'Nae Yakkun Nateema' :

Magic in the Night

by Husna Inayathullah

You can call is a cultural event, a pooja or a devil dance. But to the Vedda population in Sri Lanka ‘Nae Yakkun (relative spirit) Nateema is a deeply poignant ritual invoking the spirit of the dead relatives to save the life of a loved one suffering from a serious ailment.

 At least in this instance it was, when a significant portion of the Vedda population in Dambana gathered to perform the ancient ritual to invoke the blessings of the dead relatives to cure the ailing youngest son of their leader, Vishwakeerthi Wanaspathi Uruwarige Wannila Aththo.

Though disease and death are no strangers to the indigenous community, treating the sick often includes worshipping and making incantations to their Nae Yakkas, followed by other customary rituals, which have endured despite the many changes the community has undergone. The rituals are based on the belief that disease and calamity are brought forth by the unhappy spirit and the only way to avert this is to invoke their blessings of the Nae Yakka and other spirits.

Deeply arcane, ‘Nae Yakkun Nateema is a midnight ceremony where the rhythm of the drums, and the smoke and shadows cast by the hand made torches contribute to the aura of magic and mystery and dark thoughts. The ritual is conducted mainly to cure illnesses, with the patient propped on a low seat in a corner.

As with other communities modern and traditional, the Veddas too use medicinal remedies as a first line of cure. However, they fall back on the ancient rituals when pills and poultices fail, taking the patient to the Gurunnanseya, (the healer) who lives in the middle of the forest. He then gives a ‘nimiththa’ (auspicious time) determining the date and time to conduct the ritual.

The Veddas then make the ‘yakuma’ for the pooja, bringing in logs and barks of trees from the forest. They also collect Nathu, Damba and Andu leaves, and bring them to the destination under a blanket of smoke, ensuring not a speck of dust mars their purity. The leaves are then placed on the ‘yakuma’ leading to the ‘yakubandima’ which requires the blessings of the gods and the leader.

Before they start the ritual, the ‘Gale Nayyaka’ who lives in the mountains is invited, and his forgiveness sought for previous sins committed by the community.

Magical and mystical the ritual follows a script, which almost seems like a ghost buster fantasy, for next in the carefully crafted ritual is the ‘adukku mutti’ (set of pots) for the seven devils whose blessing are invoked. The contents in each of the pot varies according to individual desires, are prepared separately and include such stuff as kevum, coconut rings, betel leaves, coins, bead chains and handkerchiefs.

The Veddas believe the ritual will not only cure illnesses but also bless them in their hunting endeavours. The first ‘mutti’ is given to the biggest devil, who is the ‘Indikoile yakko or Indikoile kiri amma’, the second to ‘Kanda yakka’. Others in the list include ‘Wanni Bandara Deviyo’, ‘Sambali amma’, ‘Kukulapola Kiri amma’, ‘Gale hela nae yyakun’ and ‘Malagiya naya’.

The command for the dance is given by the Gurunnanse, which sees the dancers swirling to the beats until they become unconscious. This is the omen everyone is waiting for, as it means the spirits making the person ill have left and now entered the bodies of the dancers. Soon after the dancers faint they give the pirith to the patient and wish him good health, bringing an end to the ritual with the blessing of the Vedda Chief.

This usually happens at midnight when the adukku muttis of the devils are placed on a pestle.

The Nae Yyakun Nateema is not just a charade or interval designed to entertain but is a carefully crafted ritual with a history reaching far back into Sri Lanka's pre-Buddhist past. It combines ancient Ayurvedic concepts of disease causation with deft psychological manipulation. Lasting up to twelve hours, it mixes raucous humour with deep-rooted fears to create a healing catharsis for both patient and community. The Nae Yakkun Nateema is significant in the world culture because it depicts how the ancient fables of the devil are still being performed even today.

In Sinhalese belief, diseases are either caused by the natural or the supernatural. In the case of the natural, traditional Ayurvedic or medical avenues are pursued. In the case of the supernatural or where the other systems fail, they have traditionally turned to the edura for aid through such rituals as the Nae Yakkun Nateema.

However, it is the cause rather than the symptom that must be addressed. In the case of the supernatural it is the ‘ yakku’ demons who are the cause. These disease-afflicting demons are known as the ‘sanni yakku’. They are a group of demons who in past battles with the Buddha were ultimately banished from earth. Living under the loose control of their King Vesamuni, the yakku are unable to appear physically upon the earth but retain the power to afflict and through the influence of the Buddha to heal.