Written on : 04 December 2020 By : Laura Wendy Harders López
The Veddas are the last indigenous people in Sri Lanka, called the Vedda tribe-- and are found primarily in the southeasternmost part of the country. They are said to exist since the 6th century BC, long before the Buddhists, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, and even Christ were even born. However, studies have shown that they have strong biological resemblances with prehistoric inhabitants from the Stone Age-- making them be possibly one of the oldest tribes of our time.
They live in the deep jungle and forests of Sri Lanka, where they live off hunting and gathering and are reputed as an authentic paleo community. What is more, the original Vedda language is still used today.
Unfortunately, the Veddas are slowly becoming extinct due to the developing world gradually encroaching on their territories, and due to social contact with other tribes for survival. In a census taken in 1881, there was a Vedda population of 2200. A study in 1970 counted 6600 of them. And in 2008, the chief of Wanniya-Caetto (the chief of the Vedda community) said there were no more than 1500 families on the island. Nevertheless, there are still some reservations left where tourists can go and visit, and Veddas show them their way of life.
Read on to know more about the fascinating Vedda tribe.
There are many legends surrounding the origins of this tribe. The Veddas are said to be the direct descendants of the first Sri Lankans-- which were the legendary first King called Prince Vijaya and Yakkha Queen, Kuveni (6th century BC).
Despite this, many archaeological and anthropological studies have shown evidence that the Veddas have, in fact, been around since the Stone Age and were free-range nomads. However, this was until Prince Vijaya and Yakkha Queen, and their descendants arrived and took over the tribe's territories. The Vedda people would consequently have to succumb and conform to their colonizers' rules. The Sinhalese and Tamil tribes then came along, and the Vedda slowly began to lose part of their identity as they were being forced by many settlers to adopt their customs.
The remaining of the Veddas inhabit the jungles of Sri Lanka, mainly concentrated in Mahiyangana, Badulla and Polonnaruwa. And are divided into three regional groups: the Bintenne Veddas, the Auradhapuna Veddas, and the Coast Veddas. Even though they have little to no contact with one another, they support a distant kinship.
They have also been trying to preserve the future state of their culture intact by living accordingly to their ancestral and ritualistic traditions, and passing them over to younger generations.
Nowadays, tourists can go and visit this fascinating tribe and learn about their heritage and way of living in a Vedda reservation located in a lodge deep in the jungle in Maduru Oya National Park. Their chief will sometimes willingly show the occasional tourist around their jungle, giving them a glimpse of the Vedda community.
Hunter-gatherer tribe
"Veddas" literally means "hunters". The Vedda tribe lives off hunting and gathering-- making them a genuine paleo community. Men are in charge of hunting animals such as venisons, rabbits, turtles, birds, and wild boars; whereas women gather foods such as seeds and fruits, in addition to taking care of children and older relatives. The men use crafted tools such as the bow and arrow, to swiftly hunt their prey.
Their staple food is wild honey-- which they collect by climbing trees and burning dry leaves to fend off the bees. Such is the love for this food that every summer they partake in a two-month honey hunt.
Moreover, they are very dependent on coconut palms, as not only do they provide them with nutritious fruit but also equip them with material to build their huts for shelter, and producing ropes and bowls.
In contrast, the Coast Veddas are more dedicated to fishing— of which prawns are their main catch.
Animistic, spiritual, and ritualistic
The Veddas are animistic- meaning they are deeply connected with nature and believe that spirits inhabit trees, plants, rivers, and all inanimate objects of the natural world. They honour their reciprocity to nature by performing many religious rituals. For instance, they chant ritualistic folk songs to attract good luck during their hunts.
Part of their belief is that supernatural forces control their lives and the world. And according to many scholars, the Veddas worship and centre their cult on the deceased. They even have tribal shamans who are said to speak with the spirits of the dead, as they believe that these spirits haunt the villages, bringing diseases and causing chaos upon the Veddas. Therefore, incantations are performed to ward these off.
Vedda women have equal status with men.
An interesting detail is that in Vedda society, women are considered equal with men and enjoy, among other things, the same rights of inheritance and succession.
Furthermore, various cave paintings of the Veddas, such as those found in Hamangala, are evidence of the sublime artistic levels reached by their ancestors. Many researchers agree that these paintings were created by the Vedda women, who would spend long hours in the caves waiting for the men to return from hunting excursions, and as a result, developed sophisticated artistic skills.
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