Abstract:
Vakarai Veddas are a social group of people with an indigenous ancestry of Coastal Veddas, form within Sri
Lankan Tamil ethnic group of Eastern province of Sri Lanka. Their cultural identity is rapidly diminishing
due to embracing Sinhalese and Tamils culture and impacts of modernization. Therefore, today there is a
need to preserve their way of life. This study attempted to understand the socio economic status of the
Vakarai Veddas' community and the prevailing problems in their society. A Rapid Rural Appraisal was
conducted in Kunchankalkulam, using several tools such as transect walk, resource map, pair-wise
ranking, problem tree, daily routine clock, seasonal calendar, and Venn diagram. At present, there are 61
families live in this village. Approximately 64% of the population was less than 18 years old with a balance
proportion of gender. Inland fishing was their major livelihood followed by paddy farming and animal
rearing. In Kunchankalkulam, majority of Vakarai Veddas are heavily influenced by the Hindu culture
while a few people adopted Christianity. Results of the Venn diagram displays that a non-governmental
organization is providing a significant service to this community. From the pair-wise ranking exercise,
water scarcity was identified as the most problematic issue of this community. It was observed that the
majority of Vakarai Veddas were victims of poverty. Through public private partnerships, diversified
cultural and eco-tourism avenues should be promoted to bring revenue to sustain the Vakarai Veddas
community and their culture.
