The Cost of Progress: Indigenous Communities and the Vanishing Forests

Historians and archaeologists have identified that indigenous people have lived in this country since the beginning of the 5th century BCE. The first inhabitants of a country are referred to as indigenous people. Over 13 million indigenous people live in 136 countries around the world. In Sri Lanka, approximately 500,000 indigenous people live in 62 villages. Although they were initially referred to as “Vedda” because they hunted animals with bows and arrows for survival, they were later named “Adivasi” (indigenous people).

There are two main theories regarding the origin of the indigenous people in Sri Lanka. One theory suggests that they descended from Kuveni and Disaala, who were born from the union of Prince Vijaya, who arrived from India, and Kuveni. The other theory proposes that they were formed from groups left behind by invaders who periodically came from India. Although these groups were once spread across many regions and consisted of 20 clans, today, only four main clans can be identified: the Uruwarige, Thalala, Monara, and Unapana clans. The integration with the larger society has led to the disappearance of some clans.

The indigenous people of Sri Lanka began their settlements in the central highlands of the Uva Province, primarily around the area of Mahiyanganaya. Over time, they spread throughout the country, establishing communities in places such as Rathugala, Danigala, Weliwabe, Nuwaragala, Pollebadda, Henebadda, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Jaffna. These settlements became the foundation for the formation of various clans.

Currently, the leader of the indigenous people is Uruwarige Wannila Aththo. His father was Tisahami, a Holike Wannila Aththo, and his grandfather was a chief from the Unapana clan. Leadership among them is passed down through generations. Their governing body is the clan council, which has the authority to impose punishments, offer commendations, or even banish individuals from the community.

Turning Forests into Habitats

The indigenous people made the forest their home, and there is ample evidence to suggest that they primarily lived within the wilderness. The settlements we mentioned earlier were established in forested areas. Their lives began with minimal resources, and hunting animals or birds for food was often a challenge. Even gathering fruits or digging for roots like yams was difficult due to the harsh conditions. The yams they harvested from the forest, such as Gonala and Hiritala, were among the root vegetables they relied on.

Living amidst the forest creatures was not always idyllic, but it cannot be said that they lacked fresh and nutritious food. When they hunted an animal, the fresh meat they obtained or the newness of a vegetable or fruit they picked brought them nourishment. Fresh honey from bees and wasps offered them a sense of renewal. Though life in the forest may have been challenging, it provided a unique and fulfilling experience. They inherited a diet rich in nutrients. Unlike today, they did not face severe economic hardships. They gathered just enough food for their needs, storing what was necessary for the rainy season, and had their own methods for doing so. Their needs were minimal during that time.

Are Indigenous People Being Marginalized by the Majority Community?

While the Mahaweli Development Project, which began in the 1970s, brought benefits to the country, it caused great hardship for the indigenous people. With the onset of the Mahaweli project, they lost the forests they once called home. Instead of living in the wilderness, they were forced to relocate to settlements. The Maduru Oya forest, which had been a homeland for the indigenous people, was taken over by the Mahaweli scheme. Along with this, villages such as Kandagamawila, Keragodala, Indiatta, Weherapokuna, Timbiranala, Wilegamala, and Gurukumbura were lost to them. Many other indigenous villages disappeared due to the Gal Oya development project. Under the guise of national development, this process resulted in the loss of their land and the forests being handed over to outsiders. Villages such as Nil Liya, Kurudu Vinna, and many others were also taken away from the indigenous people.

In the Matale District, ancient villages like Laggala and Bambawa were lost to them as well. The indigenous people were removed, labeled as illegal poachers, which was far from the truth. Their migration to rehabilitation camps and colonies was not voluntary but rather an act of forced displacement. The great forest belonged to the indigenous people through generations, not as a gift granted by anyone, but as a birthright passed down through their ancestry.

Indigenous people suffer from non-communicable diseases.

Along with the loss of the great forest, the indigenous people also lost the natural gifts it provided, such as wild honey, beeswax, fruits, and yams. As they integrated with the larger society, they became accustomed to the dietary habits of the majority population. This shift in lifestyle and diet brought misfortune to them, as they began to suffer from the non-communicable diseases that afflict the majority today, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and fatigue. As a result, they too are now compelled to visit government hospitals and take medication for these illnesses, just like the majority population.

Victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The indigenous people, like the rest of the world, were not spared from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic brought death to both the majority population and the indigenous communities. Alongside the COVID-19 crisis, the aftermath of the Easter attacks also affected them. For both the younger and older generations of indigenous people, the loss of the forest was a death blow. Indigenous youth, who had lost their traditional livelihoods, migrated to nearby towns to take up small jobs or temporary labor. However, the pandemic stripped them of these opportunities as well. Those employed in Colombo lost their jobs due to the lockdown, and many had no choice but to return to their villages.

