The Nittaewo
The Vedda people of Sri Lanka told of the nittaewo, a small, hairy people who lived in the forest long ago and walked upright.
What was reported
The Vedda, the indigenous people of Sri Lanka, told stories of the nittaewo: a race of small, hairy, human-like beings, about a metre tall, who lived in trees and caves in the remote Mahalenama area, had sharp claws and spoke in a twittering language.
In the early 20th century, British colonial officials recorded the stories, and the Vedda said the nittaewo had disappeared generations earlier.
Explanations offered
Most researchers think the nittaewo are a figure of folklore, or a memory of other people or animals such as monkeys or sloth bears. Since the discovery of the small human species on Flores in Indonesia, some have wondered whether the stories could preserve a far older memory, though there is no evidence for this.
- When
- Told by the Vedda people
- Where
- Mahalenama, south-eastern Sri Lanka
- Witnesses
- Vedda tradition, recorded by colonial writers
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.