Indian Antiquary Vol 08

SR No.: 032500
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 404
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 359

NOVEMBER, 1879.]
THE WEDDAS.
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tion that she became his wife. She agreed and the governor, he was released after a short period wont with him, but the Weddas chased after of incarceration. them and shot at them with their arrows, which The diseases from which all Weddas more fell at their feet without effect. He then discharged particularly suffer are dysentery and fever; and an arrow at the Weddas, and thousands of them it would seem that the effects of the former have fell dead on the spot, but upon the intercession been from time to time exceedingly disastrous. of the damsel, the god, reassuming his proper The remedios which they adopt for it, consist in form, restored them to life, and then married her pounding the astringent bark of certain trees under the name of Walli Amma.
which they generally use for chewing and mixing The merest outlines of this tradition are utterly the juice with water which they then drink. In unknown to the jungle Weddas, and it is doubt- cases of fever they drink warm water, as is the ful whether many of them had ever heard even very general custom of the Sinhalese people, and the name of the tutelary deity, who represented also pour it over the body. Their only surgical to the unfortunate prisoner above referred to little implement is the sharp blade of the long spearmore than the principle and personification of the like arrow-head, and this is used in cases of midunknown..
wifery, wherein the husband is alone the operator. Although it is probable that he belonged to the Far from exhibiting any tendency to Pantheistic class of Village Weddas, it would appear from or the simpler forms of nature worship, as the statements which he made, that he was some writers have supposed, the jungle Wedday thoroughly conversant with the customs and ideas appear to be almost devoid of any sentiment of of the more barbarous Jungle Weddas, and indeed
religion; they are not even acquainted with the it is not unlikely that he was an instance of a name of Buddha, or the theory of metempsymember of the latter class who had by some means
obosis; they have no temples, priests, festivals, become degenerated into the former. His slight
or games, but their belief is limited by the notion knowledge of numbers was evidently due to the
that after death they become yakko, or devils, and efforts of missionaries or other persons who
herein may be traced their unquestioned identity endeavoured shortly before the time of his im
with the autochthones, of whom an account is prisonment to educate his people. It would perhaps given in the ancient chronicles of Ceylon." When be unfair to attribute to a similar influence the
one of them dies, the body is wrapped in the hide commission of the act of violence which resulted of a deer, if such a thing be at the time procurin his trial for murder ; but it is worthy of con
able, and a grave is dug with their hatchets and sideration whether the condition of a race barbar
with pointed sticks. This service is performed ous indeed, but nevertheless rejoicing in &
exclusively by the males, no female being ever complete and long-established immunity from
present on such an occasion; nothing is put into crime, is likely to be enlightened by the benefits of
the grave with the body, and after it has been western morality and civilisation.
covered over, the spot where it lios, apparently Ho seems to have been considerably expert in from mingled motives of fear and sorrow, is the use of the bow and arrows, having frequently never revisited. An offering is then made to the killed as many as half-a-dozen deer in a day, and departed spirit which has become a devil, in order upon two occasions an elephant; but when he
that it may not torment the survivors with fever; made trial of his skill with those weapons in the it consists of the flesh of the wandura, or monkey, prison he was somewhat unsuccessful. Ho ao- and the talagoya, added to a quantity of honey counted for his failure by his want of practice and some esculent roots, which are all roasted with a bow and arrows new and strange to him, together, while the senior member of the family and his extreme weakness consequent upon an of the deceased repeats the simple formula, attack of dysentery; when he was prostrated by "Malagi etto topan me kewili lapaw," or, "Ye this disorder he refused all sort of nourishment, dead persons, take ye these food offerings," and and his recovery was attributed in a great mea- then divides the whole of it amongst himself and sure to his entire abstinence from food. He oon. those who are present, by whom it is eaten. In tinually made piteous appeals to go to his wifo this custom there may possibly be traced the faint and children, and to be taken from the prison germs of a religion; and it is of peculiar ethnolo. where there was so much light and heat and glare gical significance if, as has been maintained, the to some place where he could lie under the shade earliest form which religion took consisted in the of trees and green leaves. It is gratifying to be propitiation of the spirits of deceased ancestors, able to add, that owing to the kind and humane! The moral characteristics of the Weddas consideration of His Excellency Lord Torrington, exhibit, as may be supposed, the simplest work.
1 Cf. Mahiwanso, ch. vii.