Nittaewo: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Hominid cryptid native to Sri Lanka}} |
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{{no footnotes|date=July 2014}} |
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{{Infobox mythical creature |
{{Infobox mythical creature |
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|name = Nittaewo |
|name = Nittaewo |
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|Region = [[South Asia]] |
|Region = [[South Asia]] |
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|Habitat = [[Rainforest]] |
|Habitat = [[Rainforest]] |
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|First_Attested = |
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|First_Reported = |
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|Last_Sighted = |
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|Status = Unconfirmed |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Nittaewo''' (or '''Nittevo''') were said to be a small tribe of small bigfoot or Yeti |
'''Nittaewo''' (or '''Nittevo''') were said to be a small tribe of small [[bigfoot]] or [[Yeti]]-like [[hominid]] [[cryptid]] native to [[Sri Lanka]]. No archeological evidence has been found to prove the existence of these humanoids, but they are ubiquitous in [[Vedda|Veddha]] mythology and Sri Lankan folklore. |
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== Etymology == |
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Legends of the [[Veddha]] tribe, who still farm in Sri Lanka, say they are responsible for wiping out the Nittaewo sometime in the late 18th century. According to the Veddha tradition recorded by Frederick Lewis in 1914, the Nittaewo were approximately three feet (1 metre) tall, the females being shorter than the males. They walked erect, had no tails and were completely naked. Their arms were short, with talon-like nails. They lived in trees, caves and crevices and caught and ate small animals such as hare, squirrel and tortoise. They lived in groups of 10 or 20 and their speech was like the twittering of birds. They fought constantly with the Veddha; when they began to take Veddha children, the Veddha trapped the Nittaewo in a cave and blocked its entrance with a wood fire, killing them all. This account was recorded in 1887 by British explorer [[Hugh Nevill]]. |
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[[Hugh Nevill]] explained that, "nittaewo" may be a derivative from "''niṣāda''", a term used by the Indo-Aryans to describe the more primitive tribes which inhabited India when the Indo-Aryans invaded.<ref name=":0">Heuvelmans, Bernard (1955) ''On the Track of Unknown Animals'', Routledge, {{ISBN|978-1138977525}}</ref> The [[Sinhalese language|Sinhalese]] form of this word was "nigadiwa" or "nishadiwa," from which "nittaewo" may have derived.<ref name=":1">Eberhart, George M. (2002) ''Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology'' ABC-CLIO, Inc. {{ISBN|1-57607-283-5}}</ref> A possible alternative etymology given by George Eberhart is "''niya-atha''" ("one who possesses nails").<ref name=":1"/> |
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== Description == |
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British primatologist W.C. Osman Hill led an expedition into the region in 1945 and found widespread belief in the Nittaewo still being alive on the island. He concluded that [[Eugène Dubois|Dubois]]'s Pithecanthropus erectus of Java, also known as the [[Java Man]], which has since been renamed ''[[Homo erectus]]'', matched the traditions and descriptions of the Nittaewo. |
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The nittaewo were described as being even smaller than the diminutive Veddahs, only between {{convert|3|and|4|ft|abbr=on}} in height, with the females being even shorter. They were covered in hair, which was often said to be reddish in colour, and were said to have very short, powerful arms with short, long-clawed hands. Unlike monkeys, they walked upright always and had no tails.<ref name=":0" /> |
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The nittaewo lived in small parties, and slept in caves or among the branches of trees, in leaf-nests of their own design. They had a varied diet, eating whatever raw game they could catch, including squirrels, small deer, tortoises, lizards, and sometimes even crocodiles. They did not use tools, instead disembowelling their prey with their long claws or hooked nails, allowing them to feed on the entrails. They were said to have a sort of language of their own, a "''sort of burbling, or birds' twittering,''" which a handful of Veddahs could understand. The Veddahs themselves were the enemies of the nittaewo, which had no defense against the Veddahs’ bows and arrows. It was said that whenever a nittaewa came across a sleeping Veddah, it would disembowel them with its claws.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Captain A.T.Rambukwella theorised that the Nittaewo may have been a species of ''[[Australopithecus]]'', described as small, man-like non-human apes who stood erect and had a bipedal gait. He led an expedition to the Mahalenama area in search of the Nittaewo in May 1963. During an excavation of a cave at Kudimbegala they discovered, at a depth of ten inches (25 cm), the vertebrae of a monitor lizard and a piece of a carapace of a star tortoise both said to be part of the diet of the Nittaewo.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W6zQHNavWlsC&q=Nittaewo&pg=PA361|title=God-apes and fossil men: paleoanthropology of South Asia|author=Kenneth A. R. Kennedy|page=361|publisher=University of Michigan Press|year=2000|isbn=9780472110131}}</ref> |
