Veddas are the Sri Lanka's indigenous inhabitants. They call themselves as ' Wanniyala-aetto ' , which gives the meaning " forest dwellers ". According to the myth, these veddas were originated from Jeewahaththa and Disala. Jeewahaththa and Disala were the son and daughter of king Vijaya and his queen Kuweni.
In 1978 calculations there were 6000 veddas. According to 1983 there were 8000 coast veddas and according to 2002 calculations there were 2500 veddas.
Veddas are also mentioned in Robert Knox's history of his captivity by the king of kandy in 17th century. He describe veddas as "Wild Men", but also said there was a "tamer sort", and that the later sometimes served in the king's army.
The current leader of the Wanniyala - Aetto community is Uru - Warige Wanniya. Today, many Sinhalese people and some East coast tamils tells that they have some little amount of vedda blood. Intermarraige between veddas and sinhalese is very frequently happening. They are not a tribal group in Sri Lankan society.
