About Rathugala
The Rathugala Veddas are the lesser-known of Sri Lanka’s indigenous ancestry. About 30km from Ampara, set amidst a diverse woodland out of reach from the modern-day trappings. According to the island’s fascinating historical chronicle, Mahavansa expressed that the first Veddas were the kids of Queen Kuveni, wife of Sri Lanka’s legendary foremost King Vijaya, in 5th BC. King Vijaya deposed his queen and children into the forests to ascend to the throne. With time they learned to live off the wilderness, eating fruits and hunting animals. After that, the group multiplied into the cultural neighbourhood called “Veddas”.
Hunting techniques and Food Culture
Veddas indigenous community relies mainly on the wilderness for survival. And they were initially hunter-gatherers. They utilized bows and arrows to hunt and achieve silently, harpoons and toxic plants for fishing and collected wild plants, yams, honey, fruit and nuts. Numerous Veddas also do farming, mainly including Chena cultivation, where they cultivate kurakkan, rice and grains.
Hey, a noble tribal group only butchers for food and does not harm the young or pregnant animals. The most influential natural resource that the Vedda relies on is coconut palm. Coconut palms deliver them with fruit throughout the year and provide plenty of material to build sheds, make rope and many other household materials. In addition, the Veddas community gathered wild honey, which they compiled by climbing trees where the swarms are and burning dry leaves to ward the bees away, and bee stings can be excruciating. So every year around June, they go on a two-month-long honey hunt, bringing just rice and chilli. The honey is utilized as a food processor and as medication.
Attire and Livelihood
The clothes of the Veddas in ancient times were limited. For males, it consisted only of a loincloth balanced with a string at the waist, while for females, it was a cloth from the navel to the knees. Now Vedda dress is more covering; men wear short sarongs while women wear those that cover them entirely.
The medications of Veddas are not that advanced, but they have diverse techniques to treat cracked bones and injuries, and medicines are 100% herbal. In addition, they assume in spirits to heal and steer them towards fast recovery.
The Vedda have their vocabulary, and some of them, who want to retain their culture, are attempting to keep it intact by teaching it to subsequent generations.
Vedda marriage is a simple ceremony. First, the bride ties a bark rope (Diya Lanuva) wrenched around the groom’s waist, and it tells the bride’s acceptance of the man as her partner of a lifetime.
Death is a simple affair without ostentatious funeral ceremonies where the deceased’s remains are promptly buried. At the head of the tomb were three open coconuts and a little bundle of timber, while at its foot were kept an opened coconut and a natural coconut. In addition, personal possessions like the bow, arrow, and betel pouch were buried with the body.
Experience at Rathugala
A recently built Cultural Centre in Rathugala desires to showcase its traditions, livelihood and history. So, for example, you can meet the Chief of the Rathugala Vaddas community and demonstrate their hunting techniques, traditional dancing, the mixture of trap methods, and test bows & arrows with their community. Furthermore, you can experience conventional foods and drinks. And also, you should be able to buy handmade crafts and wild honey from the cultural centre outlets.
Visit – www.visitrathugala.com for further more details.
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Article by
Ravindu Dilshan Illangakoon
As co-founder and Head of Content at Sri Lanka Travel Pages, I ensure that every blog post we publish is AMAZING.
