|
"I… learned to know and love the Veddahs for simplicity, a special kind of decency among themselves that is harder to find today. As forests receded and vanished to make way for development the shy jungle people were netted into inevitable proximity with the newcomers against all their instincts."
-Christine Wilson, quoted in the preface to her father's book about the Veddah, Wild Ceylon (R.L. Spittle)
The Veddah people are Sri Lanka's oldest inhabitants and are thought to have lived on the island as hunter gatherers since 18,000 BC. Similar to the Australian aborigines, the present situation of the Veddah people is demanding and arduous. They continue to fight against commercialisation to preserve their traditional way of life although development, government forest reserve restrictions and the civil war have severely disrupted their progress. In a recent interview, Veddah Chief Uruwarige Wanniyaleththo said that his greatest fear is that he will not be able to stop the death of the Veddah way of life. With communities now reduced to small patches of land, their traditional practices of hunter-gathering and slash and burn farming techniques have become difficult, and their livelihood has changed completely as they come to depend more and more on earning money to sustain their fragile community.
It's possible to observe the Veddah way of life and participate in their unique cultural activities on a pre-arranged programme. Camping near the Veddah Village, glimpsing their hunting techniques and getting involved with them in these activities is an important and memorable event in anyone's life. Whilst you'll learn about the Veddah's history, home life and hunting you'll also enjoy performances such as Kiri Koraha, which is their most famous form of traditional dance performed to invoke the blessing of the gods.
|