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Though performances of traditional music and
dance are not everyday events, there is a
contemporary Divehi culture which is strong
and adaptive, despite foreign influences
which range from Hindi movies and Oriental
martial arts to Michael Jackson and Moslem
fundamentalism. Western fashions, pop music
and videos are visible in the capital, but
on public occasions, like the beginning and
end of Ramadan, the celebrations always have
a distinctly Maldivian touch.
A bodu beru means a big drum, and gives its
name to the best known form of traditional
music and dance. It's what tourist resorts
put on for a local culture night, and it can
be quite sophisticated and compelling.
Dancers begin with a slow, nonchalant
swaying and swinging of the arms, and become
more animated as the tempo increases,
finishing in a rhythmic frenzy. There are
four to six drummers in an ensemble, and the
sound has strong African influences.
Contemporary local rock bands often perform
at resorts where they do credible covers of
the usual old favorites. Performing for a
local audience they may incorporate elements
of bodu beru in their music, with lots of
percussion and extended drum solos.
Cassettes from local bands are sold in Malé
music shops.
Fish and rice are the staple foods of
Maldivians with meat and chicken eaten only
on special occasions. National dishes
include fried fish, fish curry and fish
soup. Areca nut (an oval nut chewed with
betel leaf, cloves and lime) is the
equivalent of an after-dinner mint. Alcohol
is only available in tourist resorts. The
local brew is raa, a sweet and delicious
toddy tapped from the crown of the palm
trunk. Apart from coconuts, there are very
few fruits and vegetables grown on the
islands, so most of the food served at
tourist resorts is imported.
Maldives has a very phenomenal culture and
heritage. It is a where the new meets the
old at every turn. From its gleaming
buildings of concrete to the graceful charm
of its carefully preserved Islamic Centre,
the dynamic character of Maldives is as much
shaped by the richness of its past as by its
dreams for the future.
This age-old fusion of cultures and
traditions is one of the most exciting
aspects of a visit to Maldives. It is also
the basis of our Cultural Kaleidoscope
programme that highlights the amazing
opportunities that exist for visitors to
delve more deeply into Maldives's way of
life.
The origins of the Maldivian history are
lost back in to time. Archaeological
findings indicate that the islands were
inhabited as early as 1500 BC, and there are
tales of a legendary people called the Redin
who may have been among the earliest of the
explorers. Attempts to investigate the
origins of human settlement have been
difficult, as little or no data exists and
there is a lack of facilities or personnel
to carry out research among a group of
widely distributed islands. It is believed
that permanent settlements were established
around 500 BC by Aryan immigrants from the
Indian subcontinent.
The early Maldivians were probably Buddhists
or Hindus migrating from the Indian
subcontinent. However, the archaeologist
Thor Heyerdahl has stated that some of the
figures unearthed from ancient mounds bore a
striking resemblance to figures he had
investigated on Easter Island in the Pacific
Ocean, almost twelve time zones away. He has
added to the theories of the origins of the
Maldivians and a book has been published on
his findings. These theories are a matter of
controversy and it can be said that the
solution to The Maldive Mystery is still
many years away.
Since the Maldives is located along the
ancient marine trade routes from the West to
the East, it was inevitable that early
explorers and traders found themselves
stopping either willingly (for supplies) or
unwillingly (as a result of shipwrecks on
the many reefs), and their influence can be
seen to this day. Their records serve as a
useful guide to the history of these
islands. Among these travelers were the
Chinese historian Ma Huan and the famous
Arab traveler Ibn Batuta. It is known that
Maldivians themselves ventured far beyond
their shores, for Pliny records that
Maldivian emissaries bore gifts for the
Roman Emperor.
As trade along the sea routes blossomed, the
Maldives became an important stop for Arab
traders on the way to the Far East, and
along with these traders came the influence
of Islam. The legend of the conversion to
Islam remains a popular tale and a matter of
recent controversy. It is believed that a
Moroccan traveler, Abu Barakaat Yusuf
al-Barbary was responsible for this
conversion, but another version credits
Sheikh Yusuf Shamsuddin of Tabriz, a
renowned scholar, for this deed.
From very early times, these islands were
famous for two products, the money cowrie
cyprea moneta and Maldive Fish. The cowrie
was prized as a form of currency in many
areas of the Middle East and the Indian
subcontinent, and the Maldives was the Mint
of the region. Large quantities of the
cowrie were exported all over the world, and
traders would call over to collect shiploads
in exchange for rice, spices and luxury
items. Maldive Fish was produced by boiling,
smoking, curing and drying tuna to yield a
nutritious, ebony-coloured and textured
fillet with astonishing keeping qualities.
It was an ideal source of protein for
carrying on long sea voyages, and its rarity
made it a prized delicacy in most of the
Indian subcontinent, where it is a major
ingredient in many dishes.
The importance of the Maldives to early
explorers in the 16th and 17th centuries can
be seen in the grossly exaggerated size of
the islands in relation to nearby Sri Lanka
and India on maps of the time. The
tranquility of the islands was often
disturbed by pirates and the superpowers of
the day. A Portuguese invasion resulted in
their capture of the Maldives for a period
of fifteen years after which they were
overthrown by a mixture of early guerrilla
tactics and the difficulty of logistical
support for the occupying forces. Events
around this time are recounted by the French
sailor Francois Pyrard de Laval, who was
shipwrecked in the Maldives in 1602 and
lived there for five years.
With the growth of British influence with
the expansion of their Empire, the Maldives
became a British protectorate, in an unusual
arrangement where the British ensured the
defense of the islands yet were not involved
in any way with the running of the country.
The close relationships with the British
ensured a period of peace and freedom from
foreign interference. During the Second
World War, The British had forward bases in
the north and south of the archipelago and,
in 1957; the RAF established a base in Gan
in the south. This airbase closed in 1976.
The Maldives became a fully independent
nation on July 26, 1965, and a Republic on
November 11, 1968.
Visitors can also learn about Maldives's
wonderful heritage and rich history by
visiting its many monuments, historical
sites and of course the National Museum. For
more information on Maldives's history,
visit the Maldives Story.
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