A plea by Vanniyeletto:

Protect our heritage

Alex Perera - Bandarawela Special Correspondent.

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Speech by Chieftain of Vanniyeletto community, Uruwarige Vanniyeletto community in a ceremony to commemorate world Indigenous Peoples Day at Dambana Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Centre on August 9

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Today is World Indigenous Day. In 1994, we took part in World Indigenous Day celebration in Switzerland. This session was held for one month and representatives of 136 countries participated. Certain countries had banned their indigenous people in taking part in this summit. Some had participated secretly. These particular countries didn’t like the international community getting to know about the way they treat the indigenous people in those countries. Sometimes

 when the authorities came to know the indigenous representatives of their countries revealed the difficulties they underwent they were killed after they returned.

But in our country, we are really fortunate. We are accepted as indigenous people by the Government authorities. They support us to go abroad to participate in meetings and other sessions with world indigenous communities. In this case, we are very much grateful to the governing bodies of our country. A huge amount of money was allocated from the last budget to safeguard, develop, and do the needful of our community.

We haven’t got it to our hands yet. Though we haven’t got it yet, we appreciate this gesture of the Government. The Government has acknowledged that there is a historically valuable community in our country. We hope the Government authorities will take use this money for the benefit of our communitiy.

This is the 11th time we celebrate World Indigenous Day in our areas. This is not an event we celebrate just for the namesake. This is also not a celebration that ends up with eating, drinking and dancing.

This event is used by us to discuss our problems and find solutions for them. At World Indigenous Day celebration, in 2007, we were able to take some decisions together with the Government authorities. Those were to renovate a tank (a wewa), some wells for drinking water and roads. Requirements in our hospitals will also could be fulfilled.

In every such celebration, the Government authorities participated. But due to elections of the Uva Provincial Council all are busy. We decided not to let this important day pass but to do something fruitful. We decided to have our Wariga saba (meeting of the clan) to celebrate the event.

We have submitted reports on the difficulties faced by our community members living in various parts of the country. For certain issues, we have got solutions. Today, our discussion is based on this. Some local chieftains and community members have gathered here for discussion. Today, we are going to pay attention to Hennanigala and Pollebedda community problems. When the international community started talking about the indigenous people, a lot of Non-Governmental organizations mushroomed. They marketed our name and gained millions of money. They havn’t spent a penny on us. When we realized the danger of this, we kept the Government and the relevant foreign bodies informed about this.

We got together and decided to be prepared to protect ourselves. Under that banyan tree we had our discussions. Dambane Gunawardana committed himself for this task. We gathered four times a month here. This Indigenous Peoples Heritage Centre and the museum is the final result of this effort.

There is a long story about our people in this museum. We have a culture intertwined with a language, a system of law and order, customs, beliefs and a way of life of our own. Outsiders visiting this musesum have an opportunity to know about our heritage.

Not only that, having this as the main centre, we have a greater expectation to educate our younger generation and community members in various parts of the country, about our culture.

We talk about mountains, trees, rivers and waterfalls. Environment and living are not two things. But one. When there is no forest, there is no life or community living.

We are part of this environment. No one can deny or destroy it. Let us protect the environment and go ahead. We pledge to protect nature. We are born for it. Therefore allow us to be with nature.

Our language is disappearing among our communities. Even some of our community members don’t know our language, the system of our law and order, customs, beliefs and our way of life. They never consider those aspects. Even those who know our ways have no interest to promote it. I am thoroughly disturbed over this situation.

In our good old days when somebody died, after paying last respects our ancestors left that cave leaving the body inside the cave and searched for another place. A long time later they used to keep the body outside (at a distance) the cave and kept tree branches and stones near and on the body and paid last respects. Now we do as others. We also dig a pit and bury the dead body.

Some people decorate the body and the graveyard. It is really funny. We should make arrangements only to respect the fellow member who has passed away. Decorations don’t make any sense. The dead person is dead. There is no life in that body. It is like a dead branch fallen from a tree. At least that branch can be used as firewood.

This particular body does not have that use even. We should understand the meaning of life. Performing nonsensical acts is not our way of life. According to our customs we should respect the dead in a simple way. This is only one example. We should educate our youngsters about our simple way of living.

Have a look on Muslims. They safeguard their traditions well. Even a small child wears their traditional hat and dresses.

By explaining all these things I stress here that you all should take steps to protect our traditions. Wherever we go we should be able to say that “I am a member of the Vedda community”. Even a king is useless if he can’t express his ideas in his own language. Therefore, I kindly request you to commit yourselves to protect our heritage.

May Kalubandara deiyaletto, Mahaloku kiriammiletto and other Neyakun bless and protect you all.