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During an exploration of caves at Kudimbigala, army captain A. T. Rambukwelle discovered a stone building, "''reminiscent of the miniature Stonehenge''" in the forest. The Veddahs in the area told him that it was "''the nittaewa altar''," but Ivan Mackerle later discovered that it had been built by Veddah monks.<ref name=":2">Mackerle, Ivan Potřeboval Nittaewo oltář? :: Ivan Mackerle mackerle.cz [Accessed 4 June 2019]</ref> |
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Dr. Salvador Martinez, Spanish anthropologist, claimed to have seen a Nittaewo in Sri Lanka in 1984, though he did not report the incident for many years. According to him, the Nittaewo had a human appearance; its body appeared covered with a coat of long hair, with signs of scabs in some areas. Martinez remembers that the Nittaewo began to emit unintelligible sounds before fleeing toward the denseness of the forest. However, people have said he was mistaken and it was simply a member of a local nomad tribe. |
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== Attestations == |
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In October 2004, the discovery of fossils of [[Homo floresiensis|a proposed new species of the genus ''Homo'']], on the Indonesian island of Flores, gave new weight to the possibility of small human or ape-like species living amongst us in recent times. |
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The last of the nittaewo were said to have been exterminated by the Veddahs of Leanama during the late 18th century, when they were rounded up into a cave, the entrance of which was then blocked up with brushwood which was set alight, suffocating the trapped nittaewo over three days. The cave's position was lost when the Veddahs of Leanama themselves became extinct just a few generations later. Bernard Heuvelmans estimated that the genocide took place in around 1800, whilst Ivan Mackerle estimates 1775.<ref name=":2" /> |
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The story of the extermination was first reported by explorer [[Hugh Nevill]] in 1887, who was told of it by a [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] hunter, who was himself told by an elderly Leanama Veddah, who ''himself'' had been told by a relative of his named Koraleya.<ref>Nevill, Hugh "The Nittaewo of Ceylon," ''The Taprobanian'' 1 #3 (February 1886)</ref> Despite being a fourth-hand account, the story was confirmed in 1915, when Frederick Lewis was given the same information by several informants in Uva and Punawa Pattu. According to an old Veddah named Dissam Hamy, the nittaewo were exterminated no more than five generations earlier than his visit—Dissam Hamy's grandfather had taken part in the genocide. Lewis made inquiries of other people in the village, and in another village, and was given the same story.<ref>Lewis, Frederick "Notes on Animal and Plant Life in the Vedda Country," ''Spolia Zeylanica'' 10 (1915)</ref><ref name=":0" /> |
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== Sightings == |
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=== 1963 === |
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In 1963, Sri Lankan army captain A. T. Rambukwelle led an expedition to the caves of Kudimbigala to search for evidence of the nittaewo. He discovered the shells of molluscs and vertebrae and shells of turtles, animals which the nittaewo were said to have fed on.<ref name=":2" /> |
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=== 1984 === |
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The first and so far only recorded sighting of the nittaewo since the 18th century supposedly occurred in 1984, when one was allegedly seen by the Spanish anthropologist Salvador Martinez. He claimed that the nittaewa he saw was human-like, with a coat of long hair with scabs, and emitted unintelligible sounds before fleeing into the forest. |
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=== 2019 === |
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In 2019, sightings re-surged again starting in several locations such as Walasmulla and Bambaragala and [[Anuradhapura]] which often caused panic in certain villages.<ref>{{Citation |title=Reports of more sightings of Nittaewo in Walasmulla - Hiru News |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZP-dd6cQsw |language=en |access-date=2022-11-21}}</ref> Villagers reported the creature to be totally black, gorilla faced and having long claws which was different from the Veddah descriptions, leading to the possibility of a fraud. |
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=== Theories === |
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=== Mistaken identity === |
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In 1945, noted primatologist [[William Charles Osman Hill|William C. Osman Hill]] made detailed examination of the nittaewo, and came up with several plausible identities. Some sort of Sri Lankan [[gibbon]] was regarded by both him and [[Bernard Heuvelmans]] as a fairly good candidate, as these animals do conform to the nittaewo's description in a number of ways. They are small, only around {{convert|3|ft|abbr=on}} when standing upright, live in troops, and are the only apes to habitually walk [[bipedally]]. Unlike many other apes, they will eat animals such as insects, birds, and eggs. Although a far cry from the savage nittaewa, which was said to disembowel people and kill crocodiles, Heuvelmans notes that the Veddahs may simply have "''blackened the character of the greatest enemy''".<ref name=":0" /> |
