喀拉拉邦神圣蛇林的本土知识与生物多样性的保持
Indigenous Knowledge of Serpent Sacred Groves and Biodiversity Conservation in Kerala

　　Malayalam, Research Centre, Sree Kerala Varma College, India
　　印度斯里喀拉拉邦伐马学院研究中心

　　【摘要】在形式上，喀拉拉的蟒蛇知识是一种原始的动物崇拜。每年在喀拉拉的蟒蛇神林里，从12月到次年5月都要举行旨在唤醒蛇灵的仪式。该仪式包括了一系列表演，如用五种自然色绘制花的图案、母蛇催眠术、占卜活动、舞蹈及有关蛇的民歌。由于潜在地怀有对神林原貌和生物多样性的保护意识，所以在现代人们仍举行上述仪式。红树林和神林形成了蟒蛇生活的生态系统，而崇拜蟒蛇生活地的先辈们，用稍后创造的符号刻画出了喀拉拉民间表演艺术中的名为“那加”的艺术形式。Vishachikitsa，一种与现代对抗疗法相比十分先进的毒药科学，作为医学的一个独特的分支在喀拉拉根深蒂固。当然树崇拜与蛇崇拜也是紧密相连的。在喀拉拉的生态遗产里，神林——Pampin kavu——在保护和保存生物多样性上起着重要作用。所有的村庄里，一部分长有半常青神林的土地要作为少数酋长的房子，这一地区的四分之一要被隔绝开来，最好在池塘或水箱附近，而且还要处于对着祀奉蛇神、面向西南方的大树树荫下。根据从太古时代以来就举行的当地仪式对蛇崇拜的指示，所有的社区成员都会进入蛇屋。而秘鲁人眼里视为神圣的是chithrakoodam（a latrate permanent pedestal）里的一个或几个偶像。这些kaavus(神林)是好几个独特族群的栖居地和珍稀树种的产地（Pala - Alstonia Scholaris, Arali - Nerium, Sindooram - Vermilion, Kanjiram - Nux Vornica, Al - Ficus religiosa），还包括一些药用植物和大量灌木及蔓草。它们还是无数昆虫、鸟类、爬行动物和其它物种的家，以及不同自然财富的储藏室。 关键的乐器被称为pulluvaveena，它的弦是用生长于神林里的一种攀爬植物做成的，与这些神林相联系的还有各种禁忌和仪式。神林都有蟒蛇雕像，以及在蛇神前吟唱祷词的歌者（Pulluvas）。这些神林能通过使村民保持生态平衡来保持土壤和水质。在这些未被当地社区染指并被保护的神林里，甚至连弄断一截朽木也是不行的。这些严格的禁忌间接地保护了神林最初的形态。这与当地社区的智慧，即与蛇类和谐相处的生产、生活方式是相一致的。这也导致了大量有关蛇的知识的累积，这是喀拉拉文化的整体构成。Pulluva社区，一个在神林里为了蛇崇拜而表演Pulluva歌的与世隔绝的社会等级群体。他们是仪式的主要管理者和被授权来取悦住在kavus里蛇神的首脑。他们还是社区里为儿童处理日常疾病的医者。在农业丰收之后，他们在村子里游荡，并在pulluva kudam 和七弦琴veena的伴奏下唱丰产的歌谣（发言含十分钟的影像资料）。

　　Abstract

　　The serpent lore of Kerala is a primordial form of animal worship. In sacred groves of Kerala, an annual ritual to invoke snake spirits is practised from December to May. The ritual involves a variety of performances such as floral painting in five natural colours, female serpent trance/divination movement, and fire dance and serpent folk music. With their underlying belief in conserving the pristine and biodiversity in sacred groves, people practice these rituals even in modern times. Ancestors who worshiped the serpent community which lived in an eco system surrounded by mangroves, and sacred groves, creating their ascending signs later engraved the naga forms in folk performing arts in Kerala. Vishachikitsa, a toxicological science far in advance when compared to modern allopathy, got a strong foothold in Kerala as a separate branch of medicine. Tree worship and serpent worship are also closely related. In the ecological heritage of Kerala, sacred groves -pampin kavu-have a vital role in the preservation and conservation of biodiversity. All the villages have semi-evergreen sacred groves, and a quarter of the area land belonging to a few chief houses should be set apart, preferably near the pond or tank and under shady trees to the south west of the main house where the snake deities would be enshrined. The members of all communities would engage snake charmers to conduct the snake worship according to the indigenous practices in which they had been engaging from time-immemorial. It has one or more idols consecrated on a chithrakoodam (a latrate permanent pedestal) by a Pulluvan. These kaavus (sacred groves) are a habitat for diverse groups of unique and rare trees (Pala - Alstonia Scholaris, Arali - Nerium, Sindooram - Vermilion, Kanjiram - Nux Vornica, Al - Ficus religiosa), including medicinal plants and numerous shrubs and creepers. They are the home for myriads of insects, birds, reptiles, animals and storehouses of diverse natural wealth. The key musical instrument is called pulluvaveena, the strings of which are made using a climbing plant that grows in the sacred groves. There are taboos and rituals connected with these groves. All these groves have icons of serpents, and the singers (Pulluvas) sing prayers before the serpent Gods. These sacred groves help to retain the aluvial soil and water level of the area providing ecological balance for the villagers. These groves are left untouched and protected by local communities are reluctant even to break dead wood in the grove. Such strict taboos indirectly preserved these groves in their virgin form. It accorded with the wisdom of indigenous communities who had developed life styles and expertise that enabled them to co-exist with snakes. It also led to the accumulation of great wealth of snake lore which become an integral part of the culture of Kerala. The Pulluva community, a separate caste group for the serpent worship performs pulluva songs in sacred groves. They are the main custodians of the rituals and officiating heads of poojas propitiating the snake deities inhabiting kavus. They are also community healers who handle common diseases in children. After the agricultural harvest they wander around in the villages from house to house and sing ballad songs of prosperity with the accompaniment of pulluva kudam and veena as nomadic singers do. (PRESETATION WITH A VEDIO CD 10 MINITS)

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　　作者简介：
　　拉贾戈帕兰，戏剧及面具博士，印度喀拉拉邦特里楚尔地区斯里喀拉拉伐马学院研究中心高级讲师，特里楚尔本土知识研究中心主任。著有6本专著，编撰过12本书，担任期刊“民间智慧”的编辑。曾出席过的国际会议：2004年中国长春举办的国际萨满研讨会，2005年伦敦大学举办的国际民族音乐学研讨会，2005年威尔士大学举办的意识，艺术和戏剧国际研讨会。此外，还出版过4部记录民族音乐学和民俗学资料的唱片，并担任导演。

　　About the author:
　　Dr. C.R.Rajagopalan (Nyidur Gimo), Ph.D. in Theatre and Masks. As a supervising teacher, he works at Research Centre of Sree Kerala Varma College, serves as the Director of Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Studies in Trichur, Kerala, India. He is author of 6 books, and editor of 12 books, now taking in charge of editing Journal of Folk Wisdom. He attended International Conferences including on Shamanism in Changchun, China, August 2004; International Conference on Ethnomusicology in Soas, University of London, 2005; International Conference on Consciousness, Art, and Theatre, Unversity of Wales, 2005. And he directed 4 audio albums on ethnomusicology and folklore documentary records.