S Simon John | Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar (original) (raw)
Papers by S Simon John
Myths and rituals are the primary elements of folk religious practices that play a significant ro... more Myths and rituals are the primary elements of folk religious practices that play a significant role in traditional bound societies. Myth often narrated through the medium of performing folk art forms in order to invoke the spirit of Gods and Goddesses, and enacted in rituals. This paper intends to document the origin myth and rituals of Muthu Pattan-a male folk deity existing in the southern region of Tamil Nadu. The author has tried to explore how the myth formed the rituals and ritualized in a particular socio-cultural context.
Antrocom, 2023
One of the most fertile areas of modern cultural research is the study of Rituals performed by i... more One of the most fertile areas of modern cultural research is the study of Rituals performed
by indigenous communities. Rituals maintain and preserve the cultural identity of a society,
especially, in preliterate oral tribal societies of the world. In such communities, Agriculture
and Religion are intrinsically linked to the socio-religious sphere of their life. Their survival is
solely based on human-nature dynamics. Such communities practice nature-worshipping and
believe in the interconnectivity of the physical and supernatural worlds. Hence, they perform
many rituals to appease the malevolent and to express gratitude to benevolent supernatural
beings, deities, and spirits. Tangams are one such animist community that is the least
populated and lesser-known ethnolinguistic group of Arunachal Pradesh. Their everyday life
is based on the performance of several rites and rituals. These ritual performances are part of
their cultural heritage. However, such practices are slowly in decline due to various internal
and external factors. Therefore, this paper is a descriptive attempt to document, elucidate,
preserve, and disseminate the dying Maye ritual practice and its associated belief systems
The Oriental Anthropologist: A Bi-annual International Journal of the Science of Man
Proverb, the shortest form of cultural expression and wisdom tradition, plays a significant role ... more Proverb, the shortest form of cultural expression and wisdom tradition, plays a significant role in most of the traditional societies. Exploring proverbs in a particular socio- cultural context is the gateway to understand the perceptions of people in a given society. This paper in an attempt to analyze certain proverbs that are collected through fieldwork in Tirunelveli region of Tamil Nadu and tries to find out how proverbs reflects the human relationship: between castes, and between men and women in a given society.
Dera Natung Government College Research Journal
The current study reports on the indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and practises of the Adis in... more The current study reports on the indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and practises of the Adis in two villages of the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Extensive personal interviews, concrete case studies, and participant observation were used to collect data in the year 2021. Herbal medicine, as well as magico–religious–spiritual practises, are part of the Adi ethnomedicinal system. A variety of medicinal plants grown locally are used to treat a wide range of ailments. The use of more than one medicinal plant species for remedy preparations is more common than the use of a single species. Plant species are identified using relevant and standard literature and presented with their scientific names, family names, English and vernacular names, part or parts used, and modes of administration in the target disease. The current study was carried out to better understand floral resources, as well as their use as ethnomedicine by the Adis in their indigenous knowledge system.
Dera Natung Government College Research Journal, 2021
The current study reports on the indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and practises of the Adis in... more The current study reports on the indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and practises of the Adis in two villages of the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Extensive personal interviews, concrete case studies, and participant observation were used to collect data in the year 2021. Herbal medicine, as well as magico-religious-spiritual practises, are part of the Adi ethnomedicinal system. A variety of medicinal plants grown locally are used to treat a wide range of ailments. The use of more than one medicinal plant species for remedy preparations is more common than the use of a single species. Plant species are identified using relevant and standard literature and presented with their scientific names, family names, English and vernacular names, part or parts used, and modes of administration in the target disease. The current study was carried out to better understand floral resources, as well as their use as ethnomedicine by the Adis in their indigenous knowledge system.