With the absence of local and foreign tourists, the shops built in Dambhana became deserted, affecting the livelihoods of many, particularly women, who had relied on selling goods to tourists. As a result, many were left without a source of income.

Economic Collapse

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s economic collapse further worsened the plight of the indigenous people, dragging them from one hardship to another.

Official Regulations

Even though the wildlife officials enforced stricter regulations, the indigenous people lost access to many medicinal plants they traditionally gathered from the forest. The wildlife officers made the forest a prohibited zone for them. Moreover, these officials also prohibited the indigenous youth from even entering the nearby lakes or catching fish. During a visit to meet the leaders of the indigenous community in Rathugala, we were informed that two young men had been arrested for catching fish from a lake. The indigenous leader further told us that many in the community had been charged by the police and wildlife conservation officials under various accusations.

The indigenous people do not have access to the necessary resources for cultivating slash-and-burn agriculture (chena cultivation) or paddy fields. Other than rainwater, they have been deprived of water from lakes or reservoirs. Despite requesting the construction of a reservoir for their agricultural needs, authorities have not provided one. The high prices of school supplies such as books, pens, pencils, school bags, shoes, and even travel expenses have become unaffordable for them. This has resulted in many indigenous children being unable to attend school. Are their children and the indigenous people left with no refuge but the protection of their spiritual beliefs in deities and spirits?

“They Took Away Our Homeland”

When we met the Adivasi leader Wannila Aththo during our journey to find him, he was in the middle of a ritual to honor his deceased ancestors and the gods.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought immense challenges to our lives, not only for us but for the entire country. During that time, we faced hardships that we had never encountered before. This illness affected us in ways we could never have imagined. We had no income whatsoever, and we couldn’t even afford to go to the market. There was no way to go and buy basic goods, and the people of our village suffered in many ways because of this disease. With no income, our people had no means of going to the town to seek even a daily wage.

This forest is rich in valuable medicinal plants. I told our children to go into the forest and collect these medicines, such as rasakinda and demata potu, along with many others. At that time, the Ayurvedic Corporation in Colombo supported us. We gathered these medicinal plants and handed them over to the Ayurvedic Corporation. No other organizations or the government gave us any help. The only assistance we received from the government was the five thousand rupees they provided to the general public, and they gave it only three times before stopping.

Maaduru Oya forest rightfully belongs to us. However, since 1983, it has been declared a prohibited area for us. We have been forbidden from entering the forest to collect honey, hunt, or clear the land for Chena (slash-and-burn agriculture). We had to sneak into the forest to collect medicinal plants. Even though strict laws were in place, we had no choice but to enter the forest to survive. However, unlike others, we did not damage or destroy the forest. Nevertheless, many of our people were arrested by officials, leading to numerous challenges for us.

In the past, we couldn’t even have a five- or ten-minute conversation without interruption because so many tourists would come and gather here. However, the flow of visitors to these villages dropped significantly after the Easter Sunday bombings. Then, COVID-19 arrived, and people completely stopped coming to these villages. The young people in our village used to sell the goods they crafted in the small stalls, but when the visitors stopped coming, they had no one to sell their products to, so they stopped as well. The shops and other facilities have started to deteriorate as a result. This Vesak Poya, a small number of people visited, but nothing like it used to be.

We were once a community that lived freely, but now the environment we depended on has been destroyed. Although we lived according to our traditions and values back then, today we are forced to comply with the country’s laws. We don’t even have the freedom to cut a few iluk (reed) stems to build a roof or make a fence. This was the right of our ancestors, but today, we have lost that right.

“ If This Continues, Our Youth Will Lose Their Way”

Today, the greatest power in the country lies with political leaders. They are in those positions because of the votes of the people. I too am a leader, but I did not come into this position because of votes. I am a leader by heritage, passed down from generation to generation. My father, Uruwarige Tisahami Aththo, held the leadership before me, and after him, it became my responsibility.

With the migration of young people to cities, our culture is being completely destroyed. The young people who go to the city bring back various urban trends and, upon returning to the village, the youth here start to follow those trends. Now, some of our youth are coloring their lips, piercing their ears, and wearing extravagant jewelry. If things continue this way, those who once proudly bore nose rings as part of our tradition will be cast aside, and our youth will adopt these new ways. If that happens, the cultural fabric of this country will change drastically, and the entire nation will head toward ruin.

The Rathu Gala Indigenous People Are Now Helpless

From the day mankind was born into this world, they have been evolving, and small indigenous groups have been merging with other ethnicities over time. This was clearly seen when the Rathu Gala indigenous people came together. The Rathu Gala people live like ordinary citizens, making it hard to categorize them differently. However, due to the difficulties they face, they can be seen as a separate community in society. The Rathu Gala lineage began in 1938.

