Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Thamilchelvan (@ 134.117.82.48) on: Sat Jan 12 17:48:56
  
  Also look at the name, it means garlan of islands in Tamil (Malai thievu -->> mala div
  
  But it's possible that raja raja chozhan could've conqured it and thus the name and the "Damalas" !
  
  Maybe!
  
  
• From: Thamilchelvan (@ 134.117.82.48) on: Sat Jan 12 17:49:18
  
  Also look at the name, it means garland of islands in Tamil (Malai thievu -->> mala div
  
  But it's possible that raja raja chozhan could've conqured it and thus the name and the "Damalas" !
  
  Maybe!
  
  
• From: I (@ h66-59-174-253.gtconnect.net) on: Tue Jan 15 09:29:15
  
  Dear T,
  
  I am glad you made that question, that Damalas are in Maldives only because some invader carried them there.
  
  I will tell you why it is wrong.
  
  1. Dr. speakers were in South India long before any IA speakers arrived to assume SL and Maldives were uninhabited is to assume ancient humans who had managed to migrated to Australia on rafts were pretty dumb in South India.
  
  2. Substratum study which is an important part of modern linguistics has found that Divehi has a strong
  Dr. substratum
  
  3. Maldivian Kinship terms echo neighboring Dravidian societies
  
  4. If those claiming Damala origin were invaders then you would logically expect them at the top of the society but they like many aboriginal communities throughout the world are at the bottom of the society.
  
  
• From: Nisala (@ 128.164.60.6) on: Wed Jan 16 13:28:41
  
  5. Maldivians cannot be true Eelavars because they do not teach their children how to use firearms. The most they can ever thus hope to be are ordinary Tamils.
  
  
• From: Thamilchelvan (@ 134.117.82.50) on: Wed Jan 16 18:35:41
  
  What do you trying to say, Austaloid are Dravidians, I read about their language in a book, it didn't mention any possible Dravidian or S.indiand connection!
  
  Our Emperors went to Campbodia, Singarpore & Malaysia etc. But they rarely colonize such conqured areas. And any few merchants/professionals who went with the king assimilated in to the local!
  
  But I do agree that the Damals in Mal Div could be the origins, but aren't they very few in #'s!
  
  So you may be right (History has too many nooks to picture it completely)!
  
  
• From: I (@ h66-59-174-253.gtconnect.net) on: Thu Jan 17 08:51:15
  
  "And any few merchants/professionals who went with the king assimilated in to the local! "
  
  That cant be entirely true, there was once a thread on Overseas Chetty communities which proved that these merchants who went abroad before the colonial time throughly mixed with the locals. Many such sub clans are still alive in Malaysia as part of the Malay group. One is called Malacaka Chitty and they are ON TOP not bottom:)))
  
  Damalas in Maldives used to number about 200 people just like Veddas are no more than 2000 in SL
  
  
  

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