Tribal Music of Sri Lanka: A Qualitative Research on the Singing Style of the Dambana Indigenous People

Abstract

Indigenous people (Ādivāsi) are usually an isolated community with a specific language, culture and way of life belonging to generations, endemic to each country or region. While indegenous communities are the inheritors of the earliest history of a country, those in Sri Lanka are referred to as the“Vedi”community (Veddahs). Posessing a unique language, culture and lifestyle, they have coined the term “Vanniyalæththo” (forest dwellers) to refer to themselves. The purpose of this research is to identify the music of the DambanaKotabakiniya Ādivāsi community and to examine the characteristics of their music in an ethnomusicological manner. This is qualitative research conducted through the use of audiorecorded interviews, field observations, informal discussions as well as written literature to collect data. The basic features of chanting can be seen in the Vedi chants of the Ādivāsi folk while reflections of man’s first attempts at singing a line of words can be gleamed at through Vedi songs. Vedi Daru Nalavili (indigenous lullabies) in the Dambana region are a prominent source in the study of ethnomusicology in Sri Lanka. This research also focuses on finding the unique identity possessed by Ādivāsi music through examonation of the notations and tonality in the music.