The Indigenous people in Sri Lanka are commonly known as “Veddas”. It is certain that they were the prehistoric settlers in Sri Lanka. The Veddas are known to be descended from Prince Vijaya who lived in the 6th-5th century BC, the founding father of the Sinhalese nation, through Kuveni, a woman of the Yakkha clan whom he had espoused. Once roaming the Great Plains’ of the north central region to the central mountains, today the remaining Vedda population are confined to Dambana which is close to Maduru oya sanctuary.<br/>
The original language of the Veddas is the Vedda language. Today it is used primarily by the interior Veddas. Instead borrowing new words from Sinhalese Vedda created combinations of words from a limited lexical stock. Vedda also retains a number of unique words that cannot be derived from Sinhalese.<br/>
Animism is the original religion of Veddas. Vedda religion centered round a cult of ancestral spirits known as Ne yakku, whom the Veddas invoked for game and yams. 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. <br/>
A perfect place to observe Veddas is their last remaining village of Dambana. 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.<br/>
