Abstract:
The island of Sri Lanka is populated by diverse ethnic groups. Among them are the
Veddas: the indigenous people (IP) of the country considered specific due to their
cultural and biological uniqueness. At present, these people have been limited to a
few villages of the country with less than 10,000 population. They seemed to have
adopted a new cultural system as a consequence of the cultural change taken place in
the past few decades. This study was carried out to find out the causes and
consequences of cultural change based on the IP living in Henanigala. Data were
gathered through a questionnaire survey in which 193 individuals participated, and
through in-depth interviews conducted with purposively selected 10 individuals,
representing both genders, ages ranged from 18 to 75 years. The main factors
identified as the causes of the cultural change were resettlement and assimilation.
These factors have consequences in increasing poverty, cultural loss, minor
marriages, alcoholism, land loss, and unemployment, among others. Still, their
traditional culture is preserved among the older generation, through which initial
measures can be taken to preserve their culture for the future.
