Human remains in Sri Lanka dating from as early as 18,000 BCE show a genetic continuum from the prehistoric hunter-gatherers of the island to the present-day Veddas, or Beddahs, more properly known as the Wanniyala-Aetto, or "forest people."

DNA studies suggest that Wanniyala-Aetto may have been the ancestors of most Sinhalese before the arrival of the Indo-Aryans from North India.

According to both Sinhala and Vedda lore, the two races shared a few common ancestors.