Vedda People or Wanniyala- Aetto

Source- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedda_people
The Veddha's are an indigenous people of Sri Lanka, an island located in the Indian Ocean.  According to their genesis myth of the Sinhala race, the Veddas are descended from Prince Vijaya, founder of the Sinhalese nation, through a woman from the Yakkha clan named Kuveni. Vijaya rejected Kuveni and took his two children to Adam's Peak in the Ratnapura district, and they multiplied giving rise to the Veddhas. The Veddas speak the original language, also called the Vedda language. Other communities use their language during hunting and for religious chants, though they don't associate themselves with the Veddas. There was much contention when linguists attempted to trace Veddas origins and found that in the 10th century the Vedda language diverged and became a creole language.

The Vedda people practice animism with a mixture of Buddhism. They often worship their dead ancestors, which are named "nae yaku". They have invoked a deity called "Ne Yakku" for game and yams. The island's Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim communities regard the temple located at Kataragama, which shows the assimilation and syncretism of these communities for centuries. The Veddas marriage ritual is quite simple and interesting. The bride ties a barking rope that she twists herself around the Bridesmen. In  Veddha society, women are men's equals and is entitled to the same inheritance as her male counterpart. Veddha's practice monogamy and if a women's husband dies, typically she would marry his brother.

The Veddas clothing is scanty and consists of merely a loincloth from the a string at the waist and for women, it is a piece of cloth that goes from the navel to the knees. There are many Vedda cave drawings that have been found and they are believed to be painted by the women when they were waiting for the men while they hunted. Veddas were originally hunter-gatherers and often used slash and burn agricultural practices for their farming techniques. They are renowned for their rich meat diet which include venision, rabbit flesh, turtle, tortoise, wild boar, and a common brown monkey. They only kill
these animals for their meat and do not harm pregnant and do not harm their young. The early part of the year (January-February) and mid-year(June-July) is that of the fruit of honey. There livelihoods are heavily reliant on agriculture and there food supply is acquired from hunter-gatherer.

Adivasi Indian Tribe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasi=Source

The Adivasi is a term to refer to the collective combination of the ethnic and tribal group of the original aborigines in India. They are prevalent in the states of Kerala, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bhar, West Bengal and many other cities in India.  Many of these tribes have been identified as primitive people who need assistance from the government through governmental programs that sustains their livelihoods. 82. % Of India’s population, which is equivalent to 84 million people, is primitive tribes people. A majority of the Adivasi lives in the mountainous regions of central Asia. Adivasi are in the middle caste and often occupied high castes and royal positions in India’s aristocracy.

 The majority of the Adivisia practice Hinduism and Christianity. Each tribes vary in their beliefs and many worship Indo-European Gods and don’t believe in the idea of reincarnation. The religion Sarna which westerners often referred to as animism and spirit worship is about the belief that the world is full of numerous spiritual beings of all kinds and shapes. Many modern historians believe that Hinduism sprouted from a combination of Adivisia beliefs.  They worship many animal statues of horses, elephants, monkeys, cows, peacocks, and cobras. Efforts to educate the tribal children through Indian government have hade mixed results where the students often drop out to work in the fields for their family and some succeed into higher educations, but they drop out later out of difficulty adjusting to modernization.

A majority of the tribes are located in woodland areas that are inaccessible and do not have any political and economic significance. The economy of tribes was primarily hunter-gatherer and agrarian system. They bartered with local craftsmen for the items that they needed like cooking utensils and iron. Adivsia began interacting with the outside world with government interventions, creation of new motorized roads, and trading with other sources. Tribesmen began to sell their products in stores, but sold their good on credit, so they quickly gained debts. They often mortgaged their lands and they dappled in cash crops (cotton or castor-oil plants) that caused need for basic goods.  Though illegal, indebtedness occurred, and the tribesmen became indentured servants meaning that they had to serve until there debts were repaid. They were often subjugated to cruel and untrusting rulers.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Pictures of the Hmong

Hmong women in their traditional dress of colored prints and intricate patterns adorned with beads and fabric
 
Hmong children


General Vang Pao was a major general in the Red Army who was preeminent leader of the Hmong in the United State. Lead the "Secret War" in Laos which was initiated by the CIA.

Hmong women in Laos meeting potential suitors during a ball-throwing game.


A classic house building technique of flower Hmong in Vietnam

Hmong People

The Hmong People are an Asian indigenous group that are from the rocky regions of China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. China's Hmong community is called Miao group that is controversial because some Chinese Hmongs  believe that its meaning denotes barbarism. The Hmong in China are part of a sub-group called the Miao, which constitutes the 55 minority ethnicity in China.  There history has been difficult to trace, but many historians believe that they have lived in Southern China for approximately 2,000 years. Geographically, China has the largest Hmong population with about 2 million people. Vietnam-787,604, Laos-460,000 and Thailand-151,080 are the third most populate Hmong communities outside of China. France-15,000, Australia-2,000, French Guiana-1,500, Canada and Argentina-600, and the United States-209,866 are the other countries with sizable Hmong populations.

Hmong people helped assist America during the Vietnam War by fighting against the North Vietnamese Army Intruders. It was a special guerrilla unit by General Vang Pao and the CIA, with help from the Hmong men in Laos. The CIA used the Hmong Guerrilla Unit in Laos to counter attack the Ho Chih Minh Trail that supplied Vietnam from the North to the South. Two years after America's withdrawal in Vietnam, Laos was overthrown by Southern Vietnam and they were victimized and marginalized, so many migrated to Thailand where they were placed in filthy refugee camps established by the UN. United States denied The Secret War between the Hmong in Laos and Vietnam, but recently acknowledged it and established a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. Laos says they will repatriate the Hmong in Thailand, but many of the Hmong have been forced to leave Thailand by the government. In 2007, an American man and his Hmong conspirators garnered weapons illegally from the US and allegedly planned to stage a takeover of the Laos government, but they were caught by the American government, but were subsequently released and never sentenced.

I liked learning about the Hmong people because of their rich history and there varied backgrounds. They have ties to many countries and are one of the most populous indigenous tribes in Southeast Asia. I  think it is sad how they have been displaced multiple times and many were used solely as mercenaries for the American government during the Vietnam War. I am glad that America has acknowledged their bravery and their assistance in the Vietnam War where they were so helpful in their success. Often the Hmong people in Laos are referred to as terrorists because of the history of rebellions against their country due to the injustices and the displacement. I probably have met a Hmong person because they have a significant population in California. The Hmong are an interesting indigenous tribe with a modernizing culture and they have a rich history in Southeast Asia.