rituals
Paliyan Blog Posts
Two posts were published last week on a blog from India that focuses on news about the Adivasi, the traditional tribal societies. Both were written by S. Ramarajan, who was the founder of the blog and is a member of the Paliyan society, the subject of both stories last week. The first post, “The Story […]
Lepchas Celebrate Nature
An old Lepcha ritual honoring “Mother Nature” and its bounties was one of the focus points of a celebration called Muk Zek Ding Rum Faat in Pangthang, Sikkim, on February 23. A news story about the celebration published on the 26th used the gendered term for nature. The Sikkim Lepcha Youth Association, which organized the […]
Paliyan Rain Ceremony
A most interesting new video that shows a Paliyan rain ceremony conducted by an elderly priest in a remote settlement of southwestern India has just been put up on YouTube. Entitled “Rain Invoking Ceremony (Mazhai Pongal),” the careful, scholarly presentation, almost ten minutes long, shows the Paliyan people and their priest conducting a ritual that […]
Ladakhi Amchi Rituals Consecrate Medicines [anthology chapter review]
In order to heal effectively, the amchi, the traditional Ladakhi healer, must understand Buddhist religious practices as well as proper healing methods. The amchi rituals, such as the one described in a recent article, represent a convergence of religious and healing methods. Laurent Pordié, an anthropologist with the Department of Social Sciences at the French […]