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However, one argument against this theory is the fact that, in India, gibbons—the Indian species are specifically [[hoolock gibbon]]s (''Hoolock'' spp.), the only modern ape known from India—are only found east of the [[Ganges]] and south of the [[Brahmaputra]]. They are not known from Sri Lanka, and Heuvelmans writes that it would be surprising to find them there. Gibbons also have famously long, bandy arms, unlike the short arms of the nittaewo.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Hugh Nevill wrote that one of his informants compared the nittaewa to an [[orangutan]]. Orangutans have sometimes been reported from mainland India, but Heuvelmans notes that this ape is too large, heavy, arboreal, vegetarian, and solitary to make a good nittaewa identity.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Another suggestion is that the nittaewo could have been bears, which are known to walk bipedally, and leave infamously human-like footprints. However, Sri Lanka's only known bear, the [[sloth bear]] (''Melursus ursinus''), although dangerous when disturbed and liable to inflict severe wounds with it hooked claws, is among the most quadrupedal of bears, only rarely walking upright. Its fur is also usually black, turning red on the surface only occasionally, and it is an insectivore, not a predator.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> |
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=== Unknown human race === |
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Another theory is that the nittaewo could have been a Sri Lankan population of [[Negritos]], a race native to the [[Philippines]] who are about {{convert|2|in|abbr=on}}<nowiki></nowiki> shorter on average than the Veddahs, who he suggests may have inhabited Sri Lanka before the arrival of the Veddahs. South and Southeast Asia were subject to a great number of racial migrations, with each new race displacing or pushing out the previous rulers, and it is possible that this is what happened with the nittaewo and the Veddahs. However, Heuvelmans concludes by writing that the Negritos "''do not look in the least like the description of the nittaewo''". Eberhart also records the theory that they may have been some unknown short-statured race of people, similar to the Negritos, the [[Semang]] of Malaysia, or the [[Andaman Islands|Andaman islanders]]. |
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=== Primitive hominoid === |
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Hill and Heuvelmans theorised that the nittaewo could have been a surviving ''[[Pithecanthropus]]'' (now ''[[Homo erectus]]''), which is known from Southeast Asia. According to Heuvelmans, ''Homo erectus'' no doubt once inhabited the rest of Asia before being pushed down into the Southeast by one of the waves of human invaders mentioned above. Before this decline, however, they might easily have reached Sri Lanka from India when the island was still connected to the mainland—which happened several times prior to 5000 B.C.—and survived until recent times. |
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Hill also wrote that the size of ''Homo erectus'' was consistent with the nittaewo, but this is untrue, as ''Homo erectus'' was much closer to a normal human height, creating a problem with the theory. However, Heuvelmans notes that, if they did reach Sri Lanka, they might well have developed into a pygmy race, as often happens with species isolated on islands. The ''Homo erectus'' theory was favoured by both Hill and Heuvelmans. |
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Captain A. T. Rambukwella also theorised that the nittaewo could be a Sri Lankan species of the African ''[[Australopithecus]]'', the females of which reached {{convert|4.3|ft|abbr=on}}<nowiki></nowiki>. |
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However, the discovery of remains of ''[[Homo floresiensis]]'' on the island of ''[[Flores]]'' in Indonesia in 2004 has also lead to the belief that they could even be a similar species existing in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-03-01 |title=Dagger-clawed little people |url=https://www.himalmag.com/dagger-clawed-little-people/ |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=Himal Southasian |language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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<references/> |
<references/> |
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| ⚫ | |||
== Further reading == |
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| ⚫ | |||
* Lewis Frederick Notes on an exploration in Eastern Uva and Southern Panama Pattu. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Ceylon. 1914 |
* Lewis Frederick Notes on an exploration in Eastern Uva and Southern Panama Pattu. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Ceylon. 1914 |
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* Nevill Hugh The Nittaewo of Ceylon. The Taprobanian. 1886 |
* Nevill Hugh The Nittaewo of Ceylon. The Taprobanian. 1886 |
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[[Category:Hominid cryptids]] |
[[Category:Hominid cryptids]] |
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[[Category:Sri Lankan legendary creatures]] |
[[Category:Sri Lankan legendary creatures]] |
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[[Category:Bigfoot]] |
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[[Category:Yeti]] |
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Latest revision as of 04:21, 1 November 2024
| Grouping | Cryptid |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Hominid |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Region | South Asia |
| Habitat | Rainforest |
Nittaewo (or Nittevo) were said to be a small tribe of small bigfoot or Yeti-like hominid cryptid native to Sri Lanka. No archeological evidence has been found to prove the existence of these humanoids, but they are ubiquitous in Veddha mythology and Sri Lankan folklore.
