Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the depiction of religious and supernatural themes as found in the picture-storytelling tradition of the Santhals, in parts of West bengal and Jharkhand, and the power of this art form to define religious beliefs and practices in the tribal society.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is an attempt to explore the performance tradition of storytelling through scroll painting or 'pata-chitra' as practiced by the Santhal population in parts of West Bengal and Jharkhand. This unique practice of scroll painting and narration, performed by a specific community of people known as the 'Jadu-Patua', primarily deals with themes pertaining to the supernatural and the world of the deceased, whereby the skilled artists who are also regarded as magico-religious priests in the tribal society, exercise their domination in the world of spirituality or the Unknown, by their captivating performance. By the act of performance, involving the display of illustrated scrolls or sheets accompanied with narrative poetry or songs, this artwork goes beyond representation, to defining and describing the world of magic and religion. Through the use of cultural symbols, myths, and the entire act of performance, the 'Jadu-Patuas' thus claim their superiority in terms of knowledge about the 'Other' world.

The primary objective of the paper is therefore to emphasize on how religious, supernatural, and magical power, is portrayed and transmitted through this particular practice of picture-storytelling in the tribal society. The other objective accentuates on the role of the artists in their power and capability to transform these works of art into mystical and powerful tools, informing and influencing the people in the tribal society in terms of their ideas and their knowledge about the world that is completely unknown to them.