Anthropology of Veddahs

Abstract

IT may interest many readers of NATURE to hear of the results of my recent expedition into the Veddah territory in the interior of this island. The expedition took place on September 18–25 of this year. The part visited was the Nilgala division of the Uva Province, where probably the best Veddahs in Ceylon still live. The track lay through the Sinhalese villages of Hamapola, Pitakumbura and Bulupitiya. In some of these the inhabitants betrayed very obvious traces of Veddah admixture. From the last-named place the track led on to the Veddah settlement of Dhanigala. Practically all the Veddahs of this area were collected together and photographed, whilst all the males were measured anthropometrically. The one-time chief of this group, Tuta, whose photograph is given in Seligmann's “The Veddas” had died some time previously. His grave was pointed out to me and I personally removed the skeleton. It was not in a very good state of preservation, but the skull, at any rate, was removed without appreciable damage to the very fragile facial portion.