Current Status
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1881 | 2,200 | — |
| 1891 | 1,200 | −45.5% |
| 1901 | 4,000 | +233.3% |
| 1911 | 5,300 | +32.5% |
| 1921 | 4,500 | −15.1% |
| 1931 | 5,200 | +15.6% |
| 1946 | 2,400 | −53.8% |
| 1953 | 800 | −66.7% |
| 1963 | 400 | −50.0% |
| 1971 | — | |
| 1981 | — | |
| 1989 (est.) | — | |
| 2001 | — | |
| 2011 | — | |
| Source:Department of Census & Statistics Data is based on Sri Lankan Government Census. |
||
Some observers have said Veddas are disappearing and have lamented the decline of their distinct culture. Development, government forest reserve restrictions, and the civil war have disrupted traditional Vedda ways of life. Dr. Wiveca Stegeborn, an anthropologist, has been studying the Vedda since 1977 and alleges that their young women are being tricked into accepting contracts to the Middle East as domestic workers when in fact they will be trafficked into prostitution or sold as sex slaves.
However, cultural assimilation of Veddas with other local populations has been going on for a long time. "Vedda" has been used in Sri Lanka to mean not only hunter-gatherers, but also to refer to any people who adopt an unsettled and rural way of life and thus can be a derogatory term not based on ethnic group. Thus, over time, it is possible for non-Vedda groups to become Veddas, in this broad cultural sense. Vedda populations of this kind are increasing in some districts.
Today many Sinhalese people and some east coast Tamils claim that they have some trace of Veddah blood. Intermarriage between Veddas and Sinhalese is very frequent. They are not considered outcasts in Sri Lankan society, unlike the low caste Rodiyas (see Caste in Sri Lanka).
The current leader of the Wanniyala-Aetto community is Uru Warige Wanniya.
Read more about this topic: Vedda People
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