Chagossian creole
| Chagossian Creole | |
|---|---|
| kreol Ilwa | |
| Native to | British Indian Ocean Territory, Mauritius, Seychelles |
| Ethnicity | Chagossians |
Native speakers | (1,800 cited 1994)[1] |
French Creole
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
| IETF | mfe-IO |
Chagossian creole, also known as Chagossian Kreol, (also créole îlois, kreol Ilwa, or just Ilwa) is a French-based creole that was still spoken in 1994 by the 1,800 or so Chagossians, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory. Ilwa is a variety of Mauritian Creole with influences from Seychellois Creole. It is currently spoken mainly in Mauritius and the Seychelles.[2] There is also a small minority community speaking the language in the United Kingdom.[3]
History
[edit]Chagossian creole was developed on what would become the British Indian Ocean Territory, following the abolition of slavery within the British Empire as a way for the native Chagossians as well as the indentured Indian and Chinese labourers of the island to communicate. Chagossian creole also gained the shorthand name of "Zilois" as a result.[4] Sega tambour Chagos dancing is performed including Chagossian creole singing, which originated from these workers.[5]
Even after Chagossian removal from the British Indian Ocean Territory and their subsequent resettlement within the United Kingdom, Chagossian creole continued to be spoken by the Chagossians as a symbol of their culture and identity.[6] This had occasionally led to conflict with the British, with some schools banning the use of Chagossian creole from their grounds.[3] It has also been used as a language of protest, with it being featured by Chagossians protesting the proposal by the British government to hand over the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius without consulting them.[7]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Smith, Norval (1994). "26 An annotated list of creoles, pidgins and mixed languages". In Arends, Jacques; Muijsken, Pieter; Smith, Norval (eds.). Pidgins and Creoles: An introduction. John Benjamins. p. 347. ISBN 978-90-272-5236-4.
- ^ Richards, Alexandra (2016). Mauritius. Brandt Travel Guide. p. 36. ISBN 9781841629247.
- ^ a b "Lost in exile: The forgotten Chagos Islanders". New Internationalist. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Sellstrom, Tor (2015). Africa in the Indian Ocean. Brill. p. 338. ISBN 9789004292499.
- ^ African World Heritage Fund (2022). From Angola to Zimbabwe. UNESCO. p. 81. ISBN 9789231005619.
- ^ Jeffery, Laura (17 March 2022). "Chagos Islands: Chagossians in exile are fighting to keep their culture alive". The Conversation. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Hannan, Daniel (30 November 2024). "The Chagos Islands betrayal shames Britain. Here's how we stop it". The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 June 2025 – via Yahoo News.
Papen, Robert A. 1978. The French-based Creoles of the Indian Ocean: An Analysis and Comparison. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of California, San Diego. University Microfilms International.