INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE FOR SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES: REFLECTIONS ON THE FOLKLORIC FORMS OF TEYYAM AND TOLU BOMMALATA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i2CDSDAD.2023.570Keywords:
Folklore, Folk-arts, Sustainability, Indigenous knowledge Systems, Cultural LandscapeAbstract [English]
The inclusion of culture as the fourth dimension of the sustainable development model projected by UCLG (2010) affirmed that heritage, knowledge, creativity, and aesthetics are essential grounds for developing a holistic vision towards sustainability. Folklore as a significant aspect of human cognition, way of life and world view not only demonstrates the complex layers of human existence through generations but also paves the way for a sustainable future through its cultural dimensions, social functions, and ecological lessons. The current research examines how two unrelated folkloric forms from distinct geographic regions emerge as exemplars of sustainable values embedded within the community. Focusing on the ritualistic performance of Teyyam from Kolathunadu and the folk-art form called Tolu Bommalata from Nimmalakunta region, it argues on the inextricable association of indigenous knowledge systems with its natural and cultural landscape thereby demonstrating the case of a sustainable model. A cultic practice prevalent in the cultural region of Kolathunadu, Teyyam advocates a strong association with the tribal culture of the land in terms of its environmental, social, and cultural values. Tolu Bommalata of Nimmalakunta region, renowned for its distinct cultural expression of storytelling and entertainment is a living folk tradition of shadow puppetry that combines the elements of performing as well as visual arts. The research through a qualitative perspective focuses on ethnographic methods backed by the documentation and analysis of the tangible aspects of folklore. Apart from the reflections on the cultural plurality of Indian folklore and crafts, the study reveals its co-existence with the landscape embodying the environmental, social, and cultural values thereby demonstrating a sustainable model in Indian folklore.
Downloads
References
Anilkumar, V. (2021). Ekarnna Mala Pole Padarnna Valli Pole. Trivandrum: Chintha Publishers.
Dorson, R. M. (1972). Folklore and Folklife An Introduction. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Dundes, A. (1965). What is Folklore ? In A. Dundes (Ed.), The Study of Folklore, 1-3. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs.
Freeman, J. R. (1991). Purity and Violence: Sacred Power in the Teyyam Worship of Malabar. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Pennsylvania.
Ganesh, K. (1997). Keralathinte Innalekal. Thiruvananthapuram: Department of Cultural Publications Government of Kerala.
Gurukkal, R. (1989). Forms of Production and Forces of Change in Ancient Tamil Society. Studies in History, 5(2), 159-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/025764308900500201. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/025764308900500201
Handoo, J. (1989). Folklore: An Introduction. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages.
K, B. N. (2018). Our Traditional Leather Shadow Puppeteers - Leather Shadow Puppeteers in South India. Saradhi.
Kamat, K. (1999). Leather Puppets of India.
Karippathu, D. R. (2012). Theyya Prapancham. Kannur: Kairali Books.
Kent, C. R. (1993). Folklore and the Sense of Place. In Mapping the Invisible Landscape: Folklore, Writing, and the Sense of Place, 53-96. University of Iowa Press: University of Iowa Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1499453
Komath, R. (2013). Political Economy of the Theyyam - A Study of the Time-Space Homology; Unpublished PhD Thesis. Kottayam: Mahatma Gandhi University.
Menon, D. M. (1993). The Moral Community of Teyyattam: Popular Culture in Late Colonial Malabar. Studies in History, 9(2), 188-217. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/025764309300900203
Nair, C. T. (1979). Keralabasha Ganangal Part 1 (Malayalam). Thrissur: Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
Namboothiri, M. V. (1981). Thottampattukal. Kottayam: Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-Operative Society Ltd.
Namboothiri, M. V. (1990). Thottam Pattukal Oru Padanam (Malayalam). Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
Namboothiri, M. V. (1997). Kathivanoor Veeran Thottam Oru Veerapuravrutham. Chintha Publications.
Payyanad, R. (1999). Evolution of Folklore Studies. In R. Payyanad (Ed.), Ideology Politics and Folklore, 21-43. Payyanur: Folklore Fellows of Malabar (Trust).
Pereira, F. (2020). A Post-Colonial Instance in Globalized North Malabar: Is Teyyam an "Art Form"? Asian Anthropology, 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1683478X.2020.1765465
Raju, B. (1978). Folklore of Andhra Pradesh. National Book Trust.
Sauer, C. O. (1925). The Morphology of Landscape (Reprint ed.). University of California Press.
Sauer, C. O. (1941). Foreword to Historical Geography. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 31(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.2307/2560961. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00045604109357211
Sharma, M. (1985). Tolu Bommalata - The Shadow Puppet Theatre of Andhra Pradesh. Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Sharma, M. N. (1990). The Shadow Puppet Theatre of Andhra Pradesh. Journal of Sangeet Natak Akademi, 15-28.
Singh, R. P. (2011). Heritagescapes and Cultural Landscapes. Gurgaon: Shubhi Publications.
Sinha, A. (2009). Natural Heritage and Cultural Landscapes Understanding Indic Values. Journal of the Development and Research Organisation for Nature, Arts and Heritage, 4(1), 23-28.
Sinha, A. (2011). Landscapes in India: Forms and Meanings. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services.
Somanatha, P. (1200). Panditharadhya Charitamu.
Sundar, S. (2020). Comic Relief, Tholu Bommalata.
Thakur, N. (2011). Indian Cultural Landscapes : Religious Pluralism, Tolerance and Ground Reality. (V. Kawathekar, Ed.), Journal of SPA New Dimensions in Research of Environments for Living "The Sacred" (3), 67-72.
Thakur, N. (2012). The Indian Cultural Landscape : Protecting and Managing the Physical to the Metaphysical Values. In K. Taylor, & J. L. Lennon (Eds.), Managing Cultural Landscapes, 154-172. New York: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203128190-17
Turner, V. (1969). The Ritual Process: Structure and Antistructure.
UNESCO. (n.d.). United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved From 2018, March 07.
Vadakkiniyil, D. (2014). Anushtanam Kaalam Samoo ham (Malayalam). Kottayam: Sahitya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society Ltd.
Vidyarthi, L. (1963). The Maler: A Study in Nature-Man Spirit Complex of a Hill Tribe in Bihar. Calcutta: Bookland Private Ltd.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Anjali C, Lingala Siva Deepti Reddy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.