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NOVEMBER, 1879.)
THE WEDDAS.
317
face; but it is unlikely that a similar formation | testimony to the important fact that the wilder should characterize a whole race of people, and no and less civilised Weddas of the remote parts real Wedda bas over yet been subjected to a of the Bintenno district aro an entirely distinct process of anatomy. An effort was lately made to class, and utterly unable to count. It is unforprovoke laughter from five members of the tribe, tunate that the representatives of the aboriginal who are alleged to have been authentic speci- race should have been selected from that portion mens of the Jungle Weddas, and who were exhibit- of the country where they are really found only in ed to H. R. H. the Prince of Wales on the occa- name, and that they should have been then subsion of his recent visit to Ceylon. They consisted jected to several weeks' training in the art of of two men and three women; two of the women laughter. were very gentle in appearance, and one is report- An instance, adduced by Mr. R. Downall, of a ed to have been decidedly pretty. The two men wedda who was able to laugh remains to be were described as small and rather ape-like, and adverted to, particularly as it has given rise to are said to have shot fairly well at a mark with the somewhat hasty generalisation that all jungle their bows and arrows, but "at the command of Weddas are able to do so heartily. He records the missionary," they grinned horribly.
that when he was on a shooting expedition a few The experiment of attempting to make them years ago, he set up his hat as a mark for the laugh under such conditions as these would have Wedd a who was acting as his Shikdri to aim at been obviously of no value whatever, even if it had with his arrows, one evening after his return from been successful.
the day's shooting. The Wedda at once succeeded But the description given of them in the local in sending an arrow through the hat, and then, newspapers and by various special correspondents it is said, joined in the laugh which was raised with some minuteness and diligence leaves no against its owner. This evidence, coming, as it doubt that they were brought from the district of does, from a gentleman whose statements are Battikalos, where the few remaining Weddas, most thoroughly deserving of attention and repartly owing to the influence of missionaries, and spect, nevertbeless loges much of its value from the Partly to frequent intermarriages with Tamils, absence of any specifio information regarding the have lost many of the distinguishing features of locality to which the Wedda belonged, and the their primitive condition. It may be well to degree of civilisation to which he had attained. It observe that it is entirely erroneous to speak of is, however, clear that he had for some time been any Weddas as belonging to "a very savage hill associated with the Tamils and others who formed tribe," as they were described, probably upon the shooting party; and it is easily conceivable the mistaken idea of an analogy between them that amidst the general laughter he may have been and some of the aboriginal tribes of India. The supposed to have joined, for it was in no way suscountry which they inhabit is low-lying and com- pected that he would not do so by the gentleman, paratively flat forest-land, which in no part rises who naturally kept no record whatever of the onto an elevation of much more than two hundred currence, and wrote from his recollection of the feet above the sea level, and it is characteristic of incident some years after it took place. none but the village Weddas to live in huts. It may also be mentioned that the Wedda
A curious and comprehensive memorandum Latty, who has been previously referred to, dis. upon the weddas of the Battikalos district, for played excessive anger and exhibited a morose nished by one of the chief native officials in 1872, expression when he succeeded in hitting the explains that those which belong to that part of Pariah dog at which he aimed. the country generally construct temporary build- Moroseness may indeed be said to be traceable ings to live in, which are cross-tied with the bark of in many of their countenances, no less than in the the Halmilla tree, and roofed with illuk grass, but tones of their voices, but there is no ground for that they abandon them from time to time when considering it to be really inherent in their char they have occasion to resort elsewhere for food or acter, which is remarkable for kindliness of diswater. They are designated by Tamil names of position, and elevated by a universal sentiment of Manalkadu, or Sandy-jungle Weddas, and satisfaction with their condition, and a consciousCholaikkadu Wedda 8 respectively; theness of superiority to their more civilised neighformer term applying to those who inhabit the bours. They would exchange their wild forest country near to the seacoast, cultivating chena life for none other, and it was with the utmost lands and speaking the Tamil language, and the difficulty that they could be induced to quit even latter to those who are nomads, and still retain for a short time their favourite solitude. some of their pristine barbariem; and he bears! It was an experiment of much interest to observe
1 See Quadn'. Anatomy, vol. I. p. 176 (7th edition).
