with the remaining and newly appointed Dissavas being mere honorary appointments) in 1818. Rate Mahatmayas under his supervision
Rate Mahatmaya had several Korale Mahatmayas under his supervision.
Korale Mahattaya was in charge of an area known as Korale and had several Gran Arachchis / Town Arachchis under his supervision.
A Town Arachchi had a Town or group of small villages placed under his Administration
A Gan Arachchi had a village or group of small villages placed under his Administration
"Peace Officer" includes police officers and headmen appointed by a Government Agent in writing to perform police duties.