THE ORIGIN

The population of Addu Atoll, which has increased rapidly in recent years, stands at 28196 in 2003 and is expected to reach about 50000 by the year 2025. It is now the 2nd most densely populated atoll in the Maldives.

The origins of the Adduan people are shrouded in mystery. The first settlers may well have been Naga and Yakka people from Sri Lanka and Dravidians from southern India. Some say Aryans, who sailed their reed boats from Lothal in the Indus Valley at about 4th Century BC, probably followed them. Hinduism brought by Tamils and Buddhism brought by Sinhalese in turn gave way to a growing Arab influence and to Islam in the twelfth century. Located at the crossways of the Indian Ocean shipping lanes on the main seaway around the Indian subcontinent, the islands have long been a meeting point for African, Arab, Indonesian and Malay mariners. Throughout the centuries all contributed to the racial and cultural melting pot of Addu Atoll and the Maldives. The faces of today's Adduans reflect the influence of the various regions of the Indian Ocean and the Subcontinent.

THE SOCIETY

Addu society as all other parts of Maldives was distinguished by strong social divisions. Traditionally the upper class, with names like Don Seedi, Don Kaloa, Fulhu's, Manik's and Didi's, were close friends and relatives of the sultan and his royal family. Yet even among these families there were marked differences. Well into this century Bell noted that "a Didi marrying a Maniku lady raises her to his own rank; but the children of a Maniku father and Didi mother are, strictly speaking, not entitled to the appellation Didi". Years ago it was unacceptable to eat with a member of an inferior class, and people of a lower class mixing with a superior only sat on a low stool. Now these distinctions are a thing of a past not acceptable in the society. Indeed, nowadays the terms Maniku and Didi are sometimes used as nicknames.

Today advancement is based more on merit than birth. The number of islands a person leases or the number of boats they own is also crucial to their social standing during the sultanates era. The boat owner takes about half the day's catch, while the skipper, keyolhu, earns about one fifth. The rest is divided equally among the fishermen. The men who make the boats "Maavadi meehaa" are respected craftsmen; on their skill depends the fishermen's lives and thus the well being of the community. The medicine man "Hakeem", stands on the same social rung. Skilled tradesmen like blacksmiths and jewelers also command a great deal of respect. At the bottom of the social heap is the toddy-tapper, "Raaveria", who looks after the coconuts and taps sap for toddy and syrup. Although long ago Addu Atoll was ruled by families designated by sultan's in Male' and may have had a matrilineal system of inheritance, it is very much a man's world today.

Traditionally, men eat before the rest of the family and make all the major decisions, while the women stay at home and look after the family. The sharp division of labor not only reflects the exigencies of island life, but the injunctions of traditional Islam. Yet despite the clear divisions between rich and poor, "there was no poverty". The island community and the extended family act as a safety net for its members. No one sleeps in the streets or goes to bed hungry. In this sense, being a small atoll in a small nation has its blessings, for every one knows each other and is willing to lend a hand. Arms-giving remains one of the fundamental tenets of Islam and so in the society....