Etymology
[edit]Hugh Nevill explained that, "nittaewo" may be a derivative from "niṣāda", a term used by the Indo-Aryans to describe the more primitive tribes which inhabited India when the Indo-Aryans invaded.[1] The Sinhalese form of this word was "nigadiwa" or "nishadiwa," from which "nittaewo" may have derived.[2] A possible alternative etymology given by George Eberhart is "niya-atha" ("one who possesses nails").[2]
Description
[edit]The nittaewo were described as being even smaller than the diminutive Veddahs, only between 3 and 4 ft (0.91 and 1.22 m) in height, with the females being even shorter. They were covered in hair, which was often said to be reddish in colour, and were said to have very short, powerful arms with short, long-clawed hands. Unlike monkeys, they walked upright always and had no tails.[1]
The nittaewo lived in small parties, and slept in caves or among the branches of trees, in leaf-nests of their own design. They had a varied diet, eating whatever raw game they could catch, including squirrels, small deer, tortoises, lizards, and sometimes even crocodiles. They did not use tools, instead disembowelling their prey with their long claws or hooked nails, allowing them to feed on the entrails. They were said to have a sort of language of their own, a "sort of burbling, or birds' twittering," which a handful of Veddahs could understand. The Veddahs themselves were the enemies of the nittaewo, which had no defense against the Veddahs’ bows and arrows. It was said that whenever a nittaewa came across a sleeping Veddah, it would disembowel them with its claws.[1]
During an exploration of caves at Kudimbigala, army captain A. T. Rambukwelle discovered a stone building, "reminiscent of the miniature Stonehenge" in the forest. The Veddahs in the area told him that it was "the nittaewa altar," but Ivan Mackerle later discovered that it had been built by Veddah monks.[3]
Attestations
[edit]The last of the nittaewo were said to have been exterminated by the Veddahs of Leanama during the late 18th century, when they were rounded up into a cave, the entrance of which was then blocked up with brushwood which was set alight, suffocating the trapped nittaewo over three days. The cave's position was lost when the Veddahs of Leanama themselves became extinct just a few generations later. Bernard Heuvelmans estimated that the genocide took place in around 1800, whilst Ivan Mackerle estimates 1775.[3]
The story of the extermination was first reported by explorer Hugh Nevill in 1887, who was told of it by a Sinhalese hunter, who was himself told by an elderly Leanama Veddah, who himself had been told by a relative of his named Koraleya.[4] Despite being a fourth-hand account, the story was confirmed in 1915, when Frederick Lewis was given the same information by several informants in Uva and Punawa Pattu. According to an old Veddah named Dissam Hamy, the nittaewo were exterminated no more than five generations earlier than his visit—Dissam Hamy's grandfather had taken part in the genocide. Lewis made inquiries of other people in the village, and in another village, and was given the same story.[5][1]
Sightings
[edit]1963
[edit]In 1963, Sri Lankan army captain A. T. Rambukwelle led an expedition to the caves of Kudimbigala to search for evidence of the nittaewo. He discovered the shells of molluscs and vertebrae and shells of turtles, animals which the nittaewo were said to have fed on.[3]
1984
[edit]The first and so far only recorded sighting of the nittaewo since the 18th century supposedly occurred in 1984, when one was allegedly seen by the Spanish anthropologist Salvador Martinez. He claimed that the nittaewa he saw was human-like, with a coat of long hair with scabs, and emitted unintelligible sounds before fleeing into the forest.
2019
[edit]In 2019, sightings re-surged again starting in several locations such as Walasmulla and Bambaragala and Anuradhapura which often caused panic in certain villages.[6] Villagers reported the creature to be totally black, gorilla faced and having long claws which was different from the Veddah descriptions, leading to the possibility of a fraud.