Many of the facilities they deserve have been taken away from them. They claim that they have not received the government’s Samurdhi allowance for low-income earners for about three months. The indigenous leader Danigala Mahabandala claims that officials stole the Rs. 15,000 allowance that was supposed to be provided to the poor under global aid. He says they are constantly being harassed by state officials. He mentions that a group of young people from his community was arrested by officials from the Department of Wildlife while fishing in a swamp due to a lack of food.

They state that there is no division between the Wanniya people and other generations. Around our home, there are seven groups, including Dambulla, Rathu Gala, Pollabeddala, Wakarela, Dimbulagala, Danigala, and Henanigala, with many families living in each village. We lived in the jungle. After coming out of the jungle, living became a problem for us. Our lineage lived in the forest. It was only after coming out of the jungle that we faced these issues. About 150 Rathu Gala families reside there.

We faced additional difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Easter bombings. During the pandemic, we crawled into the jungle to find food. Even when there was a rental payment, some organizations provided food, but it was not sufficient. We received no assistance from the government; what we got was merely the Samurdhi. Even that wasn’t fully given to us. Global aid only reached us during this Sinhala New Year. Everywhere else, aid was distributed during the time of the disease, but we received only around 20 kilograms of rice. Everywhere else, potatoes, lentils, and coconut oil were given. However, we did not receive those. They gave us a Rs. 5000 allowance, but it was only for four family members, and others didn’t receive it. The Samurdhi money that was supposed to be in my book was taken by officials. The sea around us belongs to us, but we are prohibited from fishing.

He says that neither the Ministers nor officials, at the very least the local secretaries or divisional secretaries, pay attention to them. Even when they inform higher officials about the injustices they face, no results come from it. They believe that if officials were transferred from those locations to other areas at least once a year, this situation would improve. Officials often think that they are making up excuses. But the truth is that the indigenous people, who have rightful claims to a prosperous economy, are just as sick as the rest of the population in the country.

Our Children Are Abandoned by Schools

Mothers always strive to provide their children with a good education and a better tomorrow. We recently met a wonderful woman named Seelawathi from the Gunapaha community in Dambulla.

During our conversation, she shared a heartwarming story about her eldest son, who was sent to school with the goal of receiving a higher education. She recounted, “My eldest son is quite talented; he went to a school in Dambulla and excelled in his O/Ls. Later, he enrolled in another school for his A/Ls. Unfortunately, he is now one of the children who no longer attends school. Our family had a stable income before COVID-19 hit, as we were selling goods in Dambulla. After the pandemic, people stopped coming to our village, and tourism came to a standstill. We used to sell items like honey bottles and kurakkan flour, but no one has come to buy anything since then. We used to eat three meals a day, but now all of that has vanished.

We can’t afford to buy books or school supplies for our child to continue his A/Ls. The price of school bags and shoes has skyrocketed, making it impossible for us to provide our children with what they need. Our village school doesn’t offer A/L classes, so we had to send our child to a school further away. Now, with the bus fares rising, we struggle to send our children to school, and we can’t even afford to buy them the necessary supplies. As a result, their education has been put on hold.”

She said this with tears in her eyes, reflecting on how parents like us, who are impoverished, manage to send their children to school.

“My second child is studying for the O/Ls, and I hope he can do well. But I worry about the little one; will I have to stop him from going to school as well?” she said, wiping away her tears. “Today, education has become a luxury, food is scarce, and there are no jobs for our husbands. How are we supposed to move forward? Our children are losing their education, and there are no job opportunities for them. I fear for their future,” she expressed.

If We Eat, We Can’t Teach Our Children

The women we met in Rathugala appeared older than their age. Many had married at a young age and had about six or seven children. This situation has arisen as they strive to raise their children.

One woman we met, MG Pathmawathi, shared her struggles: “We live in difficulty; if my husband gets work as a laborer, we can manage, but if he doesn’t, we go hungry. I have three children, and two of them are in school. If we eat today, I can’t buy their school supplies. During the COVID-19 period, we suffered a lot; no one was there to help us. We went days without food. There were no labor jobs available, and we had to rely on the kindness of others, which lasted for only a while.”

During our journey to gather information about the Rathugala community, we gained many experiences, but they cannot all be recorded here. The lives they lead are extremely harsh; they are among the people who experience hunger three times a day. Officials and politicians claim there are people in the country who are starving, yet these individuals are prepared to present ample evidence of their plight. The generations that have lived here for an extended period want to be integrated into the future and live like other citizens in the country. The concept of “one country, one law” must also be fair to them.

Photos courtesy of – Hasalaka Sunil Ekanayaka, Monaragala Sanjeewa Bandara