Kaniyan: Ritual Performers of Tamil Nadu, South India

Abstract

The Kaniyan are a tribal community residing in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, South India. Men from this community are known traditionally as experts in koothu, which consists of music, dance, singing, and narration. They perform koothu in the annual celebration to worship Sudalai-a folk deity celebrated by the non-tribal communities-in order to invoke the spirit of the deity. Men from the Kaniyan community also work as shamans in the worship of Sudalai. The shaman performs the core rituals of kaivettu (blood sacrifice by tearing his hand), theralai koduthal (offering food mixed with blood at the graveyard), kaapu kathuthal (wearing a sacred cord), and vetaiku pothal ("hunting" at the graveyard). All these rituals are enactments of myth and are still performed in this region. This article documents the origin myths of Sudalai and the Kaniyan community, and the role the community plays in Sudalai worship. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]