Transcript Sri Lanka - Blue Valley Schools

Sri Lanka
By: Molly Holmes and Jenna Fulton
Where and Why the ethnic groups are there
Sri Lanka consist of three main ethnicities…
Sinhalese- 74% of the population
○ Buddhist but speak Sinhalese
○ Emigrated from Northern India to the southern part of
the island
Tamils- 16% of the population
○ Hindu but speak Tamil
○ Traveled across land bridge from India to inhabit the
northern part of the island
Moors- 10% of the population
Major Cause of Ethnic Conflict
A major cause of the conflict in Sri Lanka is caused by the unequal distribution of
power among ethnicities.
Sinhalese dominate the government, military, imports, and exports.
Tamils and Moors feel discriminated against because of their difference in ethnicity
combined with their lack of power
Sinhalese are Buddhists and Tamils are Hindus, so the difference in their religions
sparked conflict
Cultural Conflict
Each of the three main ethnicities have a different culture, including religion. These
differences in opinion cause tension between the ethnicities.
The minority ethnicities, Tamil and Moor, feel like there religions and ideas are
being suppressed.
This lead to a rebellion, headed by the Tamils in 1983
Outside Influences
This war for power was put off for a while,
when Europeans had control over the
island
Tamils from places other than Sri Lanka
encouraged them to rise up and be given
equal power
A tsunami in 2004 killed thousands of people
and increased the friction between the
Tamils and Sinhalese because of internally
displaced people crowding different
ethnicities territories.
Timeline
Sinhalese moved
from India to Sri
Lanka.
Sri Lanka gained
independence from
Great Britain
3rd Century B.C.
The war between the
Sinhalese and Tamils ends
and the Sinhalese win.
1956
1948
5th Century B.C.
Tamils migrated
from India to Sri
Lanka
Sinhalese made
Buddhism Sri Lanka’s
official language
Buddhism
2009
Connection to the Five Themes
Location
Sri Lanka
Place
Sri Lanka is a very diverse country but hasn't recovered from its civil war between the Sinhalese and
Tamil and a considerable amount of people are near poverty.
Region
The Sinhalese, Tamil, and Moor each had different “territories” where they were the majority
● Sinhalese- Southern Sri Lanka
● Tamil- Northern Sri Lanka
● Moor- Eastern Sri Lanka
Possible Solutions
Sri Lanka could split into two or three different countries each run by a different
ethnicity.
This would end feuding over government representation between them.
But it would leave each ethnicity with less power and land.
The could adopt a new system of government similar to the United States in which
each branch would be run by a different ethnicity.
A checks and balances system would ensure that no certain ethnicity overpowers another.
Pass a law that would give the internally displaced people a home
Not having a growing minority population in certain places would make the majority feel less
Relevant Video
Questions
1. Did the Moors play a role in the conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamils?
2. What was the major cause of the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict?
3. Do you believe the sides were fair or did one side have more power than the
other?
4. What were the Tamils the first to do?
5. What tactics did the Tamils use against the Sinhalese?
Works Cited
http://www.vectorworldmap.com/
http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/srilanka.html
http://www.insightonconflict.org/conflicts/sri-lanka/conflict-profile/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12004081
https://srilankanquest.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/sinhalese-supremacy-terrorismrebellion-and-self-determination/
http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/12/ten-years-since-the-2004-indian-oceantsunami/100878/
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Sinhalese_vs_Tamil