THEYYAM-
A RITUAL DANCE OF KERALA
Dr. KKN Kurup
Dancers and their training
The Theyyam ritual dance is exclusively performed by the male members of the traditional cast groups like Vannan, Malayan, Velan, Mavilan, Pulayan and Koppalan.
These sections belong to the scheduled castes and dance and tribes. They are the sole-custodians of Theyyam art and dance. In that way it is the art of depressed castes. Naturally they belong to poor economic background. As the artists belong to this particular social class, he commanded no statues and position. According to the cast practices of Kerala they were ‘untouchables’ and ‘unapproachables’ for the high castes. Only during the time of performance their social degradation had been eliminated. The village festivals and other ceremonies provided the artists only occasional occupation. Like a bonded labourer he was attached to a group of village shrines and the cult centres of certain landed families.
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It is a social obligation on his part to perform the Theyyam dance in those places as a hereditary right. The payment was meager and customary and mostly in kind in the form of cloth, coconut, rice and paddy. On many occasions the village caste council dominated by landed aristocracy imposed fine and penalty on dancers. For instance, in the Theyyam festival, if a dancer forgets to salute or address a particular land lord then the artist was fined for this omission. In the same way if he happened to omit certain lines of the song, he was fined for this. Not only oral tradition but also written accounts are available for imposition of fine and penalty on dancers by the authorities of shrines and cult-centres. It was very difficult for him to protest because his hut or residence situated on a plot which belonged to a landlord who could evict him at any time without even proper notice. The social system which patronized this art form, kept the artist bonded and submissive. The rigid social system of a cast-oriented society did not encourage the all-round growth of personality of the artist.
Read more on next pages ....
Next>>Historical Background
Classification of Sub
Cults
Patronage
By Brahmins
A
Note On Performance
Meaning and Social Content
Dancers and Their Training
Training of the Artist
Caste and Agrarian Relations
Local History
Future of Theyyam
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