Devakkooth: A Ritual Dance Art from an Islet in North Malabar

Abstract

Many rituals in North Malabar can be read as complex cultural spaces that articulate subaltern concerns to a certain extent. However, rituals also perpetuate hegemonic ideologies dictated by and embedded within the caste system. Theyyam, a traditional ritual art in North Malabar, carries ritualistic elements of worship and penance along with the convergence of various forms like dance, painting and music. In Theyyam, a traditional ritual art in North Malabar, the female impersonation of the Mother Goddess and female deities occurs in the transvestite ritualistic performances by men. Devakkooth, or the dance of the goddess, a ritual art performed in an islet or thuruth, is widely regarded as the only Theyyam performed by women from the Malaya community, where women impersonate the goddess. Devakkooth is different from other performing arts because of its performance style and self-reflexivity on the thuruth culture. This article discusses key aspects of Devakkooth: the myth, the song of the performance, body movements, geographical specialities and its cultural and ritualistic self-reflexivity. This paper explores the unique aspects of Devakkooth as a female performance artistic dance ritual.