Veddas or indigenous people in Sri Lanka are considered to be the oldest population in Sri Lanka. According to history, Sri Lanka had been densely populated by Indian ethnic groups. Sri Lankan aborigines are considered to have lived here even before that. As travelers, you will definitely get mesmerized by these people’s skills at hunting and farming. They live in villages closer to forests. Historical foreign travelers like Robert Knox and R.S Spittle have written books including content about Dravidian people of Sri Lanka. Most of those comments are not appealing. But, these people are highly competent at hospitality. Uruvarige Tisa Hami’s legendary stories are a must to know when you go to Vedda territories. You won’t go without having a meal of freshly hunted meat, if you visit the places of aborigines of Sri Lanka. And, there is more beauty at the places where aborigines live and you should not miss them out if you get a chance to come to Sri Lanka. Vishmi Travels assures all the travelers there that witnessing the ancestor aborgine domiciles would be an amazing experience to add to your travel vlog.
Areas of living
The main areas which are famous for Vedda habitations are Mahiyanganaya, Dambana, Vedda-gala in Ratnapura district and Gal Oya Lodge. Vedda people represent 0.20% of the total population in Sri Lanka. They are under rapid extinction because of the invasion of dominant cultures. The newer generations come out of the traditional Vedda life and embrace the majority’s lifestyle.
Livelihoods
The ancient Veddas were predominantly hunters and depended on whatever edible elements grew on the trees. But, in later periods aborigines started farming simultaneously with hunting. Earlier Veddas did not buy products that were needed essentially like salt, pepper, chilly and other spices. They had a barter system to exchange goods among merchants instead of using notes and coins.
Food and Beverages
In early periods their staple meal was meat, especially venison. In later periods they started to cultivate lands without waiting to pluck whatever grew on trees. Main crops they cultivated were Kurakkan, maize, banana and manioc. Apart from that, they had a dominant practice of preserving dried meat by soaking them in bee honey. Today, these people eat whatever they can afford from outside markets, vegetables, rice and other kinds of food. Apart from venison, they killed iguanas for meat. This practice of killing whatever edible was the reason that foreign travelers called adivasin of Sri Lanka barbaric. As beverages, the drinks made up of coconut were the principal beverage.
Hunting
When you talk about aborigines of Sri Lanka, hunting is a topic that you cannot avoid. This is an activity involved only by males of the community. It takes days to hunt a considerable amount of meat for the whole clan. In early periods, male veddas go together on hunting and hunt till they can have enough for a certain time. Once they brought the hunted meat to the village some part of it is preserved by soaking them in honey. They have incredible tricks to notice and identify traces of wild animals by smelling the wind. They do not lose tracks in the forest because they break the small shrubs and put marks on tree trunks. In addition, to count the distance to the members of their team who have dispersed, they hoot in different tones, sometimes even imitating animals’ sounds.
Customs
They venerate trees and rocks as their god. Among Veddas bigamy and polygamy are accepted. These were earlier trends and prevalence of the latter practices is dwindling now. If you visit Vedda villages you will be able to witness daily routines of Vedda people. Their culture adds beauty to Sri Lankan multicultural ambience.
Language
They have their own Vedda language which is a little similar to Sinhala language. The pure Vedda language is under the threat of disappearance because of the less population of Vedda people.
Dress code.
In earlier periods it is said that women covered only the lower part of their body while keeping the upper part bare. Men wore the amude,a small piece of cloth covering their genitals only. Gradually, the dress evolution has brought them to the point where the main male dress code has become the sarong. Women no longer remain bare bodied. They cover their body fully. Males do not wear shirts or t-shirts except it is exceptionally important. They bring an axe as a sign of their identity wherever they go. Even though newer generations seem to avoid some traditional parts of their dresses, older generations strictly follow their identities.
Housing
The earliest Veddas did not have houses. Instead they dwelled in caves in the forest. The former houses they built were in clay using coconut leaves and hay as the roof. Now, they also live in brick houses while some still live in clay houses.
Comments