|
COUNTRY LIFE
|
|
 |
|
In country side the
economy depends heavily on agricultural
based products. For health disorders
indigenous medicine is mostly preferred
and at times would go for even Yaga and
Bali - Thovil (blessings earned from
devil dancing) which has been practiced
for centuries to eradicate unknown
diseases. |
|
|
ABORIGINAL
LIFE |
The local aboriginal people are called
Veddas or Wanniyala-Aetto, (forest
beings) struggling for survival and
desperately trying to preserve their
territories. These people are
hunter-gatherers and have been living in
harmony with the tropical forests where
they call home for the past 18,000
years. |
|
 |
|
Having survived 2500 years of settlement
of their island, initially by
Indo-Aryans, ancestors of Sinhalese
followed by South Indian migrants who
were Tamils and thereafter for centuries
of Portuguese, Dutch and British
colonization. In recent past the Sri
Lankan government constricted their
lands for Maduru Oya National Park in
1983 and so the remaining 2500 of the
indigenous people are currently going
through a battle of survival with the
contemporary world trying to escape
obscurity. |
|
|
ESTATE LIFE |
|
 |
|
Being the 2nd largest
ethnic group in the country and
having ancestors who emigrated
from India Tamils are divided
into 2 major groups such as Sri
Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils.
The ancestors of Sri Lankan
Tamils moved to this island from
South India in ancient times
where as Indian Tamils were
brought over by English to work
as laborers on the plantations
during 1830s. |
|
|
