Tag: Rathugala

  • Guardians of the Red Earth

    Guardians of the Red Earth

    The Danigala Veddas were one of the groups who escaped into the caves of the jungle. In the 1940s, the government removed them from the Danigala caves and mandated that they live in homes in the forest made with mud walls and thatched roofs. With little option, the Veddas complied and have lived in these…

  • Sri Lanka’s Last Indigenous People

    Sri Lanka’s Last Indigenous People

    By Zinara Rathnayake The Veddas were traditionally forest dwellers, who foraged, hunted and lived in close-knit groups in caves in the dense jungles of Sri Lanka. But most people haven’t heard of them. “This is our cave,” said the man. He was tall with curly, shoulder-length hair and his lower lip was caked red with…