Wanniyala-Aetto
Zach Deering and Ryan Johnson
Geography
- Located east Sri Lanka's Central Mountain Massif
- Lots of tropical forests
- Used wood as resource for building houses and shelters
- Use the mountains and rain forest to hide from animals for hunting
- Very hot an tropical climate and lots of rain fall
History
- Formed around 16,000 B.C., mostly came to an end in the 1950's when they were forced to open up their land for other tribes
- Wanniyala-Aetto actually means Forest Dwellers or Veddah. Called this because they were very shy and rarely ever seen.
- There was no specific ruler and they ruled themselves because they were so isolated and because there was such a small population
- Are believed to be descendants of Sri Lanka's original Neolithic Community
Culture
- Main religions that they use are Hinduism and Buddhism
- There are less than 2,000 people
- Hunted deer, wild bore, and birds. Worked on fields (Burnt fields down and moved after a season), and gathered honey
- They speak Sinhali and Tamil
- Men and woman wore one piece clothes covering their torso and legs
- The had no religious buildings but they did pray
- Their Culture was known as the "Cult of the Dead."
Economics
- They did not have a money system or much of a trade system because they were in the middle of the ocean, but they did have a little use of trade on boats to India.
- They would trade their natural resources like clay and gems.
- They hunted animals like deer and wild boar, but collected honey and gathered fruits and berries.
- They only had a population of 2000 people, so that is why they couldn't trade as well with other civilizations as well.
- They were faced with adversity when more settlers started coming, and started destroying forests.
Government
- They lived in small villages in the forest and lived in so small of villages that they didn't have a true primary leader.
- Their main weapon for hunting game was a bow and arrow, but they used harpoons and toxic pants for fishing.
- They were known for their culinary arts, and their famous sausage coverd in other meats and fats.
- They are a slash and burn cultivation.
- Mainly the women are the ones who do he gathering of honey, fruit, and nuts, while the men hunt the boar and deer.
Sources
- Vedda people. (2016, January 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:49, January 13, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vedda_people&oldid=698993047
- "Wanniyala-Aetto." - Survival International. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
- Stegeborn, Wivica. "Understanding Human Rights: Barriers in Understanding and Communication between the Wanniyala-Aetto of Sri Lanka and the International Community." Understanding Human Rights: Barriers in Understanding and Communication between the Wanniyala-Aetto of Sri Lanka and the International Community. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
- "Wanniya-laeto Identity." Wanniya-laeto Identity. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
- "Wanniyala-Aetto." N.p., n.d. Web.