A Literary Investigation on the Fishing Industry and Chena Cultivation in Kunchuttu Korala

Abstract

Kunchuttuwa is a village name derived from Tamil. It gives the meaning of a small spring. Korala is a name given to administrative divisions across the country. The British government ordered the killing of Sinhalese families who rebelled against the British rule and as a result, their generations started to be destroyed. In this unfortunate incident, the Sinhalese of the North-West and Central Provinces left their villages and migrated towards the North. This Kunchuttu Korala was settled by the people who thus migrated. The people living in this Kunchuttu Korala have a history of around two hundred years. Hunting and chena cultivation were their initial occupations. Later, fishing for daily food has become a fishing industry in recent times. The objective here is to identify linguistic effects and case studies of local or provincial-level identity through studying native languages. There should be a method to identify how those linguistic effects have changed through systematic evolution, especially in such a period where the village and the city merge with the provincial cultures. The purpose of this study is to pass on the local identity to the next generation by identifying the unique characteristics of Kunchuttu Korala such as living language effects, folklore and oral tradition information. It is more appropriate to preserve language patterns in every part of our country at a time when such information has faded in the respective social layer. The information of the folk life and the linguistic effects of the usage of people are very important for future generations. Data were collected through local reporting, field visits, and interviews. Some customs in people's lives have disappeared due to urbanisation. This also implies that the chronicles of Kunchuttu Korala should be revealed alive, as legends, and the information about the Rajarata people should be revealed and thus leave something for future generations. This research uncovers many lively information about the language related to chena cultivation and and a related literature investigation.