MULTI-CENTRIC VARIATIONS OF THE MATHULANGKANNI FOLKTALE: ECOLOGY, GENDER, AND CULTURAL MEMORY IN KANI ORAL TRADITION

Abstract

The oral traditions of the Kani tribe preserve a rich body of indigenous knowledge that
reflects the community's cultural identity, environmental ethics, and worldview.
Among these traditions, the Mathulangkanni folktale occupies a significant place
because it is narrated across different Kani settlements with both shared and unique
narrative features. Although previous studies have documented Kani oral traditions,
very few have examined how different versions of the same folktale change across
settlements and what these changes reveal about indigenous culture. This study
addresses this gap by comparing ten versions of the Mathulangkanni folktale collected
through fieldwork in different Kani settlements in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu.
The study adopts a qualitative comparative approach using Vladimir Propp's
Morphology of the Folktale together with archetypal criticism and ecocriticism.
The analysis shows that while all versions share a common narrative structure,
each settlement modifies characters, supernatural helpers, magical objects, and
transformations to reflect its own ecological environment and cultural beliefs. The
recurring symbols of the pomegranate, birds, forests, rivers, and metamorphosis
represent fertility, renewal, justice, and the close relationship between humans and
nature. The study also demonstrates how the female protagonist represents cultural
continuity and ecological balance, while the hero's journey symbolizes moral growth
and communal responsibility. By comparing these narrative variations, this article
contributes to indigenous literary studies, folklore research, and the documentation of
Kani oral heritage. It further argues that oral narratives remain living cultural archives
that preserve traditional knowledge while adapting to changing social and
environmental contexts.