Wanniyala-Aetto
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The Wanniyala-Aetto, or "forest beings", perhaps more commonly known as "Veddas" or "Veddahs" (transliteration of "වැද්දා" in Sinhala, IPA /væddaː/) are an indigenous people of Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. In Tamil speaking areas of Sri Lanka, the term used for them is "ேவடர்" (Vedar meaning "hunter").
Roots
Human remains in Sri Lanka dating from as early as 18,000 BC show a genetic continuum with present-day Veddas.[Deraniyagala, S. U. Early Man and the Rise of Civilisation in Sri Lanka: the Archaeological Evidence]A people termed Yakkhas are mentioned in the Mahavamsa, an early Sinhalese chronicle, and this has been regarded as a reference to Veddas.
Veddas are mentioned in Robert Knox's history of his captivity by the King of Kandy in the 17th century. Knox described them as "wild men," but also said there was a "tamer sort," and that the latter sometimes served in the king's army.Knox, Robert [1681] (1981). An Historical Relation of Ceylon. Tisara Prakasakayo Ltd (page 195).
DNA studies
DNA studies suggest that Wanniyala-Aetto may have been the ancestors of most Sri Lankans before the Indo-Aryan language speakers arrived from North India. Both Sinhala and Vedda lore says that the two races shared a few common ancestors. The current leader of the Wanniyala-Aetto community is Uru Warige Wanniya.Subdivisions
Sinhala-speaking Veddas are found primarily in the southeastern part of the country, especially in the vicinity of Bintenne in Uva District. There are also Sinhala-speaking Veddas who live in Anuradhapura District in the North Central Province.Brow, James (1978). Vedda Villages of Anuradhapura. University of Washington Press.Another, largely distinct group, often termed Coast Veddas, is found in coastal areas of the Eastern Province, mostly between Batticaloa and Trincomalee. These Veddas speak Tamil as their primary language.
Religion
The interior Veddahs follow a mix of animism and nominal Buddhism where as the 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 yaku among the Sinhala-speaking Veddas.Seligmann, Charles and Brenda (1911). The Veddas. Cambridge University Press (pages 123-135). There are also peculiar deities that are unique to Veddas. One of them is Kande Yakka.Seligmann, Charles and Brenda (1911). The Veddas. Cambridge University Press (pages 30-31).
Both the sub divisions of the 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. Kataragama is supposed to be the site at which the Hindu god Skanda or Murugan in Tamil met and married a local tribal girl, Valli, who in Sri Lanka is believed to have been a Vedda.[Kataragama-Skanda website]
There are a number of other shrines across the island, not as famous as Kataragama that are as sacred to the Veddas as well as to other communities.
Livelihood
Veddas were originally hunter-gatherers. They used bows and arrows to hunt game, and also gathered wild plants and honey. Many Veddas also farm, frequently using slash and burn or swidden cultivation, which is called "chena" in Sri Lanka. East Coast Veddas also practice fishing.Native dialect
Their language, usually referred to as Veddah, is closely related to Sinhala, although much of its vocabulary (especially terms associated with the forest and their lifestyle) can not be traced to Sinhala and may be from a language(s) spoken before the adoption of the Sinhalese language.Examples include the Wanniyala-Aetto word ruhang for friend, while the Sinhala word is yaluva (IPA /jaːluaː/). There are also communities of Wanniyala-Aetto who speak Tamil in the east coast.
Current status
Some observers have said Veddas are disappearing and have lamented the decline of their distinct culture.Spittel, R.L. (1950). Vanished Trails: The Last of the Veddas. Oxford University Press. Development, government forest reserve restrictions, and the civil war have disrupted traditional Vedda ways of life.However, cultural assimilation of Veddas with other local populations has been going on for a long time. "Vedda" has been used in Sri Lanka to mean not only hunter-gatherers or people who have an aboriginal ancestry, but also to refer to any people who adopt an unsettled and rural way of life. Thus, over time, it is possible for non-Vedda groups to become Veddas, in this broad cultural sense.Brow, James (1978). Vedda Villages of Anuradhapura. University of Washington Press (page 34).[Obeyesekere, Gananath. Colonial Histories and Vadda Primitivism] Vedda populations of this kind are increasing in some districts.Brow, James (1978). Vedda Villages of Anuradhapura. University of Washington Press (page 3).
Today many Sinhalese people and some east coastal Tamils claim that they have some trace of Veddah blood. Intermarriage between Veddas and Sinhalese is very frequent. They are not considered outcasts in Sri Lankan society unlike the untouchable caste called Rodiyas (see Caste in Sri Lanka).
References
External links
- A great deal of information on them can be found at [Vedda.org]
- [Survival International profile on the Wanniyala-Aetto]
- [Sri Lankan history]
- [Vedda lore]
- [East coast Veddas]
- [Veddas - now only a household name]
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