Sri Lanka is an island
nation that lies off the southern tip of India. The
island is characterized by lowlands around its periphery
and mountains near its center. It is a tropical land
that is associated bio-geographically with the Indian
subcontinent. Indeed, a land bridge connected Sri Lanka
to the Asian mainland as recently as 10,000 years ago.
It is therefore not surprising that one finds most of
the same species of wildlife in Sri Lanka as in southern
India.
photo M. Noonan
The
human population of Sri Lanka is now 20 million, with an
economy focused primarily on rubber, tea, coconuts,
clothing, spices, eggs, and beef. The Gross Domestic
Product in 2003 was 48 billion US dollars. Urban
settlements and cultivated fields dominate the
landscape, but areas of lush tropical forests are also
quite widespread and are interspersed among the human
settlements throughout the nation.
photo M. Noonan
The
culture of the majority Sinhalese is vibrant. The
influence of Buddhism, the predominant religion, is
apparent in most aspects of daily Sinhala life. Their
form of Buddhism follows the teachings of the
enlightened Indian prince Siddartha Gautama who first
came to the Sri Lanka in the city of Anaradhapura. In
this ancient city, the Sri Maha Bodhi tree is purported
to have been planted from a cutting of the Bo tree under
which Buddha himself meditated when he was enlightened.
photo M. Noonan
Buddhist devotees seek to follow a middle path between
excessive desire and excessive suffering. They pursue
this through wisdom, morality, and meditation.
Buddhism preaches equality of spirit and is one of the
few major religions that promotes gender equity. In
addition, learning is very important in Buddhism.
Beginning in the third century BCE, free education was
offered in any Sri Lankan Buddhist monastery, and a
tradition of widespread education has been a cultural
characteristic ever since. After WWII, education became
governed by the state, and kindergarten through
university grades are now offered free to all citizens.
Sri Lanka has a remarkably high literacy rate, at almost
93% of all adults.
photo M. Noonan
The
North is the cultural heartland of the Tamils, who are
Hindu by religion, and who make up eighteen percent of
the population. Culturally, this area is closely tied
to southern India, from which the Tamils originally
immigrated. An additional nine percent of the
population is Muslim, and a small percentage are
Christians. To the north are the Veddahs, or people of
the forest, who also comprise a small percentage of the
overall population. They are hunters and gatherers that
live in the Kele-Weddo jungle between the Sinhalese and
Tamil regions.
The
legendary past of Sri Lanka differs for each religion.
Buddhists claim that Sri Lanka was halfway to paradise,
and that Buddha stepped on Mount Sri Pada to get there.
Christians call this same mountain Adam’s Peak, for they
claim that Adam once stood there to look back on the
Garden of Eden. The Hindus believe that their mythical
hero, Rama, skipped across Sri Lanka’s islands to India
to rescue his wife, Sita, from her abductees in the epic
tale Ramayana. Scientifically, it is believed that the
Sinhalese arrived in the fifth or sixth century BCE to
replace, by conquest, the Veddahs that previously lived
there.
However, to the average Sri Lankan, past religious
history and modern ethnic rivalries have very little
impact on their daily lives. People of all ethnicities
share communities, schools, and even marriages. As a
result, the visitor to Sri Lanka in modern times has the
opportunity to observe a rich, vibrant blend of cultures
that embraces the true uniqueness of this remarkable
country.
photo M. Noonan
photo M. Noonan
The Hindu God Ganesha
The
elephant has also been a recurring symbol in the two
main religions of Sri Lanka. For the Sinhalese
followers of Buddhism, they believe that Buddha’s mother
saw a white elephant in a dream just before his birth.
In the capital city of Kandy, the greatest elephant in
the country carries a casket containing Buddha’s tooth
through the streets every year. For the Tamil
followers of Hinduism, Ganesha, the elephant god, is
known as the "remover of obstacles". It is one of five
main deities, representing success, education, wisdom,
and wealth.
In a
world of rapidly vanishing wild spaces, the process of
preserving the Asian elephant in Sri Lanka has been
truly amazing. The Sri Lankan people have
unquestionably entered the modernized world in every
respect. Yet they have still maintained the natural
resources necessary for the survival of their native
wildlife. Among the very many amazing species that
inhabit the island, the Asian Elephant is certainly the
most visible.
photo M. Noonan
For
thousands of years, elephants have played a crucial role
in support of Sri Lankan agrarian life. Its immense
strength has lent itself easily to work in the fields
and forests. Now, as the role of the elephant in daily
life becomes less and less important, it has become the
Sri Lankans’ turn to support the elephants through
conservation efforts.
Today,
the working elephant has been mostly replaced by trucks
and farming equipment in Sri Lankan life. Now, the
elephant is beginning to play a key role in the tourism
industry, drawing nature conservationists and cultural
tourists from around the world. Although it is no
longer necessary for survival by the people of Sri
Lanka, it will certainly continue to play a key role in
the rich cultural heritage that is being passed on to
future generations.
photo M. Noonan
Sri Lanka roadside sign says "Protect our wildlife
resources with love care"