Koithupaatt and the Agrarian Rhythm: Ethnomusicology, Ritual and Heritage in Kerala’s Paddy Fields

Abstract

This article examines the conflicting dynamics of digital preservation and cultural erasure in the context of Koithupaatt, an oral folk tradition rooted in the rural, caste-affected landscapes of Kuttanad, Kerala. Initially, Koithupaatt served as a rhythm for collective work and was performed by Dalit-Bahujan workers during rice cultivation. It acted as an archive of marginalized memory, resistance, and ecological knowledge. The article discusses how algorithmic invisibility, language cleansing through Sanskritization and caste-neutral lexical standardisation, and Brahminical reinterpretation often led to the reproduction of knowledge hierarchies through digitization, even though it appears to support cultural continuity. This research is based on digital ethnography of platforms like YouTube and Spotify, along with ethnographic work in Kuttanad. The study analyses lyrics and themes to demonstrate how digital platforms weaken the dialectal and political nuances of Koithupaatt by emphasizing standardized aesthetics over local authenticity. Most digitized songs are changed into apolitical or classical forms, distancing them from their social and historical roots, while only a small percentage acknowledge Dalit authorship, according to quantitative metadata reviews. The study describes this process as transforming dissent narratives into an acceptable tradition, labelling it a form of "platformed epistemic ide." It advocates for community-led archiving, relevant context, and accountability in algorithms as part of a decolonising approach to ethical digital preservation. By framing Koithupaatt as a living way of knowing, the study reimagines digitization as a site of marginalized activity and knowledge sovereignty rather than as a mere cultural remnant i.e. Koithupaatt.