No. 61.— 1908.] 



PROCEEDINGS. 



" The Pulindas were the Veddas. 



" As the result of a study of the subject for several years, my 

 own opinion is that the ordinary Kandyan Sinhalese are practi- 

 cally Veddas, with a not too great intermixture of Gangetic and 

 Dravidian blood, chiefly the latter. 



" Those who doubt it should endeavour to explain ( 1 ) why many 

 feminine names of Kandyans and Bintenna Veddas alike terminate 

 in atti or ati ; (2) why the north-west Kandyans and Veddas 

 alike worship in the same manner the God of the Rock, the 

 South Indian Hill God ; and (3) why, when on a hunting expedi- 

 tion, it is etiquette to suffix the title ' Vedda ' to each Kandyan' s 

 name in addressing him." 



Mr. Bruce Foote inquired regarding the nature of the paintings, 

 and the colours used. 



4. Dr. Seligmann, replying en bloc to the questions, said: If 

 the botanists and zoologists had not " made " a supplementary 

 continent between South India, Africa, and America, the anthro- 

 pologists would have had to do it. It would be otherwise quite im- 

 possible to explain the relationship of the Veddas, Tamils, Sakeis, 

 and even Australians. He thought there was very little doubt that 

 the Veddas were related to the Sakeis, and probably related to 

 some of the jungle tribes of India, and it was not at all unlikely 

 that the three peoples mentioned were related to the Australians ; 

 but the problem was, " How did the Australians get there ?" 

 With reference to the pure Veddas, he met four families, and 

 there were two more he did not meet. The speaker said he spent 

 about three weeks looking for the families, and during that time 

 was walking round the Veddas in spirals . The lecturer also referred 

 to Mr. Parker's letter. In answer to Mr. Bruce Foote, Dr. Selig- 

 mann said the Veddas painted in gray, with ash, sometimes mixed 

 with saliva. In the case of the painting of leopards, the black 

 spots were made with charcoal. 



5. His Excellency the Governor: Ladies and gentlemen, I 

 express your feelings when I thank Dr. Seligmann very much, indeed, 

 for the very interesting lecture he has delivered to us this evening, 

 and for the valuable photographs which he has thrown upon the 

 screen. The work Dr. Seligmann has been engaged in has been 

 arduous, and the hardships attendant to it have been shared by his 

 wife. The information he has given us to-night is valuable ; but it 

 may interest him perhaps to know that recently I had a conver- 

 sation on this subject of the Veddas with Mr. Bibile, who attended 

 him on the expedition. Mr. Bibile is the Ratemahatmaya of the 

 t)va District, and he assured me that according to his belief what 

 was called in Dr. Seligmann's lecture pure Veddas or Rock 

 Veddas no longer exist— that they are wholly extinct, in fact.* 



* The Ratemahatmaya, if anybody, should know; and his view is 

 shared by Mr. H. Parker, no mean authority, as well as by other 

 Europeans long resident in Ceylon who have been not infrequently 

 brought into contact with the Veddas, and are familiar with the 

 country they inhabit. It may fairly, therefore, be open to doubt 

 whether Drs. Moszkowski and Seligmann ever saw a really wild Vedda. 

 if indeed any such still survive. — B., Hon. Sec. 



