Veddas

Veddas are the indigenous people of Sri Lanka. According to the chronicle of the origin, the majority of Sinhalese tribes, the Veddas were originated from the prince Vilai (6th-5th century B.C.), the founding father of the Sinhalese state, who married the local Princess Kuveni. Their children gave birth to the Veddas.
Language – Vedda, is a Creole language based on the Sinhala and supposedly ancient Vedda language, which is not fixed by science. They also use Sinhalese. They have secret ritual dialects.
Their main belief is animism. Shamanism, magic and ritual dances are also practiced.
Veddas are divided into 9 generic groups (varuga): morana, unapana, rugam, ur, tala, natudena, kirito, maebilla, din. Members of each group have equal rights to hunt, gather berries and honey,  fish, use caves and grottos in their habitats. Now Veddas are divided into rural and forest.
Veddas live, like their ancestors in the jungle, in the villages, in the wicker huts of the dung and straw, far from prying eyes. The family is monogamous. Married daughters live with their parents, their sons do not. They get marriedearly.
A cross-cousin marriage (between the children of the brother and sister) is considered ideal. At the same time, orthocausal marriage (between the children of two brothers or sisters) is considered an incest.
In the Veddas society, women are in equal rights with men. They are endowed with equal inheritance rights. Monogamy is a general rule, although there are cases when a widow goes out for her husband’s brother as a sign of support and comfort (inheritance of a widow). Veddas believe in the cult of the dead.
Initially Veddas were hunter-gatherers. They used bows and arrows to hunt, and also collected wild berries and honey. Also, most Veddas are engaged in agriculture and fishing. Veddas are known for their varied meat diet: venison, meat of rabbits, turtles, lizards, wild boars and monkeys. Veddas kill only for food and do not harm young or pregnant animals. Fish is caught using the juices of certain plants as a poison.
Culinary preferences of Veddas are also unusual. The most famous dish is the tail of a lizard, filled with layers of fat and meat, roasted on smoldering coals. Another delicacy is dried meat impregnated with honey, often serving as a food during a deficit.
The main occupations are manual slash-and-burn agriculture (dry cultures), hunting, fishing, gathering.
Crafts are not developed. There is pottery, but primitive.
The main weapons of hunting are bows and arrows. There are also known darts, spears, snares, traps.
Fire is extracted by friction.
Clothes – a loincloth, an apron from the bark of a rity tree. Later, they began to wear sarongs. Women wear cotton-white skirts to the knees. Cotton fabrics are bought in Batticaloa.
For food they use the products of farming, hunting and gathering.