Background

Over 100 years ago our grandfathers were unfamiliar and afraid of a boot print left on a river bank and upon sighting one, turned promptly back into the seclusion of their abodes in the depths of the forest for safety. We are the Vadda community We have been called 'Vyadha' throughout history Hunter-gatherers and recently, the Vanniyelatto Simply, we are a small remnant group of forest-dwelling peoples, whose main livelihood practices were hunting, gathering, fishing and bartering. We, and our forefathers before us, lived in harmony with the forest, taking only what was required for subsistence purposes. Our shelters were the caves, or simple mud huts with thatched roofs to protect us from the elements. We are at one with nature. We can locate honey combs from the buzzing and dance of a bee; we can track animals with dexterity and fish in the rivers; we often have to warn off creatures of the night and can gather plants for medicinal uses. However, we never kill animals drinking at watering holes or when traveling with young. We have our own taboos that help us preserve the life that sustains us. We worship the Nae Yakku, our ancestors who live within our ancestral lands we live, and passionately believe that their spirits are with us. Our arts and crafts were the tools needed for survival; our songs are lullabies for our children and used to describe nature in a way that keeps the knowledge of our ancestors alive. Our culture is nature, within which we have always lived.

Present situation
Modern day living for the Vadda community is, however, very different. We have been asked to move away from our ancestral lands intended for large scale irrigation or hydropower projects and the declaration of Protected Areas (PA) designed for biodiversity conservation. Now most of us are live in permanent village settlements in buffer zones of Protected Areas. The forest that we once belonged to, is no longer meant for us The bonds we once shared with the mountains and the spirits of our ancestors are so far away. We have been given alternative land with permanent housing to cultivate commercial crops. Now we are neither farmers nor Vadda hunter-gatherers. We use chemicals and fertilisers and instead of living in harmony with nature, we now contribute towards environmental degradation. We are forced to adhere to the mainstream education system with formal learning measures, such as text books, that provide little opportunity in experiencing the wonders of living in accordance with the natural world, traditionally managed by us. We have been taken away from our natural environment and are now distanced from our own culture. Today, we can see that your so-called 'civilised' societies, as well as 'development' concepts threaten not only the biological diversity and climate on a global scale, but have served to complicate the simple and effective life ways led by us not so long ago!

Way forward
Finally, we would like to say that we, as the Vadda people, wish to 'live & let live' in the bounds of our very forests. We want to still experience our traditional lifeways and values taught by our ancestors who live on as spirits of the Nae Yakku in our sacred grounds. A well balanced approach to future livelihood 'development' ought to consider both modern and traditional practices to ensure our livelihood security. We can continue to maintain our role as protectors of our ancestral lands and rekindle the spiritual and cultural values that have been eroded. With these hopes in mind, we work with the Government and other concerned parties in partnership with the Inter-agency Working Group on Livelihood Recovery of Traditional/Indigenous Forest People, such as the Vadda communities living in Sri Lanka. We have contributed towards the development of the National Policy on Traditional Knowledge. We are also in the process of piloting practical mechanisms to access forest resources that will help sustain our traditional lifeways and enable participation in conservation efforts in partnership with the wildlife and forest conservation authorities. What we believe is caring and sharing of our mother nature ..

U N D P

We would welcome your comments and suggestions

Coordinating Secretary Centre for Eco-cultural Studies (CES) PO Box 03, Diyakapilla, Sigiriya, Sri Lanka Email: centeco@sltnet.lk; centeco@hotmail.com Director Biodiversity Secretariat Ministry of Environment, "Parisara Piyasa' 104, Robert Gunawardene Mawatha, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka Email: gaminigamage@yahoo.co.uk