Today there are two groups of Tamils in Sri Lanka. The first are the ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’, who either descended from the Tamils of the Jaffna or who migrated to the east coast. The second are the Indian Tamils or Hill Country Tamils, who are descendants of laborers sent from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka in the 19th century to work in tea plantations. These groups follow the customs, traditions, and festivities of their South Indian Tamil ancestors. Family in the paintings consist of husband, wife and child clad in their traditional dress.