Abstract
The Nora of Southern Thailand, an Ancestral Cult by Christine Hemmet The very ancient Nora dance, like the shadow theatre Nang Talung, is a tradition of Southern Thailand. It is a hereditary, family dance, performed by troupes who are not full time professionals but ordinary villagers who dance occasionally. Dancers must nonetheless undergo a long apprenticeship, and they are initiates who can convoke and send off the spirits, as well as communicate with them. Performances are not mere entertainment, but propitiatory and votive rituals which remain an indispensable part of village religious life. The ritual of invocation of the Nora ancestors described here is a perfect illustration of the moralizing role of these ancestor cults.
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