The Veddah people and their hawks

L

longfletch27

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Jul 30, 2009
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I was watching the show Les Stroud beyond survival the other night, and it was showing the Veddah people of Sri Lanka. The first thing that caught my eye was most all the men had tomahawk type axes with them, they all looked like they were pretty small hawk heads with a 2'-3' handle on them. It was pretty interesting how they all carried them hooked on their shoulders, after googleing some pics of them, i figured out these guys dont go anywhere without their hawks, almost every pic i found had a hawk over the shoulder.
here are some pics
Veddahs-Yakkas.jpg

kiribanda.jpg

Chief-Uruwarige-Wanniyala-e.jpg

4751523422_a8ee90bf09.jpg

i dont know what is up with this pic :D
virtusa.jpg
 
Yeah, I caught part of that episode. Pretty interesting stuff, I remember commenting to my wife that I liked their hawks. :)

Seems like they really make good use of them, I like how even the young kid was perfectly adept at using one, and sharpening it on a large river rock. I'm guessing from the way they carry them over their shoulder that the bottom of the edge must not be kept very pointed? ...I think that if I carried mine that way it would cut the crap out of my back!

...by the way that pic of them with their hawks, standing in a high tech computer room, is pretty funny!
 
Pretty cool. Maybe that Vec guy actually knows what he's talking about...Nah.:D
 
BryFry said:
...by the way that pic of them with their hawks, standing in a high tech computer room, is pretty funny!
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give us your land or we will trap your soul in this little box.....ok little girl show them you tube ;) :D


i tried the shoulder carry today with a cs trailhawk, the hammer poll kept falling and hitting my neck :o
 
That is pretty cool indeed. :thumbup:

I wonder what kind of knife and sheath the guy in the fourth pic is carrying?
 
Silas said:
That is pretty cool indeed. :thumbup:

I wonder what kind of knife and sheath the guy in the fourth pic is carrying?
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looks like schrade sharp finger or something like that.I had one when I was a kid that my father gave me.If it is what I think it is.
 
Introduction to computers will tear their old ways apart ;-((( The lure of the new world.

Regards

Robin
 
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Two things stood out to me in that episode:

1.) That they pick an axe in that environment.
2.) That the heads were all between the size of a trail hawk and frontioer hawk in size, and were mounted on long hafts.

I'd like to see them go on one of Jeff Randall's jungle courses, and the looks on everyone's faces after giving them endless sh*t about bringing an axe into a jungle, and have them just go on like nothing's new.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Two things stood out to me in that episode:

1.) That they pick an axe in that environment.
2.) That the heads were all between the size of a trail hawk and frontioer hawk in size, and were mounted on long hafts.

I'd like to see them go on one of Jeff Randall's jungle courses, and the looks on everyone's faces after giving them endless sh*t about bringing an axe into a jungle, and have them just go on like nothing's new.
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I wondered the same thing...
 
I didn't catch the episode, did they show them using the axe for brush/trail clearing? If so, how did they use it?
 
They didn't seem to, more for taking bark off of trees and opening stumps. I wonder if it has something to do with the original European or even Indian explorers, it wouldn't surprise me if those hawk heads were passed down through the generations. who knows?
 
Those are some seriously cool looking dudes and axes, I'd love a chance to hang out with them and study their way of life.
 
Shotgun said:
I didn't catch the episode, did they show them using the axe for brush/trail clearing? If so, how did they use it?
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They didn't show any brush or trail clearing. From what little I've read of that part of the world, I think a sickle or scythe type tool gets used for that more often than a machete type instrument. But I don't know about Sri Lanka in particular.
 
This is actually quite common in different parts of the world. In Latin America you will seldom find anyone without a machete of some sort stuck under his belt or in a sheath. In Malaysia you'll find they carry the machete variant called the parang. The Veda people use an axe. Africans use a panga. They use it for working: I've watched crews in Mexico and Central America cut mile long senderos and brechas with nothing more than machetes...and they leave the ground as clean as if cut with a shredder. But the axe/machete etc., is also symbolic for manhood and bravery. A man carrying a machete or axe is telling you that he has indeed reached manhood and that he will indeed whack you into little pieces if you happen to offend him. And in my work I saw the results of those whacking jobs on several occasions. Nasty indeed, very nasty.

As for the tomahawk style of the Veda axe. The tomahawk style is much easier to haft in the woods/jungles/forests than other types of axe heads. These people can't run down to the local hardware store and buy a new axe handle. And then why should they? They simply cut a branch and make a new handle on the spot. Much more practical; much more pragmatic. Perhaps also a lesson for those of us who want to take to the wilds with any sort of "survival" axe.
 
Axes are completely viable tools in jungle environments... just different techniques on the using end, that's all. Sheesh, all these "machetes are only good for jungles, or everything but the northwoods, and then if you don't use an axe you're going to die" philosophies are bogus. These people have been using these tools for who knows how long? They live and die by them on a daily basis. And here we are questioning their tool selection? They're obviously doing something right...
 
I saw this episode and even paused it to take a better look. They look like "trade axes" that were once common among french traders. Looked like a typical "wrap and weld" design with a round tapered eye. Look tapered anyway, that would make sense as I didnt see a wedge in there. Its a lot easier to fit a tapered round eye in the hills than a straight eye. Most "saplings" and such are naturally tapered anyway..No need for a wedge.
 
I thought the same thing.
They look like French trade axes
What did you think of their sling shots?
 
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