Keling (pronounced[kəliŋ]) orKling is anexonym to denote aTamilian or someone deemed to have originated fromSouth India. Originally a neutral term, since the mid-20th century it has been consideredderogatory and anethnic slur,[1] and it is sometimes euphemistically referred to asthe K-word.[2] The term is used in parts ofSoutheast Asia, particularly theMalay Archipelago where there are a significantTamil diaspora – specificallyMalaysia,Indonesia,Singapore andBrunei – but cognates exist in neighbouring countries as well.
Althoughthe early definition was neutral and linked to the historicalKalinga kingdom,[3] it is now generally considered offensive by Indians in Southeast Asia. In Brunei, the word Kaling was not considered to be pejorative, but due to media influence from Malaysia, the majority of Bruneians now tend to avoid using it. In modern usage it is not commonly capitalised. The term has also been usedbased on skin tone (colourism) whereby is it more likely to be used against visibly darker-skinned Indians.
The wordKeling derives from the ancientIndian kingdom ofKalinga. According to political scientist Sudama Misra, the Kalingajanapada originally comprised the area covered by thePuri andGanjam districts.
While this was apparently sometimes localized asKalingga (as in the IndonesianKalingga Kingdom), the terminal schwa sound was dropped in common usage to form Keling. Though ostensibly denoting the Kalinga kingdom, the term Keling in ancient Southeast Asia came to be a more general term forIndia and its people. TheKhmer word Kleng (ក្លិង្គ) derived from the same root. Prior to the introduction of the English word "India", Keling andJambu Dwipa were used to refer to the country in theMalay andIndonesian, whileBenua Keling referred to the Indian Subcontinent.[4]
The earliest known occurrence of the wordKeling appears in theSejarah Melayu (Malay Annals).[5] The legend mentions Raja Shulan as the king of Keling who sets out to conquer China with his descendant Raja Chulan. Scholars identify Raja Chulan with theChola king of southern India,[6] from whom the termChulia derives, as in Penang's Chulia Street. Later parts of the Sejarah Melayu mention the voyages ofHang Nadim andHang Tuah toBenua Keling (India). However Keling must not be misunderstood as a specific territory, rather it refers to people of Indian origin and not only the inhabitants ofKalinga.[5] For example, a colonial-era Indonesian tradition refers to theRamayana epic asRama meaning "Rama the Indian".[7] After the introduction of Islam, Keling sometimes referred specifically toMalayalee orTelugu people whileGujaratis andIndo-Aryan peoples from Pakistan were often confused withParsi or Persians.[8]
The Dutch used the words "Clings" and "Klingers" to refer to the Indian inhabitants of Malacca. The British colonial writings also use the word "Kling" to describe the immigrants fromGujarat Presidency andCoromandel coast.[5]John Crawfurd (1856) mentioned that the term "Kling" was used by the Malays and the Javanese as "a general term for all the people of Hindustan (North India), and for the countryIndia itself".[9]
The 16th-century Portuguese traveller Castanheda wrote of the Keling community in Melaka in the period between 1528 and 1538:[10]
In the northern part [of the city of Malacca] live merchants known as Quelins [Klings — a name applied to South Indians]; in this part the town is much larger than at any other. There are at Malacca, many foreign merchants ...
In its early usage Keling was a neutral term for people of Indian Muslim origin,[11] but was perceived negatively beginning in the 20th century due to various socio-political factors. From the mid-1900s, words denoting ethnic origin were used derogatively in Malay to imply immigrant status. Consequently, more neutral language was adopted. This can be observed in the bookCherita Jenaka, where the termorang Keling (Keling people) in the 1960 edition was changed toorang India Muslim (Indian Muslim people) in the 1963 edition.[12]
The wordKeling has been used variously within the Malay community to mean an Indian Muslim, but now it is used more to refer to any Indian. The title "Kapitan Keling" was used for a representative of an Indian community, similar to the "Kapitan Cina" of a Chinese community. In earlyPenang of the 1790s theKapitan Keling wasCauder Mohideen who, together with the Kapitan CinaKoh Lay Huan and other prominent members of the community, formed the first Committee of Assessors to decide the rates and collection of taxes.[13] This usage is preserved is the name of theKapitan Keling Mosque, a prominent Penang landmark.
In some modern casesKeling is used as a derogatory term.[11] It was used in 2005 byMembers of Parliament in Malaysia because of misconception about Indian Muslim ethnics, which resulted in an uproar accusing the MPs of racism.[14]
The definition of the word may vary from one Malaysian state to another. InKedah, for example, the term is mainly used to refer to Muslims of Indian descent (InSelangor, the wordMamak is used to refer to an Indian Muslim).
Traditionally inIndonesia, Keling is linked with India while Kalingga refers to the 6th centuryKalingga Kingdom, which ultimately derived from the IndianKalinga kingdom. In moderncolloquial Indonesian, it is sometimes used to refer to any dark-skinned person of Indian descent, stereotypically associated with South Indians;[15] this usage is considered offensive.
For the southern Philippines, it has been suggested that the sobriquet "Kiling", which referred to the name of a local Rajah (Rajah Kiling of Butuan), is not Visayan in origin but rather, Indian, because Kiling refers to the people of India among the Mindanaoans.[16]
In Cambodia, the slang term for Indian people isKleng (ក្លិង្គ),[17] also derived from the kingdom of Kalinga and cognate with the Malay Keling or Kling. It may also be used as a nickname for people who have stereotypically Indian features such as big eyes and dark skin.[18]
The equivalent of Keling in theThai language isKhaek (แขก). It is a generic term referring to anyone from South Asia. The term generally has no negative connotation and is used even in polite or formal communication. However, outside influence and confusion with Mughals and Indian Muslims has broadened the meaning in modern times to include certain predominantly Muslims communities, particularly Persians and Arabs. This extended meaning is considered inaccurate and at times rejected as derogatory, especially by Thai Muslims, but has become increasingly widespread.
The phrasesKeling-a (Hokkien; 吉寧仔;POJ:Ki-lêng-á[19]),Keling-yan (Cantonese; 吉寧人;Yale:gat-lìhng-yan),(Hakka; 吉靈仔git-lin-zai); andKeling-kia (Teochew) are frequently used within the Chinese community in Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore.The Hokkien and Teochew suffixes-a and-kia are diminutives that are generally used to refer to non-Chinese ethnic groups, while the Cantonese "-yan" means "people".
Various place names in Malaysia contain the word Keling for historical reasons, e.g. Tanjong Keling.,[20] Kampong Keling,[21] and Bukit Keling, etc.
In Penang, theKapitan Keling Mosque, situated on the corner of Buckingham Street and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (Pitt Street), is one of the oldest mosques inGeorge Town. Various other Penang Hokkien street names contain the wordKeling, e.g. Kiet-leng-a Ban-san (Chowrasta Road), Kiet-leng-a Ke (King Street/Market Street). InMalacca, another mosque also uses the word Kling,Kampung Kling Mosque.
InSingapore, there is a road in Jurong Industrial Estate called Tanjong Kling Road which is probably derived from the word 'Keling'.
InJepara Regency,Central Java, Indonesia, there is a district calledKeling. Locals link the location with the 6th centuryKalingga Kingdom. InSurabaya,East Java, Indonesia, there is a place called Pacar Keling meaning "Keling lover". The words "Kampung Keling" (Lit. Keling Village) Is also commonly used by the locals on various cities across Indonesia the denote an Indian settlement both during the Colonial era and within modern day Indonesia.[citation needed]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Castanheda rich.