Eco-Folk Rhythms: A Puttinai Analysis of Mavilan Songs [Hardcover]

Eco-Folk Rhythms: A puttinai Analysis of Mavilan Songsexplores the deep ecological wisdom embedded in the oral traditions of the Mavilan tribe.Dr. Abraham's pioneering work analyzes Mavilan agricultural, nuptial, and ritual songs through the unique lens ofputtinai, an Indigenous theoretical framework derived from ancient Tamiltinaitheory. This approach bridges traditional ecocriticism with Indigenous knowledge systems. Based on extensive fieldwork, the book reveals how these songs serve as repositories of sustainable practices and environmental ethics, reflecting deep interconnections among humans, nature, and supernature.Eco-Folk Rhythmsadvocates for an alternative, non-Western approach to addressing contemporary environmental crises. A vital resource for ecocritical scholarship, anthropology, folklore, and Indigenous studies.This book explores the oral traditions of the Mavilan tribe through the lens of puttinai, an indigenous ecocritical framework. Analyzing agricultural, nuptial, and ritual songs, it reveals how Mavilan traditions encode ecological wisdom and offer an alternative paradigm for addressing modern environmental challenges.Lillykutty Abrahamis an Assistant Professor at St. Joseph's University, Bangalore, where she also serves as a Research Guide.

Lillykutty Abraham is remarkable for braving many firsts -- for compiling the first ever anthology of the songs of the Mavilantinai(Adivasi) community in the Western Ghats, the first to unveil the integrativetinai(the pre-state lifeway) embodied in their songs, and also to author the first full book applyingputtinaitheory. Abraham's work is a reaffirmation of the urgent need and momentousness to birth a brave newtinaiworld, and has the political muscle needed to persuade any conscientious powers-that-be to end the present Anthropocene and usher in the Neotinaicene. Nirmal Selvamony, author of Tinai Philosophy: The IndigenolÓ(