The Lances from Muruga to Mauritius: Trajectories of Tamil Hindu ; Les lances de Muruga à Maurice : Trajectoires d'un hindouisme tamoul

Abstract

The majority of Mauricians of Tamil origin dedicate their worship to Hindu pantheon divinity but paradoxically not to be hinous. In Mauritius, this identity is left only to Hindus from Northern India and Bhojpuria, who are now the first Indo-Mauritanian community and dominate the political field of the island. Similarly, Tamil religious rites and festivals, such as the great Cavadee party celebrated in honour of God Muruga, are no longer considered to be Hindu but only Tamil. This distinction between tamoulity and hindouity in Mauritius is the result of Tamils' denial of Hindu, in favour of highlighting their ethnic and cultural specificity, which is part of their political and symbolic resistance to the Bhojpuria majority. However, Tamil Hindu is a practiced and lived reality that has long existed on the Creole island and is even in the process of being renewed. This contribution goes back to the historical, political and ritual dimensions of this ethnicisation of Tamil Hindu in Mauritius, highlighting both the role of Tamil/Dravidian ethnicity imported from the South of India and the specific context of Mauritius. ; International audience Most of the Mauritian Tamils worship the gods of the Hindu pantheon but paradoxically they do not call themselves "Hindus". In Mauritius indeed, Hindu identity is reserved for the Hindus originating from North India and speaking Bhojpuri, who represent the first Indo-Mauritian community and have dominated the national political scene since Independence. In the same way, the rituals and religious festivals conducted by Tamils, like the great festival of Cavadee dedicated to the god Muruga, are not labeled "Hindu" anymore but only "Tamil". This distinction between "Tamilness" and "Hinduness" in Mauritius is the result of the claim by Tamils to their own ethnic and cultural specificity, which partakes of their symbolic and political resistance towards the Bhojpuri majority. Nevertheless, Tamil Hinduism is a reality that has existed for a long time in the Creole island, and which ...