Veddah

Veddah, commonly spelled Vedda, designates an indigenous ethnic group of Sri Lanka. Traditionally forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers who later adopted small-scale horticulture, Vedahs are regarded as the island’s earliest inhabitants and form one of Sri Lanka’s distinct ethnic communities. Their history and language reflect a long-standing presence in the island’s forests and hills.

Geographically, Vedda communities are concentrated in forested regions of the north-central and eastern parts of Sri Lanka, with villages interspersed among other Sri Lankan communities. They constitute a relatively small population compared with the larger Sinhalese and Tamil communities.

Language and culture: The Vedda languages form a small linguistic group with several distinct varieties; many Vedda people are bilingual, speaking Sinhala or Tamil in addition to their ancestral language. Vedda cultural practices historically centered on forest life, including hunting, gathering, and traditional knowledge of local flora and fauna. Ritual specialists and healers have played roles in ceremonies and community rites. Over the past century, many Vedda have shifted to agriculture and wage labor, leading to changes in traditional lifeways.

Historical role: In ancient and medieval Sri Lankan polities, Vedda communities sometimes served as forest scouts and frontier groups for Sinhala kingdoms. Colonial and postcolonial governments pursued assimilation policies and land-reform efforts, affecting traditional livelihoods and landholdings.

Today, Vedda communities are widely recognized as part of Sri Lanka’s indigenous heritage. Efforts to preserve their languages and traditional knowledge continue, alongside broader social and economic integration with the rest of the country.