Ukulhas (Alif Alif Atoll) - Culture

Culture

Ukulhas culture has been diversified by Arab, African, Sinhalese, and Inidan. Life style and the ordinary dress of the man was very simple, consisting of drawers, a cloth bound round the loins, after the mode of the Singhalese, and a handkerchief twisted round the head. On special days, such as Fridays, when they attend the mosque, the high caste wears a shirt and jacket.

Women's costume is exceedingly becoming. Round the waist, and reaching down to the ankles, is worn a cloth (mostly of native manufacture), coarse in texture, of a dark chocolate colour, with a border of parallel black and white stripes. Over this they wear a kind of loose shirt, or gown, of silk, with short sleeves, reaching nearly to the knees, which is not made to fit to the neck and shoulders, but is gathered in round them; the openings for the neck and arms are ornamented with embroidery in gold, silver, and silk thread. The hair, which is black, and generally long and thick, is tied up behind, and a handkerchief of the same colour as the shirt is bound round it. All ranks wear similar costume, the distinctions of caste being marked by the difference in the quality of the silk stuff of which the shirt is made, and of the embroidery.

Maldivians were denoted for a great skill of manufacturing mats as though they were fond of great skill of lacquer and fine arts, which led them to hold their reputation upon their harmonious life and furnishing of their reputation. In suvadiva Atoll of Maldives they had been made from a grass called by the Maldivian hau; which were used with three colours of black, dark yellow and white and which were obtained from plants which were lasted wonderfully so long. Walls mostly were built from coconut thatch, which were being surrounded by most of the houses at the height of six to seven feet which made impede the free air passage specially as though the windows where too small to insert the breezes, which results some residents were unhealthy even though their houses were scrupulously cleaned well. The Maldivian so called design, sometimes made apparently in case of illness, as many could be survived if they could have been refraining from closing the passage of airways. The inner compartment in the houses was used as a sleeping room in many of the house houses, and this apartment also remain for women especially when they were not engage in house hold or any other activity.

Pulling the fishing vessel ashore and pushing the fishing vessel offshore had been a remarkable exercise as though before the ashore time, residents were called up to gathered by blowing a conch shell. Conch shell was blown by the chief of the island to gather residents for a particular work, and the shell was blown with particular intervals well accordance with that of the required purpose. People were familiar to clarify and comprehend purpose of blowing accordance with blown intervals. For different purposes different people were gathered by blowing the conch shell with different intervals which had been kept in the safe at island office. When people were gathered the captain of the fishing vessel calls for to catch the rope which had been tied up with the vessel. By an instructed command and reading an ‘Anba’ (a traditional song) people starts to pull up the rope until the vessel stands on ashore. The other purposes of the conch shell blown were, to gather males and female together or males and females separately, when females were called to gather sometimes when they require opening their forests to take logs or firewood to cook their meals as though forests were not allowed enter unless the island chief had given permission to enter into the forest. Conch shell too was blown for emergency purposes. When a declaration of emergency the chief starts to blow the conch shell in a short timely intervals basis. So the people first gather to the place where office was located and chief would let them to know the solemnity of what had been happening before their leave to sole the urgent incident. Within the fort there would be many of old canoe, some might be course quite useless, being rusty and chocked with coral. Some were supposed to be serviceable while some are precisely not. The unserviceable canoe and fishing vessels would be taken back for firewood to cook their regular meals.

Fishing was their favourite exercise, however selling coir ropes and thatches made by islanders and collection of cowry shells, turtle shells and ambergris were being sold to produce their major income.

They were fond of kite-flying; but this pastime is only permitted at certain periods of the year especially when the season gets windy. During Eid festivals they compose and organise several road marched items; Maali which made by covering with thatches and plant leaves around the body, which were being unable to identify, with group of drummers were singing old songs and marched on the road. The people were being gathered at some place until the singing and dancing group arrives. When the group had arrived they started to clap their hands by singing the same song, while some were being accompanying to dance with the singing group. Before the program, famous girls got ready to prepare a bouquet decorated by flowers, birds made by thatches, several herbs with other plant materials. When the drumming by the drummers gets at the climax, the decorated bouquet was presented and introduced by the most popular girls in the island. And with the rhythmic song two or three people would pick up the bouquet with dancing made to get calm down the song.