Vedda People

The Vedda people are the last indigenous tribe still in existence on the island of Sri Lanka. They are one of the oldest aboriginal tribes in the world. The Veddas were traditionally forest dwellers, who foraged, hunted and lived in close-knit groups in caves in the dense jungles of Sri Lanka. But most people haven’t heard of them.

The language used by them is an ancient dialect of Sinhala, staple diet being venison, Veddha’s are allowed to hunt legally to sustain themselves within certain areas, are also expert fisherman. Veddha’s also collect bee’s honey and exchange it with the locals for axe blades and cloth.

The Veddas are also known by other names as “The Veddhas”, “The Adivasi”, and “The Wanniyala-Aetto”, or “Forest people”.

Roots of the indigenous people

Archaeological evidence suggest that modern Vedda’s Neolithic ancestors inhabited this island as far back as 10,000 BC. They occupied the Great Plains’ of the north central region to the central mountains. Archaeologists connect their gene pool to a prehistoric human called Balangoda Man, who lived 48,000-3,800 years ago and was named after the historical sites in the town of Balangoda – where his skeleton was first discovered – 160km from Colombo.

Where you can meet the Veddas

Today the Vedda population are mostly found in Dambana which is close to Maduru oya sanctuary. There are Vedda communities who live scattered in settlements in the Hunnasgiriya hills in central Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura and over the coastal lowlands in the island’s east. The Vedda population in the island roughly numbers to 500000.

One place you must go is Dambana Vedda village to understand the culture of Sri Lanka’s indigenous people. There’s a museum inside the village which gives a brief understanding of the evolution of the Vedda people. You can witness their famous cultural kiri koraha dance as well. You might get a chance to meet Veddha chief as well at his home.

The perfect way to observe Vedda is to organize a camp close to or within a reservation and Vedda’s will be more than glad to show you their ways of life, with an axe hanging from their shoulders and a bow slung behind them, gives you the impression nothing much has changed since the dawn of time for these proud warriors of the forest.

It will be easier to visit them if you join organized guided tours which the travel agencies operate regularly.

Language of the Indigenous People

Most speak a Sinhala dialect instead of their indigenous languages, which are nearing extinction. The indigenous language of the Veddas is called simply the Vedda language. Today the interior Veddas, communities such as East Coast Veddas and Anuradhapura Veddas speak their indigenous language. They also use Vedda language in part for communication during hunting and or for religious chants.

The East Coast Veddas who are found in coastal areas of the Eastern Province, between Batticaloa and Trincomalee, use Tamil words when speaking. The Sinhala speaking East Coast Veddas, are called Panama Veddas. Panama Veddas live just south of Batticoloa.

Religion of the Indigenous People

Animism is the original religion of Veddas. The Sinhalized interior Veddahs follow a mix of animism and nominal Buddhism whereas some east coast Veddahs follow a mix of animism and nominal Hinduism, known as folk Hinduism amongst anthropologists.

One of the most distinctive features of Vedda religion is the worship of dead ancestors: these are termed “nae yakku” among the Sinhala-speaking Veddas. There are also peculiar deities that are unique to Veddas. One of them is “Kande Yakka”.

Veddas along with the Island’s Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim communities venerate the temple complex situated at Kataragama, showing the syncretism that has evolved over 2,000 years of coexistence and assimilation.

Vedda family life

The Veddha marriage ceremony is a very simple affair. The ritual consists of the bride tying a bark rope (diya lanuva) of her own twisting, around the waist of the bridegroom. This is the essence of the Veddha marriage and is symbolic of the bride’s acceptance of the man as her mate and life partner. Although marriage between cross-cousins was the norm until recently, this has changed significantly, with Veddha women even contracting marriages with their Sinhalese and Moor neighbours.

In Veddha society, woman is in many respects man’s equal. She is entitled to similar inheritance. Monogamy is the general rule, though a widow would be frequently married by her husband’s brother as a means of support and consolation (widow inheritance).

Death too is a simple affair without any ostentatious funeral ceremonies and the corpse of the deceased is promptly buried. Although that medical knowledge of the Veddha is limited, it nevertheless appears to be sufficient. For example, python oil (pimburu tel), a local remedy used for healing wounds, has proven to be very successful in the treatment of fractures and deep cuts.

Burial of the Indigenous People

During the burials the Veddas dig graves of about 4–5 feet in depth and leave the body wrapped in some cloth and covered with leaves and earth. The Veddas also scoop the trunks of the Gadumba tree and lay the body between the scooped out wood planks and then bury. At the head of the grave three open coconuts and a small bundle of wood are placed, while at its foot lay an opened coconut and an untouched coconut. Certain plants of the cactus species (pathok) are planted at the head of the grave, the middle and the foot their personal possessions like the bow and arrow, betel pouch, which are also then buried. This practice varied according to the different communities of the aboriginal settlements. The contents of the betel pouch of the deceased are eaten after his death.

In Vedda burial rituals the dead body was scented or smeared with some juice obtained from the leaves of jungle trees or a lime tree. The foot or the head of the grave was never lit either with fire or wax and water was not kept in a vessel by the grave side.

Cult of the Dead

The Veddas believe in the cult of the dead. They worshiped and made incantations to their Nae Yakka (Relative Spirit) followed by other customary ritual (called the Kiri Koraha) which is still in vogue among the surviving Gam Veddas of Rathugala, Pollebedda, Dambana and the Henanigala Vedda re-settlement (in Mahaweli systems off Mahiyangane).

They believed that the spirit of their dead would haunt them bringing forth diseases and calamity. To appease the dead spirit they invoke the blessings of the Nae Yakka and other spirits, like Bilinda Yakka, Kande Yakka followed by the dance ritual of the Kiri Koraha.

When man or woman dies from sickness, the body is left in the cave or rock shelter where the death took place, the body is not washed or dressed or ornamented in any way, but is generally allowed to be in the natural supine position and is covered with leaves and branches. This was formerly the universal custom and still persists among the less sophisticated Veddas who sometimes in addition place a large stone upon the chest for which no reason could be given, this is observed at Sitala Wanniya (off Polle-bedda close to Maha Oya), where the body is still covered with branches and left where the death occurred.

Clothing of the Indigenous People

Until fairly recent times, the raiment of the Veddhas was remarkably scanty. In the case of men, it consisted only of a loincloth suspended with a string at the waist, while in the case of women, it was a piece of cloth that extended from the navel to the knees. Today, however, Veddha attire is more covering, men wear a short sarong extending from the waist to the knees, while the womenfolk clad themselves in a garment similar to the Sinhalese diya-redda which extends from the breast-line to the knees.

Reference: Lakpura, BBC Sri Lanka’s last indigenous people, Vedda.org
Pics Courtesy: Atlas of Humanity