English 710-882
AN ETHNOMUSICOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON KANIYAN KOOTHU Aaron J. Paige This paper will analyze some of the strategies by which Kaniyans, a minority com- munity from the Southern districts of Tamil Nadu, use music as a vehicle to negoti- ate, reconcile, and understand social, cultural, and economic change. Kaniyan Koothu performances are generally commissioned for kodai festivals, during which Kaniyans sing lengthy ballads. These stories vary locally from village to village and recount the adventures, exploits, and virtues of gods and goddesses specific to the area and community in which they are worshipped. While these narratives are en- tertaining in their own right, they also serve as springboards for subjective compari- son and interpretation. Kaniyans thus, transform mythological legends into modern social commentary. In a world perceived to be growing increasingly complicated by globalization and modernization, these folk musicians openly voice in performance both their concern for the loss of traditional values and their trepidation that Tamil culture, tamizh panpaadu – particularly village culture, gramiya panpaadu – are gradually being displaced by foreign principles, products, and technologies. In con- tradistinction to this conservative rhetoric, the Kaniyans, in recent years, have made major reformations to their own musical practice. Using specific textual examples, the first part of this paper will look at the ways in which musicians’ semi-improvised narratives foster solidarity under the rubric of a shared Tamil language and cultural identity. The second part of this paper, by way of musical examples, will attempt to illuminate how these same musicians are engaged in redefining and reformulating their musical tradition through the appropriation and integration of rhythmic models characteristic of Carnatic drumming.
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