ASIA, 2021
Folk deities and associated narratives, beliefs, customs, performances, ritual practices, structu... more Folk deities and associated narratives, beliefs, customs, performances, ritual practices, structures of deities etc are orally transmitted from generation to generation among members of traditional societies, and these play a very significant role in the formation of social identity. Research on folk religious practices is vital in order to understand the cultural behaviour of a people and their world view. There are hundreds of folk deities in Tamil Nadu and each folk deity and their associated narratives and practices needs in-depth research and documentation for holistic understanding. However, this paper is an attempt to disseminate some glimpses from my past documentation on folk religious practices of Tamil Nadu, India through a visual presentation. Folk deities and associated cultural practices occupy a significant place in the intangible cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu. No visitor to the region can fail to notice the huge human structures together with terracotta horses and elephants, granite stones with a sharp tip like a spear head adorned with green or yellow or red cloth, numberless truncated, often shapeless, obelisks of brick or plastered mud, which are to be seen almost everywhere on the roadside, on waste grounds, cremation grounds, on mounds standing dry above the paddy fields, in the village lanes and even in the backyards of inhabited houses. These are the symbols of folk deities in Tamil Nadu. Often these deities appear in groups or clusters of groups; they are placed as a rule on a pedestal cut into two or three steps. A ferocious human figure may
Worshipping of Demon plays a significant role in the folk religious practices of Tamil Nadu, Sout... more Worshipping of Demon plays a significant role in the folk religious practices of Tamil Nadu, South India. Sudalai-a male folk deity is considered as a chief of all evil spirits by the people in that region and hundreds of temples for Sudalai exist in the southern region of Tamil Nadu. Several rituals, beliefs, customs, oral narratives etc are associated with this religious practice and an annual worshipping festival is celebrated in order to appease the malevolent deity. This descriptive paper is an attempt to document the living folk tradition associated with Sudalai through fieldwork in the natural context in order to understand how oral myths form the rituals and in what way myths are ritualized.
Folk craft is one of the significant areas in the study of material culture. It is social rather ... more Folk craft is one of the significant areas in the study of material culture. It is social rather than individual. The traditional craftsmen serve the purpose of fulfilling some of the socio-cultural needs of the society and they are generally identified by their traditional occupation. The paper gives attention on three traditional folk crafts, i.e. earthenware by Kullalar, grass mat weaving by muslim Labbai and basketry by Malai Kuravar community. It documents the traditional techniques of crafting and analyses the role of crafts and craftsmen in socio-cultural context and the changing scenario of folk craft in contemporary context.
The Oriental Anthropologist: A Bi-annual International Journal of the Science of Man, 2018
Caste and the categories of caste play a vital role in the Indian socio-cultural system. Though t... more Caste and the categories of caste play a vital role in the Indian socio-cultural system. Though the identity of caste is 'ascribed' in nahtre, the administrative categories are 'political', 'flexible' and 'achieved'. A caste wlzich has multiple nomenclahtres, and domiciled in different regions may be placed under different administrative categories. T11ese categories also change based on the religious affiliations of individual members. Therefore the issue of identihJ and social status within the same caste group occurs and creates disputes from time to time. This paper is an attempt to study these issues with special reference to the Kuravans domiciled in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and tries to understand the relationship among the Kuravans domiciled in different regions.
Paragrana, 2009
The socio-cultural construction of human body differs from the biological construction, and the b... more The socio-cultural construction of human body differs from the biological construction, and the body is seen as an existential basis of human interaction within given social, cultural, political and environmental conditions. Human body is not only an organic object but also a cultural object and it is constantly being altered by natural and cultural process. Every folk society has its own traditional understanding of the concepts of 'body′, 'self′, 'soul′ and 'agency′ and several rituals are performed in order to heal, purify and transform the body. Rituals are one mode of cultural praxis through which bodies, knowledge, powers, agency and selves have been repositioned through practice. This study is an effort to understand the socio- cultural construction of human body with special reference to 'rituals′ that are performed in folk religious practices in Tamil Nadu, South India. How human body is culturally professed, purified, transformed and healed through ritu...
Sociology Mind, 2016
Ballads have evolved a long way since the beginning of story-telling among humans. Love-themed ba... more Ballads have evolved a long way since the beginning of story-telling among humans. Love-themed ballads were not confined to the romantic poets of England alone but were composed and narrated in hidden hamlets in every corner of the world. The "Papiñ-Pame Biisi" is one such ballad popular in the Ziro valley, Arunachal Pradesh, India. In this paper, the epitome of love, the rites of passage and the general life and culture of the Apatani society during the early time are analyzed.
