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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XXI. 



believe the term may be translated) , and among a large number 

 of the Vedda communities still existing clan exogamy is 

 absolutely the rule, and where this exogamy does not exist 

 the altered condition is sometimes associated with Sinhalese 

 influence. Further, with exogamy is found descent in the 

 maternal line, so that the fundamentals of the social system of 

 the Veddas may, perhaps, be summed up as a clan organiza- 

 tion associated with female descent. There is no evidence, 

 as far as I can determine, of any dual organization of the 

 clans, but perhaps these had originally a territorial distribu- 

 tion. Leaving such debatable matters on one side, the Vedda 

 clans are 



(1) Morane warge. (4) Embila warge. 



(2) Unapane warge. (5) Uru warge. 



(3) Nambadewa or Nabudan warge. (6) Tola warge. 



(7) A number of other so-called warge of minor strength 

 and importance, which perhaps have little claim 

 to this distinction , and may be local groups- that 

 have forgotten their descent. 



Passing now to the three classes of Veddas, it will be con- 

 venient to deal first and quite briefly with Coast and Village 

 Veddas. The Coast Veddas live in scattered villages, for the 

 most part north of Batticaloa. They have much Tamil blood 

 in their veins, and though often taller than pure Veddas, still 

 retain an appearance which suggests their Vedda origin. -This 

 is far more marked in the males than in the females. They 

 have taken to fishing, and make and use a cast net. They also 

 shoot fish, using the usual Vedda bow, but the arrow has 

 become a harpoon with a shaft as long as the bow and a detach- 

 able barbed head smaller, but otherwise resembling the 

 harpoon used by the Coast Tamils. Among themselves 

 these folk speak Sinhalese, which they regard as their 

 old Vedda tongue. The majority of those I came in contact 

 with belonged to the Uru warge, and were not exogamous. 

 They have adopted a number of features of Tamil worship, but 

 retain ceremonial dances, which seem to be the remains of 

 original Vedda dances. In one temple there was a model of a 



