From drum-making to social construction

Dans le cadre des conférences de la SEECHAC,

Adrien Viel will be speaking on Tuesday 17 December 2024 at 6.00 p.m.
at Maison de l'Asie, 22 avenue du président Wilson, 75016 Paris

The following theme:

From drum-making to social construction :
Ritual objects, mythologies and hierarchy among the Chepang of Nepal

Based on film and photographic observations, this project takes the making of the Chepang drum as its starting point. A central object in night-time healing ceremonies and seasonal festivities, the drum is a magical artefact: it is used both to ward off demons and to reach the depths of the subterranean worlds, where the Chepang ancestors reside. Mainly used by shamans, in certain regions it can also be wielded by officiants linked to the house, although they do not claim to be shamans.

By briefly tracing the history of this once hunter-gatherer community, and examining the transition from their hunting shamanism to a more sedentary, agrarian form, the analysis of the various stages in the making of the drum - some of which bear witness to remarkable ingenuity - will shed light on the mythologies associated with it. This approach will give us a better understanding of how this ritual object helps to structure power relationships, particularly between men and women. While women were allowed to take part in certain exorcism rituals, they were largely excluded from the use of drums, and could not conduct household ceremonies.

Through interviews conducted in the field, this talk will seek to unravel a series of elements in order to understand how mythologies - and in particular the ritual union (biē N) between a young shaman and the spirits of the drum tree - find resonance in the society of the living. Finally, we will present the point of view of a shamaness, an emerging Chepang figure, who poses as a spokesperson for her community.