Veddahs of Ceylon (Wild Men or Yakkas)

Veddahs of Ceylon
Veddahs of Ceylon #IMG572


VEDDAHS, or Weddahs (from Sanskrit veddha, ” hunter”), primitive people of Ceylon, probably representing the Yakkos or “demons” of Sanskrit writers, the true aborigines of the island. During the Dutch occupation (1644-1796) they were found as far north as Jaffna, but are now confined to the southeastern district, about the wooded Bintenna, Badulla and Nilgala hills, and thence to the coast near Batticaloa. They are divided into two classes, the Kele Weddo or jungle Veddahs, and the Gan Weddo, or semi-civilized village Veddahs.

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Photography: Charles Scowen & Co.

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