Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-07-18
rRUrn-LovrNG vEDDAs.
Aborigines who Neither Lie Nor Steal IN
Have No Chiefs or Government.

Aborisines who Neither Lie Nor Steal and
Have No Chiefs or Government.
The Veddas are the aborigines of the
Island of Ceylon, and are a very remark
able people. The pure, uumixed Veddas
are now hardly more than 200 or SEQ IN
number, and they therefore cut a very
small figure in an island that has over
100000 population. They are scattered
among the forests, on the east side Of the
island aud are difficult of access, because
the traveller must provide himself with
provisions for the journey across the
island it he wishes to visit the natives in
their almost unexplorable territory.
About a year ago DR.. r. Sarasin, ne.
companied by his cousin, Or. f. Sarasin,
visited these natives for the sole object Of
making an accurate anthropologieal study
of them They took with them a caravan
of fifty coolies and an OK wagon. setting
out from Newark Ellya, whittier they
had arrived from Colombo. In six days
they had reached the eastern foot of
the central range. In the plains which
slope away from the point to the
east coast stand two small indie.
pendent peaks. the most westerly of which
is named Damgalahela Ii is in the hol-
lows Of the forests around this mountain
that the village Veddas live, The plains
of CeYlon have, rs a characteristic feature,
great open grass flats, surrounded
by dense forests, The village Veddas are
found in these clearings. The small huts
are constructed of the bark of trees, and
c0nsis, of an inner room and veranda.
The natives are not capable of building
thA buta thAr,,1altrag u,l a. thakg htrn tbn
Cingalese 10 build them and pay for their
services with the produce of the chase e.
meat honey and wild fruits When they are
unable to secure Cingalase for this work
they seek shelter like the rock Veddas who
live in the mountains, in 6olows, 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 Neddas were
visited by the explorers and they We're
fortunate enough to discover band of
rock Neddas. Over 800 typical phQto-
graphs were taken.
The natives have chocoate-colored
skin. The nose is broad and heshy, 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 of
the head falls down TO the shoulders like
dark name, and is very unkempt Their
clothing consists only Of "A cloth rag around
their loius, which is kept in place 10y a
girdie Of twigs The village Neddas have
to some extent intermingled with the
CingaIese, 9nd have acquired some OF then
civilization This appears in their do,
nestle lite and their plantations where
they cultivate grain. The rock Neddas,
however, live principally monkeys, and
squirrels, while they despise birds and
eggs They dry their meat over the tire
in order to preserve 1t. They also eat
yams, various fruits of the forests, certain
leaves and banks 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 intlu'
ence, but of very limited character
They possess no form OF religion. They
appear to believe, however, that the dead
! become spirits. but this does not prevent
them from conducting explorers TO the
burial places and helping them to exhumt
skeletons, which they are perfectly will
ing the white men should carry away
Their language is hat of Cingalese, which
the Veddas have acquired in time, but
| they still use a few words of their original
! language. These words Of the ancient
language present great differences in val
lagos which are often only few hours
distant from each other.
The life Of the Veddds is of the simplest
! kind Imaginable A bow, arrows, hatchets
| two small pieces of wood for kindllng fires
a tortoise shell for a bowl, glrdle for the
the waist, composed of leaves and creepers
these comprise their whole household
goods They buy iron blades for their
! hatchets and iron points for their arrows
from the Cingaese IN exchange for money
wax aud meat No traces of stone
weapons were discovered, though the OK
plorers made diligeut search by digging IN
| the hOiOws.
The pare Veddas are characterized by
an almost total absence Of wants, an IN
tense love of personal liberty and a marked
sense Of honor, which regulates their mu'
| tual relation better than written laws
! Theft seldom occurs among them The
! higher Indian races are inveterate h r.
while the pure Yedda is noted for truth
telling. Murder only takes place in case
of infdelity OF a wife, and then very
rarely