Morning journal and courier., 1891-05-08
THE TRUTH.LovING vEDDAs.


 Aborigines Who Do Not Lie or Steal
 and Have No Chiefs or Govern
 ment.
 The Veddas are the aborigines of the island of Ceylon, and are a very remarka- ble people. The pure, unmixed Veddas hundred in number, and they therefore cut a very small figure in an island that has over two million population. They are scattered among the forests on the east side of the island, and are difficult of ac- cess, because the traveller must provide himself with provisions for the journey across the island if he wishes to visit the natives in their almost unexplored terri tory.
 About year ago Dr. P. Sarasin, accom- panied by his cousin, Dr. F. Sarasin, visi- ted these natives for the sole object of making an accurate anthropological study of them. They took with them a caravan of fifty coolies and an OK wagon, setting out from Newara Eliya, whither they had arrived from Colombo. In six days they reached the eastern foot of the central
 
 slope away from this point to the east coast stand two small independent peaks, the most westerly of which is named Dan- igalahela. It is in the hollows of the for ests around this mountain that the village Veddas live. The plains of Ceylon have, as characteristic feature, great open grass flats, surrounded by dense forests The village Veddas are found in these clearings. The small huts are constructed l of the bark of trees, and consist of an in l ner room and a veranda. The natives are | not capable of building the huts them | selves, and so they hire the Cingalese to l the produce of the chase-meat, honey | and wild fruits. When they are unable tc secure Cingalese for this work they seek shelter like the rock Veddas who live in 1 the mountains, in hollows, which are | formed merely by detached blocks of | gneiss lying on one or two sides and which afford but poor protection against the rain and wind. Three different settle | ments of the village Veddas were visited | by the explorers, and they were fortunate | enough to discover 8 band of rock We'd das. Over three hundred typical photo | graphs were taken.
 | The natives have a chocolate-colored skin. The nose is broad and fleshy, the | lips swollen and the chin pointed The upper lip and chin of the men is covered with a small growth of hair. The hair oi the head falls down to the shoulders like ( dark mane, and is very unkempt. Theil clothing consists only of c cloth rag around their loins, which is kept in place by girdle of twigs. The village Vedda, have to some extent interminglsd with ths Cingalese, and have acquired some oi their civilization. This appears in thei, domestic life and their plantations where they cultivate grain. The rock veddas however, live principally on flesh, espe cially that of deer, swine, monkeys and squirrels, while they despise birds and eggs. They dry their meat over the fire ir order to preserve it. They also eat baked yams, various fruits of the forest, certain leaves and barks of trees.
 They have no knowledge of the caste system of the natives of India nor of any form of government, since they have nc chiefs. The oldest man in the community appears often to exercise a certain inhu ence, but of a very limited character They possess no form of religion. They appear to believe, however, that the deac become spirits, but this does not proven them from conducting explorers to tn, burial places and helping them to exhum skeletons, which they are perfectly wiIlinj the white men should carry away. Thei