Nilgiris
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This is non-edited camera original footage that anthropologist Paul Hockings shot as research for an ethnographic study of the Badagas people of the Nilgiris region in India. The footage focuses on religious rituals including funerals, firewalking, temples offerings and trance dancing.
Credits
Paul Hockings (filmmaker); Paul Hockings (contributor)
Complete catalog record
Cfa collection: Paul Hockings Collection
Subjects: Funeral rites and ceremonies; Manners and customs
Places: Asia > India > Nilgiris
Language: English
Shot log: 00:00 - LS PAN across mountain range and valley, CU men on mountain, MS walking down mountainside; 00:50 - MS Men in circle performing ritual with umbrellas and canes; 01:52 - MS Men building thatched huts; 04:14 - MS Group of men dancing ritual, building burial crib; 05:10 - MLS Cattle, MS Men herding cattle; 05:59 - VS Burial of a baby, men carrying crib; 09:28 - MS Men wresting a cow to the ground, MS Families outside of hut, MS Village Procession, MS Slaughtering a cow; 13:03 - MS Burial Ritual of burning a baby cradle; 13:35 - MS In town - sign on building “Furnished Rooms to Let with Attached Bathrooms,” MS Men sitting on grass; 14:21 - LS PAN cows in pasture, CU People kissing Man’s feet, MS Musicians playing; 16:15 - MS Men walking with empty cradle, MS Umbella and Crane Ritual dance; 18:00 - LS Large group of people in town ritual, MS Men with lei’s performing in fire walking ritual; 19:41 - CU People wearing leis, carrying floral pots, holding chicken in air, CU Men in trance, in a frenzy; 22:04 - CU Fire walkers / LS Temple with people bringing offerings; 23:24 - MS Man cutting off head of a goat in one swoop, CU woman, man with child; 24:18 - LS Village with small houses and cattle, CU children dancing, MS Men dancing; 27:01 - LS cattle, MS Cattle crossing a river; 29:13 -LS Group at Temple preparing a ritual, MS Men dancing in a circle, MS Men walking over hot coals for large crowd; 31:13 - VS Ritual procession, fire walking, dancing, cutting coconuts; 36:47 - CU Washing feet, dancing, lighting incense, offering of fruit to Gods, dancing; 40:12 - MS Men walking around shrine, CU Men with ash on face and huge flower head dresses, dancing in celebration, procession; 44:37 - LS Pan across forested mountain range; 45:14 - MS Grieving women at funeral, CU Body wrapped in cloth, MS Men carrying wrapped corpse, MS Funeral ritual; 47:00 - MS Killing a cow; 48:19 - MS Starting a fire to burn the corpse; 49:06 - LS mountains and river landscape, MS Another funeral carrying a corpse; 51:34-53:44 - MS sacrificing a cow, burning the corpse
Cfa elements: 1,200 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/713
Subjects: Funeral rites and ceremonies; Manners and customs
Places: Asia > India > Nilgiris
Language: English
Shot log: 00:00 - LS PAN across mountain range and valley, CU men on mountain, MS walking down mountainside; 00:50 - MS Men in circle performing ritual with umbrellas and canes; 01:52 - MS Men building thatched huts; 04:14 - MS Group of men dancing ritual, building burial crib; 05:10 - MLS Cattle, MS Men herding cattle; 05:59 - VS Burial of a baby, men carrying crib; 09:28 - MS Men wresting a cow to the ground, MS Families outside of hut, MS Village Procession, MS Slaughtering a cow; 13:03 - MS Burial Ritual of burning a baby cradle; 13:35 - MS In town - sign on building “Furnished Rooms to Let with Attached Bathrooms,” MS Men sitting on grass; 14:21 - LS PAN cows in pasture, CU People kissing Man’s feet, MS Musicians playing; 16:15 - MS Men walking with empty cradle, MS Umbella and Crane Ritual dance; 18:00 - LS Large group of people in town ritual, MS Men with lei’s performing in fire walking ritual; 19:41 - CU People wearing leis, carrying floral pots, holding chicken in air, CU Men in trance, in a frenzy; 22:04 - CU Fire walkers / LS Temple with people bringing offerings; 23:24 - MS Man cutting off head of a goat in one swoop, CU woman, man with child; 24:18 - LS Village with small houses and cattle, CU children dancing, MS Men dancing; 27:01 - LS cattle, MS Cattle crossing a river; 29:13 -LS Group at Temple preparing a ritual, MS Men dancing in a circle, MS Men walking over hot coals for large crowd; 31:13 - VS Ritual procession, fire walking, dancing, cutting coconuts; 36:47 - CU Washing feet, dancing, lighting incense, offering of fruit to Gods, dancing; 40:12 - MS Men walking around shrine, CU Men with ash on face and huge flower head dresses, dancing in celebration, procession; 44:37 - LS Pan across forested mountain range; 45:14 - MS Grieving women at funeral, CU Body wrapped in cloth, MS Men carrying wrapped corpse, MS Funeral ritual; 47:00 - MS Killing a cow; 48:19 - MS Starting a fire to burn the corpse; 49:06 - LS mountains and river landscape, MS Another funeral carrying a corpse; 51:34-53:44 - MS sacrificing a cow, burning the corpse
Cfa elements: 1,200 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/713
Sources
- Chicago Film Archives · record ↗ — title, year, creator, length, format, color, sound, genre, description, credits, catalog record, video
Record added 2026-11-08 21:25:08