Dambana
Dambana is a village within the Badulla District in Uva Province, Sri Lanka. It is closest to the town of Mahiyangana. It is known as the refuge of the indigenous Vedda people as well as their moribund Vedda language. It is well known for its eco-tourism projects, operated by Eco Team In 2010 it had a population of about 1000 individuals all belonging to the Vedda families.
Sri Lankan Aborigines(Veddha) Village
Sri Lanka’s Aborigines’, or the Veddha’s meaning “people of the forest” of Sri Lanka have a history much older than prince Vijaya’s landing in the 5th century BC and the origins of the Sinhala race. Archaeological evidence suggests that modern Veddha’s Neolithic ancestors inhabited this island as far back as 10,000 BC. Once roaming the Great Plains of the north-central region to the central mountains, today the remaining Veddha population are confined to Dambana which is close to Maduru Oya sanctuary.
They are essentially hunter-gatherer forest dwellers without much change in their lifestyle from Stone Age to modern times. The language used by them is an ancient dialect of Sinhala, the staple diet being venison, Veddha’s are allowed to hunt legally to sustain themselves within certain areas, and are also expert fishermen. Veddha also collects bees’ honey and exchanges it with the locals for axe blades and cloth.
Today, the Veddha’s are more modernised as far as least the clothes are concerned and the perfect way to observe Veddha is to organise a camp close to or within a reservation and Veddha’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.
Today, the Veddha are confined to a reserve in the district of Monaragala and are more contemporary as far as at least clothes and commerce are concerned. A perfect place to observe Veddha is their last remaining village of Dambana and organise a camp close to or within the reservation and Veddha’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.
