摘要：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.
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