People of the land · 30 min from the casa
Dambana and the Wanniyala-Aetto
An evening with the island's first people, on their terms.
The Wanniyala-Aetto, the forest people, have lived in this country longer than anyone. About a thousand remain around Dambana under their chief. Their language is nearly gone; their dignity is not.
We go late in the day, when the heat is off and the chief's family receives visitors. There is a museum, the bow and the axe, and if the elders agree, the Kiri Koraha dance around a pot of coconut milk. Ask before photographing. Put the phone away for the dance. This is a visit, not a show.