Theories
[edit]Mistaken identity
[edit]In 1945, noted primatologist William C. Osman Hill made detailed examination of the nittaewo, and came up with several plausible identities. Some sort of Sri Lankan gibbon was regarded by both him and Bernard Heuvelmans as a fairly good candidate, as these animals do conform to the nittaewo's description in a number of ways. They are small, only around 3 ft (0.91 m) when standing upright, live in troops, and are the only apes to habitually walk bipedally. Unlike many other apes, they will eat animals such as insects, birds, and eggs. Although a far cry from the savage nittaewa, which was said to disembowel people and kill crocodiles, Heuvelmans notes that the Veddahs may simply have "blackened the character of the greatest enemy".[1]
However, one argument against this theory is the fact that, in India, gibbons—the Indian species are specifically hoolock gibbons (Hoolock spp.), the only modern ape known from India—are only found east of the Ganges and south of the Brahmaputra. They are not known from Sri Lanka, and Heuvelmans writes that it would be surprising to find them there. Gibbons also have famously long, bandy arms, unlike the short arms of the nittaewo.[1]
Hugh Nevill wrote that one of his informants compared the nittaewa to an orangutan. Orangutans have sometimes been reported from mainland India, but Heuvelmans notes that this ape is too large, heavy, arboreal, vegetarian, and solitary to make a good nittaewa identity.[1]
Another suggestion is that the nittaewo could have been bears, which are known to walk bipedally, and leave infamously human-like footprints. However, Sri Lanka's only known bear, the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), although dangerous when disturbed and liable to inflict severe wounds with it hooked claws, is among the most quadrupedal of bears, only rarely walking upright. Its fur is also usually black, turning red on the surface only occasionally, and it is an insectivore, not a predator.[2][1]
Unknown human race
[edit]Another theory is that the nittaewo could have been a Sri Lankan population of Negritos, a race native to the Philippines who are about 2 in (51 mm) shorter on average than the Veddahs, who he suggests may have inhabited Sri Lanka before the arrival of the Veddahs. South and Southeast Asia were subject to a great number of racial migrations, with each new race displacing or pushing out the previous rulers, and it is possible that this is what happened with the nittaewo and the Veddahs. However, Heuvelmans concludes by writing that the Negritos "do not look in the least like the description of the nittaewo". Eberhart also records the theory that they may have been some unknown short-statured race of people, similar to the Negritos, the Semang of Malaysia, or the Andaman islanders.
Primitive hominoid
[edit]Hill and Heuvelmans theorised that the nittaewo could have been a surviving Pithecanthropus (now Homo erectus), which is known from Southeast Asia. According to Heuvelmans, Homo erectus no doubt once inhabited the rest of Asia before being pushed down into the Southeast by one of the waves of human invaders mentioned above. Before this decline, however, they might easily have reached Sri Lanka from India when the island was still connected to the mainland—which happened several times prior to 5000 B.C.—and survived until recent times.
Hill also wrote that the size of Homo erectus was consistent with the nittaewo, but this is untrue, as Homo erectus was much closer to a normal human height, creating a problem with the theory. However, Heuvelmans notes that, if they did reach Sri Lanka, they might well have developed into a pygmy race, as often happens with species isolated on islands. The Homo erectus theory was favoured by both Hill and Heuvelmans.
Captain A. T. Rambukwella also theorised that the nittaewo could be a Sri Lankan species of the African Australopithecus, the females of which reached 4.3 ft (1.3 m).
However, the discovery of remains of Homo floresiensis on the island of Flores in Indonesia in 2004 has also lead to the belief that they could even be a similar species existing in Sri Lanka.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Heuvelmans, Bernard (1955) On the Track of Unknown Animals, Routledge, ISBN 978-1138977525
- ^ a b c Eberhart, George M. (2002) Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology ABC-CLIO, Inc. ISBN 1-57607-283-5
- ^ a b c Mackerle, Ivan Potřeboval Nittaewo oltář? :: Ivan Mackerle mackerle.cz [Accessed 4 June 2019]
- ^ Nevill, Hugh "The Nittaewo of Ceylon," The Taprobanian 1 #3 (February 1886)
- ^ Lewis, Frederick "Notes on Animal and Plant Life in the Vedda Country," Spolia Zeylanica 10 (1915)
- ^ Reports of more sightings of Nittaewo in Walasmulla - Hiru News, retrieved 2022-11-21
- ^ "Dagger-clawed little people". Himal Southasian. 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
Further reading
[edit]- Hill, W. C. Osman (1945). Nittaewo, an Unsolved Problem of Ceylon. Colombo: Loris. pp. 4, 251–62.
- Lewis Frederick Notes on an exploration in Eastern Uva and Southern Panama Pattu. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Ceylon. 1914
- Nevill Hugh The Nittaewo of Ceylon. The Taprobanian. 1886
- Rambukwella Captain A.T. The Nittaewo - The Legendary Pygmies of Ceylon. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Ceylon.1963