Know the Etymology: 389
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 25 January 2015

Veadar-kudiyiruppu, Wædda-gala

வேடர் குடியிருப்பு,
வெ[æ]த்₃த₃ க₃ல
Vēṭar-kuṭiyiruppu
Vaedda-gala

Veadar+kudi+iruppu
Wædda+gala

The settlement of the aborigine hunter tribe

The rocky hill of the aborigine hunter tribe

Veadar	also Veadduvar: hunters of animals, fishes and fowls; the clan or community of hunters (Tamil, DED 5527, Akanaanoo'ru 270: 3; Pu'ranaanoo'ru 324: 3); Veaddu, Veaddam, Veaddai, Veadu: hunting, the occupation of hunting, chasing, killing (Tamil, DED 5527, Natti'nai, 285: 6; Ku'runthikai, 56: 1); Cognates found in 14 Dravidian languages; Veaddam, Veadpu, Veadkai: desire (Tamil, DED); Veaddu: (verb) seeking, desiring, longing (Veadda, Veadpa are some forms, Tamil, DED 5528, Ku'runthokai, 154: 3); to perform ritual sacrifice (Tamil, DED 5544, Pathittuppaththu, 9: 15); Vea'lvi: killing in battle field, ritual sacrifice (Tamil, DED 5544, Akanaanoo'ru 13: 11; Akanaanoo'ru 220: 5-6); Vealai: work, labour, task, business, matter, workmanship, situation, office (Tamil, DED 5540, Thirumoolar, 1161); Wæda: work, service, labour, business, employment, benefit, advantage, good consequence, increase (Sinhala); Vidduvan: a man of the cultivator or Ve'l'laa'la caste (Pa'raiyar dialect of Eezham Tamil in Jaffna); Vidduvichchi: a woman of the cultivation or Ve'l'laa'la caste (Pa'raiyar dialect of Eezham Tamil in Jaffna)
Wæddaa	(singular), Wæddoa: (plural) man of the Wæddaa tribe, archer, bowman, one who lives by his bow (Sinhala); Vyaadha: hunter (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 12199, usage not very old and found only in a very few IA languages); one who pierces or wounds, a hunter, one who lives by killing deer (Sanskrit, Monier Williams); 1. Viyadh: to pierce, transfix, hit, strike, wound (Sanskrit, Monier Williams); 2. Viyaala, Viyaada: a beast of prey (Sanskrit, Monier Williams); the second etymology seems to be related to Veadu of Dravidian (DED 5527)
Kudiyiruppu	Kudi+iruppu: settlement (Tamil, DED 1655+DED 480)
Gala	stone, rock, rocky hill (Sinhala); related to Kal: stone, boulder, rock, rocky hill, mountain (Tamil, DED 1298, Changkam and toponymic usages)

An aborigine tribe of the island, living in forests, caves and rock shelters, and moving from place to place subsisting on hunting and gathering honey etc. until recent times, is called Veadar in Tamil and Wædda in Sinhala. The tribe is referred to as Veddah in English writings.

Considered as belonging to an Austro-Asiatic stock and as surviving descendants of the prehistoric populations and cultures of the island, the Veddahs have lost their language and speak either Tamil or Sinhala depending on the region they live in. However, their separate identity and culture are often recognized. Permanent settlements of them have come up in recent times, especially in the Eastern and Uva Provinces, even though some of them have opted to continue with hunter-gatherer life.

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The Tamil/ Dravidian term Veadar (DED 5527) means hunters of animals, fishes and fowls, as well as the tribe of hunters. The noun roots Veaddu, Veaddam, Veaddai and Veadu mean hunting, the occupation of hunting, chasing and killing. Cognates for these nouns are found in 14 Dravidian languages, including the tribal languages, Toda, Kota, Kolami, Naikri, Pengo, Konda, Manda and Kuwi (DED 5527).

The verb Veaddu in Tamil/ Dravidian meaning seeking, desiring, longing etc., as well as meaning to perform ritual sacrifice (DED 5528), is probably the verb root for Veaddu meaning hunting, chasing and killing also. Vea'lvi in Tamil/ Dravidian meaning killing in the battlefield as well as ritual sacrifice (DED 5544) and Vealai in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 5540), meaning work, labour, task, business etc., seem to be related. Etymology of the Sinhala word Wæda, meaning work, labour, service, business etc., also could be traced to the above cognates.

The Sinhala word Wædda, meaning a member of the aborigine tribe of hunters, is a cognate of the Sanskrit/ Pali word Vyaadha meaning a hunter (CDIAL 12199). Vyaadha, which is not a very old usage in Sanskrit, is found only in a very few IA languages (CDIAL 12199). The etymology of Viyaadha could either be traced to Viyadh in Sanskrit meaning to pierce, or to Viyaada/ Viyaala in Sanskrit meaning a beast of prey. The latter one may have links to Veadu in Dravidian.

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Veadar-kudiyiruppu is a village in Ea'raavoorpattu division of Batticaloa district.

Wædda-gala is in Kalawana division of Ratnapura district.

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Some related place names:

Veaddaiyaa-mu'rippu: The bund (tank) where game is available for hunting; Maanthai West division, Mannaar district

First published: Sunday, 25 January 2015, 23:48