The Oriental Anthropologist: A Bi-annual International Journal of the Science of Man
Asian Ethnology, 2008
... The other refers to a deity, also known as Sudalai Madan or Sudalai Madasamy, whose sanctuary... more ... The other refers to a deity, also known as Sudalai Madan or Sudalai Madasamy, whose sanctuary is usually ... Murugan Kaniyan Male 67 Ritual performer Muneerpallam village, Tirunelveli district ... Arumuga Perumal 1977 Sudalai Madasami kathai [A tale of Sudalai Madasami]. ...
Asian Ethnology, 2008
The Kaniyan are a tribal community residing in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, South Indi... more 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.
Folk craft is one of the significant areas in the study of material culture. It is social rather ... more Folk craft is one of the significant areas in the study of material culture. It is social rather than individual. The traditional craftsmen serve the purpose of fulfilling some of the socio-cultural needs of the society and they are generally identified by their traditional occupation. The paper gives attention on three traditional folk crafts, i.e. earthenware by Kullalar, grass mat weaving by muslim Labbai and basketry by Malai Kuravar community. It documents the traditional techniques of crafting and analyses the role of crafts and craftsmen in socio-cultural context and the changing scenario of folk craft in contemporary context.
Asia, Society, Economy and Culture, Vol7, Higashiosaka College, Japan, 2020
Rituals are symbolic in nature and it is related to tradition, supernatural spirits, belief syste... more Rituals are symbolic in nature and it is related to tradition, supernatural spirits, belief systems, life cycle ceremonies, festivals, narratives, agriculture and healing. Many healing practices are performed in the form of ritual celebrations among the traditional societies and the shaman plays a signifi cant role in it. He acts as a ritual master, diagnoser, councilor and healer. Murung is one of the major ritual celebrations among the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh and the
primary function of this ritual celebration is to appease the supernatural spirits in order to get good health, wealth and prosperity. This paper documents the various components of Murung ritual celebration and tries to understand how it serves as a medium of healing, brings social
status to the performer and it’s inter relation with other narratives and rituals.
Myths and rituals are the primary elements of folk religious practices that play a significant ro... more Myths and rituals are the primary elements of folk religious practices that play a significant role in traditional bound societies. Myth often narrated through the medium of performing folk art forms in order to invoke the spirit of Gods and Goddesses, and enacted in rituals. This paper intends to document the origin myth and rituals of Muthu Pattan-a male folk deity existing in the southern region of Tamil Nadu. The author has tried to explore how the myth formed the rituals and ritualized in a particular socio-cultural context.
Antrocom, 2023
One of the most fertile areas of modern cultural research is the study of Rituals performed by i... more One of the most fertile areas of modern cultural research is the study of Rituals performed
by indigenous communities. Rituals maintain and preserve the cultural identity of a society,
especially, in preliterate oral tribal societies of the world. In such communities, Agriculture
and Religion are intrinsically linked to the socio-religious sphere of their life. Their survival is
solely based on human-nature dynamics. Such communities practice nature-worshipping and
believe in the interconnectivity of the physical and supernatural worlds. Hence, they perform
many rituals to appease the malevolent and to express gratitude to benevolent supernatural
beings, deities, and spirits. Tangams are one such animist community that is the least
populated and lesser-known ethnolinguistic group of Arunachal Pradesh. Their everyday life
is based on the performance of several rites and rituals. These ritual performances are part of
their cultural heritage. However, such practices are slowly in decline due to various internal
and external factors. Therefore, this paper is a descriptive attempt to document, elucidate,
preserve, and disseminate the dying Maye ritual practice and its associated belief systems
The Oriental Anthropologist: A Bi-annual International Journal of the Science of Man
Proverb, the shortest form of cultural expression and wisdom tradition, plays a significant role ... more Proverb, the shortest form of cultural expression and wisdom tradition, plays a significant role in most of the traditional societies. Exploring proverbs in a particular socio- cultural context is the gateway to understand the perceptions of people in a given society. This paper in an attempt to analyze certain proverbs that are collected through fieldwork in Tirunelveli region of Tamil Nadu and tries to find out how proverbs reflects the human relationship: between castes, and between men and women in a given society.
