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Reconstructing Tamil Masculinitieskāvaṭi and Viratam Among Sri Lankan Men in Montréal

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Reconstructing Tamil Masculinitieskāvaṭi and Viratam Among Sri Lankan Men in Montréal NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy available. UMI' Reconstructing Tamil Masculinities: KavatiwA Viratam Among Sri Lankan Men in Montreal Victoria Gross Faculty ofReligious Studies February 4, 2009 A thesis submitted to McGiIl University in partial fulfillment ofthe degree ofMaster ofArts ©Victoria Gross 2008 Library and Archives Bibliothèque et ?F? Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1 A 0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Yourfìle Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-67076-7 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-67076-7 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada Table ofContents Abstract Resume Note on Transliteration List ofFigures Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One Mapping Masculinity in Tamil Culture Chapter Two Ethnic Conflict and Tamil Masculinity in the Diaspora Chapter Three Taking Kävati, Inscribing Masculinity Chapter Four Constructing New Tamil Masculinities Through the Worship ofAyyappan Conclusion Bibliography Appendix One: Ethics Approval Certificate, McGiIl University Appendix Two: Images / Abstract This thesis examines masculinity in the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora through two ritual practices, kâvatiznû viratam. I argue that these practices are expressions ofmasculine identity and articulations of anxiety rooted in the refugee experience. Kävati, a ritual piercing and ecstatic dance, and viratam, a rigorous fast, reconstruct masculinities fragmented by expatriation and the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. Through ritual performance, men fashion themselves as the selfless heroes oftraditional Tamil literature without negating their fluency as modern Tamil-Canadians. By voicing rupture and enacting reprieve, the men who perform these rites incur individual catharsis. New non-Brahmin masculine identities that draw their authority from renunciation and asceticism as opposed to social privilege emerge in this diasporic context. Employing analyses of literature, political propaganda, and ethnography this thesis demonstrates the powerful relationship between ritual performance and masculine identity. In /cavan and viracam, the male body becomes the site of contested personal, political, and religious narratives. Résumé Cette thèse examine la masculinité dans la diaspora des tamouls srilankais au moyen de deux coutumes rituels, le /cavati et le viratam. Je soutiens que ces coutumes sont des expressions de l'identité masculine et des articulations d'anxiété qui ont leurs sources dans l'expérience réfugiée. Le /cavati, un perçage rituel et une danse extasiée, et le viratam, un jeûne rigoureux, reconstruisent une masculinité fragmentée par l'expatriation et le conflit ethnique au Sri Lanka. Dans l'exécution de ces coutumes, ces hommes se façonnent des héros altruistes, bien connus dans la littérature tamoule, sans nier leur facilité d'être tamouls canadiens contemporains. En vocalisant la rupture et en démontrant la surséance, ceux qui exécutent ces rites achèvent une catharsis individuelle. Des nouvelles identités masculines non-Brahmanes apparaissent dans le contexte de la diaspora : celles qui n'obtiennent pas leur autorité du privilège sociale, mais du renoncement et de l'ascétisme. En employant des analyses de la littérature, de la propagande politique et de l'ethnographie, cette thèse montre le rapport puissant entre l'exécution de rites et l'identité masculine. Dans le /cavatici le viratam, le corps mâle devient le site où se disputent les récits individuels, politiques et religieux. Note on Transliteration For the most part, this thesis adheres to the standards established by the Madras Tamil Lexicon for the transliteration ofTamil words. Many Sanskrit words, however, are reproduced in their more familiar Sanskrit transliteration. For example, I refer to moksa, brahmacdrya, and prasddam. I have chosen to retain common or official transliterations ofproper nouns. For example, I refer to Mohan instead of Mökan, and Mithun instead of Mitun. I have spelled temple names in accordance with the temple administrations' own spellings . Thus , I refer to the Montreal Murugan Temple instead ofthe Montréal Murukao Temple, and the Montreal Sri Aiyappan Temple instead ofthe Montréal Sri Ayyappan Temple. List ofFigures 1. Illustration of Tami/ttdyon cover ofPuttoli's (1977) Tamilttdyin Kannlr ("The Tears of Mother Tamil") 2 . Man displays Tamil Tiger tattoo at Montreal Durkai Amman Temple 3 . Men dance ecstatically as they perform kdvati 4 . Hooks inserted around the spinal column during /cavati 5 . Montreal Murugan Temple Festival, 1 6 August 2008 6 . Karman assists another man in the performance oí/cavali 7 . Mohan performs /cavati (with additional facial piercing) 8 . Vinoth assists another man in the performance of/cavati 9 . Sutha assists another man in the performance of/cavati 10. Two men perform takkukkdvati (hookswinging) at the Montreal Murugan Temple Festival 1 1 . Man performs takkukkdvati (hookswinging) with assistance 12. Rajkumar performs kdvati 1 3 . Lithograph ofAyyappan displayed at the Montreal Sri Aiyappan Temple 1 4 . Men propitiating the deity at the Montreal Sri Aiyappan Temple 1 5 . Thangavelu prays to Ayyappan 1 6 . Kuganesan lights a votive candle for Ayyappan 1 7. Mithun performs/?^« at the Montreal Sri Aiyappan Temple 18. Mithun propitiates the deity 1 9 . Mohan's second son performs kdvati (without piercing) 20 . Mohan's third son performs kdvati (without piercing) Acknowledgements Anumber ofkind and generous people contributed to this project. Foremost, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Davesh Soneji, who initially sparked my interest in the study ofTamil cultures and religions. His enthusiasm for rigorous scholarship has been inspirational and invaluable throughout my studies. His unwavering encouragement, depth of knowledge, and endless energy have been essential to the completion ofthis thesis. I would like to thank several other people at the Faculty ofReligious Studies at McGiIl University. Prof. Ellen Aitken (Dean) awarded me a fellowship that made the practical aspects of researching and writing more comfortable. Fellow graduate students Shital Sharma and Erin McCann have paved the way with their accomplishments and reassured me when I most needed it. I owe my gratitude to the American Institute ofIndian Studies (AIIS) for funding my participation at the Tamil Summer Language Program in 2008 . My abilities in Tamil are due to the quality ofteaching at AIIS. None of my academic endeavors would have been possible without my family. My grandparents, Gayle and Paul Gross, have been steadfast in their encouragement and have championed all ofmy pursuits, even when they have found them mysterious. Their willingness to learn and listen has been a foundational element of my development. I greatly appreciate their resolute generosity and open-mindedness. I would also like to thank my two sisters, Alexandra and Elizabeth Gross. They too have been firm in their support, and their friendship has provided crucial comfort. Matthew Disare, who is essentially my brother, has always been a willing listener and an excellent advisor to all ofmy endeavors. He also assisted in the translation ofmy abstract into French. Robin Feenstra has helped with this project in more ways than I can list here. He has enthusiastically read especially painful early drafts ofeach chapter, to which he contributed ideas and critiques that helped bring this thesis to its current state. He has shared my successes and failures at every turn, a feat that I deeply appreciate. His kindness and patience have held me and this challenging project together throughout. Finally, I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to the Sri Lankan Tamil community in Montréal. My informants were generous with their time, and understanding ofmy ignorance. They never failed to answer my questions no matter how mundane or absurd they found
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