Encountering the Goddess in the Indian Himalaya: On the Contribution of Ethnographic Film to the Study of Religion
Religions November 25, 2021 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3390/rel12111021 via DOAJ
Summary
Ethnographic film can reveal gaps between how people describe their deities and how those deities actually appear in ritual. An analysis of the documentary AVATARA, which shows goddess worship among the Khas people of the Hindu Himalaya, demonstrates this. The goddess is popularly described as a virgin-child (kanyā) who visits followers in dreams, but during spirit possession séances she manifests as a menacing mother (mātā). Anthropologically informed editing bridges these incongruent images, showing how documentary filmmaking can help approximate religious experience.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Ethnographic film reveals instructive gaps between colloquial descriptions of divinities and their practical manifestation in ritual, as shown by the contrast between the goddess as a virgin-child in dreams and as a menacing mother during possession séances. |
Abstract
This paper examines the benefits of ethnographic film for the study of religion. It argues that the exploration of gaps between colloquial descriptions of divinities and their practical manifestation in ritual is instructive of the way religious categories are conceptualized. The argument is developed through an analysis of selected scenes from the documentary AVATARA, a meditation on goddess worship (Śaktism) among the Khas ethnic majority of the Hindu Himalaya (Himachal Pradesh, India). Centering on embodiments of the goddess in spirit possession séances, it points to a fundamental difference between the popular depiction of the deity as a virgin-child (kanyā) who visits followers in their dreams and her actual manifestation as a menacing mother (mātā) during ritual activities. These ostensibly incongruent images are ultimately bridged by the anthropologically informed edition of the material caught on camera, illustrating the added advantage of documentary filmmaking for approximating religious experiences.