Mithila (Indien, Nord-Bihar) - Handbemalung der Kayastha-Frauen in Jitvarpur

zweidimensionales bewegtes Bild

Aus Myrtenblättern wird eine Paste angerieben, mit der sich Durga Kumari eine Symbolzeichnung auf ihre linke Handinnenfläche aufträgt. Nach mehrstündiger Trockenzeit entfernt sie die Masse, und die Zeichnung steht rot auf der Hand eingegerbt.
The film shows the sixteen-year-old Durga Kumari decorating her hand with a mehndi painting. Her mother, Bhagvati Devi, prepares the mehndi paste. On a grinding-stone she grinds mehndi leaves, gathered by the girl in the garden near the house, into a fine paste. As tannic acid she adds the juice of a small lemon, to regulate the humidity, small pieces of a dried grass-blade. With the paste Durga Kumari draws a small square in the middle of the inner surface of her left hand. This square, which can be interpreted as a centre of magic power is extended with curved lines and formed into a stylized lotus-flower. Fingers and nails are decorated too with mehndi. Only the nail of the middle finger (in other cases the whole middle finger) is not painted: this finger symbolizes the brother and decorating it would bring harm to the brother. The mehndi is left on the hand for several hours, then the dried paste is removed and the hand is washed. There remains a red painting absorbed into the skin shich will keep for several weeks.

Object Details

• Alternative title: Mithila (India, North Bihar) - Kayastha Women at Jitvarpur Decorating Their Hands
• Location: Hannover TIB
• Extent: 478MB, 00:08:30:19 (unknown)
• Notes: Audiovisuelles Material ; Stummfilm ; Silent movie

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Mithila (Indien, Nord-Bihar) - Handbemalung der Kayastha-Frauen in Jitvarpur ; (Jan. 1977)

Classification and Topics

• Keyword: individual ; Kayastha-Frauen ; arts (ethnology) ; Handbemalung ; Mithila ; art ; body art ; Politik (Ethnologie) ; Kulturwissenschaften ; Asia ; Körperbemalung ; Kastenwesen ; Asien ; body painting ; Künste (Ethnologie) ; India ; colour ; Herrschaftsformen ; Gesellschaft ; Kunst ; Indien ; Individuum ; Kayastha women ; Encyclopaedia Cinematographica ; Körper ; Mehndi ; mehndi ; society ; hand painting ; Malen ; cultural studies ; Ethnologie/Kulturanthropologie ; Malen, Malerei ; dye ; caste system ; governance types ; painting ; body ; painting (ethnology) ; Farbstoff, Farbe ; ethnology/cultural anthropology ; Mithila ; politics (ethnology)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): IWF (Göttingen)
• (when): 1977-01-01
• Contributor: Moser-Schmitt, Erika

Further information

• DOI: 10.3203/IWF/E-2297
• Last update: 04.12.2024, 8:09 AM CET