Dera Natung Government College Research Journal
The current study reports on the indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and practises of the Adis in... more The current study reports on the indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and practises of the Adis in two villages of the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Extensive personal interviews, concrete case studies, and participant observation were used to collect data in the year 2021. Herbal medicine, as well as magico–religious–spiritual practises, are part of the Adi ethnomedicinal system. A variety of medicinal plants grown locally are used to treat a wide range of ailments. The use of more than one medicinal plant species for remedy preparations is more common than the use of a single species. Plant species are identified using relevant and standard literature and presented with their scientific names, family names, English and vernacular names, part or parts used, and modes of administration in the target disease. The current study was carried out to better understand floral resources, as well as their use as ethnomedicine by the Adis in their indigenous knowledge system.
Dera Natung Government College Research Journal, 2021
The current study reports on the indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and practises of the Adis in... more The current study reports on the indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge and practises of the Adis in two villages of the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Extensive personal interviews, concrete case studies, and participant observation were used to collect data in the year 2021. Herbal medicine, as well as magico-religious-spiritual practises, are part of the Adi ethnomedicinal system. A variety of medicinal plants grown locally are used to treat a wide range of ailments. The use of more than one medicinal plant species for remedy preparations is more common than the use of a single species. Plant species are identified using relevant and standard literature and presented with their scientific names, family names, English and vernacular names, part or parts used, and modes of administration in the target disease. The current study was carried out to better understand floral resources, as well as their use as ethnomedicine by the Adis in their indigenous knowledge system.
ASIA, 2021
Folk deities and associated narratives, beliefs, customs, performances, ritual practices, structu... more Folk deities and associated narratives, beliefs, customs, performances, ritual practices, structures of deities etc are orally transmitted from generation to generation among members of traditional societies, and these play a very significant role in the formation of social identity. Research on folk religious practices is vital in order to understand the cultural behaviour of a people and their world view. There are hundreds of folk deities in Tamil Nadu and each folk deity and their associated narratives and practices needs in-depth research and documentation for holistic understanding. However, this paper is an attempt to disseminate some glimpses from my past documentation on folk religious practices of Tamil Nadu, India through a visual presentation. Folk deities and associated cultural practices occupy a significant place in the intangible cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu. No visitor to the region can fail to notice the huge human structures together with terracotta horses and elephants, granite stones with a sharp tip like a spear head adorned with green or yellow or red cloth, numberless truncated, often shapeless, obelisks of brick or plastered mud, which are to be seen almost everywhere on the roadside, on waste grounds, cremation grounds, on mounds standing dry above the paddy fields, in the village lanes and even in the backyards of inhabited houses. These are the symbols of folk deities in Tamil Nadu. Often these deities appear in groups or clusters of groups; they are placed as a rule on a pedestal cut into two or three steps. A ferocious human figure may
Worshipping of Demon plays a significant role in the folk religious practices of Tamil Nadu, Sout... more Worshipping of Demon plays a significant role in the folk religious practices of Tamil Nadu, South India. Sudalai-a male folk deity is considered as a chief of all evil spirits by the people in that region and hundreds of temples for Sudalai exist in the southern region of Tamil Nadu. Several rituals, beliefs, customs, oral narratives etc are associated with this religious practice and an annual worshipping festival is celebrated in order to appease the malevolent deity. This descriptive paper is an attempt to document the living folk tradition associated with Sudalai through fieldwork in the natural context in order to understand how oral myths form the rituals and in what way myths are ritualized.
Folk craft is one of the significant areas in the study of material culture. It is social rather ... more Folk craft is one of the significant areas in the study of material culture. It is social rather than individual. The traditional craftsmen serve the purpose of fulfilling some of the socio-cultural needs of the society and they are generally identified by their traditional occupation. The paper gives attention on three traditional folk crafts, i.e. earthenware by Kullalar, grass mat weaving by muslim Labbai and basketry by Malai Kuravar community. It documents the traditional techniques of crafting and analyses the role of crafts and craftsmen in socio-cultural context and the changing scenario of folk craft in contemporary context.
