Synopses & Reviews
Review
"[Wolf] presents us with one of the most detailed accounts of musical performance in any small Indian community; and is able to site it functionally within the social contexts of daily life and ritual activities."--Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
Synopsis
A black cow leads the members of a South Indian hill tribe, the Kotas, to the Nilgiri Hills and, with its hoof, indicates where to found each village. This footprint acts as a moral center of gravity, an important place for music-making, dancing, and other rituals. Places such as this, and moments in time, serve as physical and moral "anchors" for the Kota community. In this book, Richard K. Wolf explores how the Kotas "anchor" their musical and other activities around places and significant moments in time and, in the process, constitute themselves as individuals and as a group. This volume also includes a CD of Wolf's Kota field recordings.