Category: Dambana

  • The Wanniya-Laetto (Veddahs) of Sri Lanka

    The Wanniya-Laetto (Veddahs) of Sri Lanka

    To add security to the food supply, most Wanniya-laeto clear a piece of land close to the house to do swidden cultivation. The crops are maize and kurakkan millet which is their staple food.

  • Cultural Heritage of Sri Lanka: The Wanniyaletto

    Cultural Heritage of Sri Lanka: The Wanniyaletto

    If the indigenous Vedda (Vanniyaletto) of Sri Lanka are the heirs of an existence dating back to the Mesolithic of Southern Asia, then this community represents a sphere of cultural expression that requires world attention in conserving a folk diversity that is rapidly disappearing in this century.

  • Wanniya-laeto Identity

    Wanniya-laeto Identity

    The Wanniya-laeto operate within a radically different conceptual framework from that of the local administrators who wield power over Wanniyalaeto land and interests. For instance, the Wanniyalaeto do not entertain modern notions of real estate belonging to individuals, but believe that they and their ancestor-spirits belong to the forests of the Wanni which they inhabit…

  • Tissahamy Vows to Preserve Identity of His People

    Tissahamy Vows to Preserve Identity of His People

    Interview with Wanniyalaetto Chief Tissahamy Colombo: The Sunday Times, Sunday, May 24, 1992By Ravindra Wickremasinghe Vedda chief Tissahamy, whose community is embroiled in a major controversy over their traditional homelands and the ill-effects of development, in an interview with The Sunday Times this week went to the core of the crisis. Following are extracts from the…