The Unsung Annals of Mappilas: A Study of Arabi-Malayalam Literature

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to introduce the dormant history and vibrant literature of the Mappilas of Malabar, which have been silent in the pages of Indian history and literature. Mappilas exemplify the successful confluence of two cultures- the indigenous culture of Kerala and the foreign culture of the Muslim traders of Arabia, as they emerged in the shores of Arabian sea owing to the longstanding trade between the Malabar coast and Arabian Peninsula. The poetic genre of Mappilas, Mappilapattu, written in Arabi-Malayalam (Malayalam words laced in Arabic script) or Mappila Malayalam, has been vocal about the ethos of Mappila culture, and assisted in expressing the collective identity of Mappilas as a community. With myriad thematic expressions and poetic devices that render these songs acoustically engaging, Mappilapattu bears the weight of centuries old neglect as the first ever written document of Mappilapattu appeared in 1607-Muhyudheen Mala written by Qazi Muhammad. Even though Mappila language and its literary texts assisted in the break-away of Malayalam language from the shackles of elitist Sanskrit, the chronicles of history fail to voice even the presence of Mappila language and literature in the maturing of Malayalam from a vernacular dialect into a full-fledged language. This paper attempts to trudge the neglected paths of history of Mappilas from a subaltern perspective utilizing the war-songs composed by this indigenous populace.