The Oriental Anthropologist: A Bi-annual International Journal of the Science of Man, 2018
Caste and the categories of caste play a vital role in the Indian socio-cultural system. Though t... more Caste and the categories of caste play a vital role in the Indian socio-cultural system. Though the identity of caste is 'ascribed' in nahtre, the administrative categories are 'political', 'flexible' and 'achieved'. A caste wlzich has multiple nomenclahtres, and domiciled in different regions may be placed under different administrative categories. T11ese categories also change based on the religious affiliations of individual members. Therefore the issue of identihJ and social status within the same caste group occurs and creates disputes from time to time. This paper is an attempt to study these issues with special reference to the Kuravans domiciled in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and tries to understand the relationship among the Kuravans domiciled in different regions.
Paragrana, 2009
The socio-cultural construction of human body differs from the biological construction, and the b... more The socio-cultural construction of human body differs from the biological construction, and the body is seen as an existential basis of human interaction within given social, cultural, political and environmental conditions. Human body is not only an organic object but also a cultural object and it is constantly being altered by natural and cultural process. Every folk society has its own traditional understanding of the concepts of 'body′, 'self′, 'soul′ and 'agency′ and several rituals are performed in order to heal, purify and transform the body. Rituals are one mode of cultural praxis through which bodies, knowledge, powers, agency and selves have been repositioned through practice. This study is an effort to understand the socio- cultural construction of human body with special reference to 'rituals′ that are performed in folk religious practices in Tamil Nadu, South India. How human body is culturally professed, purified, transformed and healed through ritu...
Sociology Mind, 2016
Ballads have evolved a long way since the beginning of story-telling among humans. Love-themed ba... more Ballads have evolved a long way since the beginning of story-telling among humans. Love-themed ballads were not confined to the romantic poets of England alone but were composed and narrated in hidden hamlets in every corner of the world. The "Papiñ-Pame Biisi" is one such ballad popular in the Ziro valley, Arunachal Pradesh, India. In this paper, the epitome of love, the rites of passage and the general life and culture of the Apatani society during the early time are analyzed.
The Oriental Anthropologist: A Bi-annual International Journal of the Science of Man
Asian Ethnology, 2008
... The other refers to a deity, also known as Sudalai Madan or Sudalai Madasamy, whose sanctuary... more ... The other refers to a deity, also known as Sudalai Madan or Sudalai Madasamy, whose sanctuary is usually ... Murugan Kaniyan Male 67 Ritual performer Muneerpallam village, Tirunelveli district ... Arumuga Perumal 1977 Sudalai Madasami kathai [A tale of Sudalai Madasami]. ...
Asian Ethnology, 2008
The Kaniyan are a tribal community residing in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, South Indi... more 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.
Folk craft is one of the significant areas in the study of material culture. It is social rather ... more Folk craft is one of the significant areas in the study of material culture. It is social rather than individual. The traditional craftsmen serve the purpose of fulfilling some of the socio-cultural needs of the society and they are generally identified by their traditional occupation. The paper gives attention on three traditional folk crafts, i.e. earthenware by Kullalar, grass mat weaving by muslim Labbai and basketry by Malai Kuravar community. It documents the traditional techniques of crafting and analyses the role of crafts and craftsmen in socio-cultural context and the changing scenario of folk craft in contemporary context.
Asia, Society, Economy and Culture, Vol7, Higashiosaka College, Japan, 2020
Rituals are symbolic in nature and it is related to tradition, supernatural spirits, belief syste... more Rituals are symbolic in nature and it is related to tradition, supernatural spirits, belief systems, life cycle ceremonies, festivals, narratives, agriculture and healing. Many healing practices are performed in the form of ritual celebrations among the traditional societies and the shaman plays a signifi cant role in it. He acts as a ritual master, diagnoser, councilor and healer. Murung is one of the major ritual celebrations among the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh and the
primary function of this ritual celebration is to appease the supernatural spirits in order to get good health, wealth and prosperity. This paper documents the various components of Murung ritual celebration and tries to understand how it serves as a medium of healing, brings social
status to the performer and it’s inter relation with other narratives and rituals.