Yakshini Goddess

Inspired by a powerful sapphic yaksha character from the Burning Kingdoms trilogy, a South Asian-inspired epic fantasy by Tasha Suri 

Yakshas are nature spirits in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts. Suri’s yakshas have their roots in the guardian deities of Indian tradition but develop their own unique characteristics in Suri’s universe.

View more products featuring this artwork on RedBubble.

Non-binary gender and same sex love in South Asian traditions: a list of documentaries and non-fiction books

Meet some South Asian scholars and content creators who present LGBT stories from contemporary life, history and tradition.

Children’s books by South Asian LGBTQ+ writers

Children’s books by LGBTQ+ South Asian authors: picture books and novels by writers from South Asia and the South Asian diaspora in Africa, Europe and North America.

Transgender and nonbinary heroes serving our larger society

More than 10 stories, spanning hundreds of years and 3 continents, about remarkable people who made significant contributions to larger society.  

These heroes happen to be transgender and/or nonbinary. Depending on where you live, you may have benefited from the courage, hard work and kindness of these individuals. Btw, November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance.
 

Persian and Urdu homoromantic poetry from 13th-19th century South Asia

The intense spiritual bonds between Sufi masters in South Asia and their same-sex disciples have been expressed in homoromantic and homoerotic poetry. 

While it may not be appropriate to label these relationships using modern Western concepts of sexual orientation and romantic orientation, they can provide perspectives on the intersection between divine love and same-sex human love. The experience of holiness is not tied to heteronormativity.

Queer romance movies centering couples of non-European heritage

A list of queer romance movies with couples of color and optimistic endings

Tiger Art: a curated collection

More than 50 pieces from museums around the world, via Google Arts and Culture. Centering artists from Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia. Btw, July 29 is International Tiger Day

From 16th c. China and 21st c. India, two accounts of virtuous transgender mothers who protected children

Meet You Ruiniang from 16th c. China and Gauri Sawant  from 21st c. India, 2 transgender women who devoted themselves to their adoptive children, protecting them from cisgender predators.

The ducks in the picture are Lesser Whistling Ducks, a species present in the India subcontinent, southern China and Southeast Asia. Female and male ducks are similar in plumage.

Read more LGBTQ history on our Substack

Happy Mother's Day to the trans moms!

Children's book: Kutta and Pilla

Pleased to announce the completion of a second bilingual collaboration, this one in Hindi and English.  Kutta and Pilla is now available on Amazon.

Happy Mermay! Kadal Kanni is part of "Shades of Blue" exhibit

See Kadal Kanni in a diverse collection of blue-dominant art at Camelback Gallery's 2022 Shades of Blue exhibition.

Kadal Kanni is available on various RedBubble products such as laptop skins and face masks.

Happy International Cat Day! For the Cat Lovers: Non-Eurocentric Cat Art

Dear cat art aficionados, wishing you a Happy International Cat Day on 8/8!

Tired of paging through the some arts app's mostly Eurocentric highlights looking for work created by artists from the global majority?

Good news. I've put together the following collection in Google Arts and Culture for your enjoyment :-)

Cat art from non-European cultures -  52 images of cats created by non-European artists in ancient and modern cultures

Merfolk from Around the World (Happy Mermay!)

Merfolk from Around the World from Wolfberry Studio on Vimeo.

Bad things happen to men who betray talking animals to the authorities

Similar motifs can be found in stories from around the world, but the differences are just as interesting:

The Chameleon Harpist (from the Fulani of Niger):

While hunting deep in the forest, a hunter came across a chameleon who could sing and play the harp beautifully. The chameleon made the hunter promise not to tell anyone about him. But the hunter was so excited at meeting a talking chameleon that he couldn't help sharing his story with other humans, including the king.

The king sent guardsmen with the hunter to confirm his story. "If there is such a chameleon, I will make you rich. But if there is not such a chameleon, you will pay with your life." When the hunter brought the guards to the chameleon in the deep forest, the chameleon kept silent. So the guards assumed that the hunter had been lying and killed him. After that, the chameleon spoke, "He brought about his own death. I told him not to tell anyone about me, but he had to tell the world because of his greed."¹

The Fiddler Tortoise (from the Ga ethnic group of Ghana):

Stories of monkeys who save themselves from water-dwelling false friends

Two similar tales from different sides of the Indian Ocean. "Monkey and the Shark" from the Kamba ethnic group of Kenya:

A monkey who lived near the ocean decided to befriend a shark. From his tree, he threw fruits to the shark, who gratefully ate them. After many days, the shark invited the monkey to a feast at his home to meet his parents.

The monkey was persuaded, and the shark carried it off on its back. On the way, the shark revealed that his father was ill, and a monkey's heart was needed to cure him. The monkey then lied, saying that he left his heart at home. With that, the shark turned back and swam back to shore to pick up the monkey's heart. As soon as the monkey reached land, he escaped up a tree and threw a big branch at the shark, rebuking his false friend.¹

"Monkey and the Crocodile" from the Panchatantra Tales of India:

One day, a monkey living in a jamun tree by the river befriended a crocodile resting under the tree. He threw jamum to the crocodile. This went on for many days. Then the crocodile asked the monkey for some fruit to take home to his wife. The monkey obliged.

After eating the fruit, the crocodile's wife said that the monkey must be even tastier than the fruit. She demanded that her husband bring her the monkey's heart to eat. The crocodile was initially appalled, and refused to do this. But his wife refused to eat anything until she could eat the monkey's heart.²

So the crocodile invited the monkey to dinner at his home to meet his wife. After some persuasion, the monkey go onto the crocodile's back. Once in deep water, the crocodile revealed that his wife wanted to eat the monkey's heart. The monkey then lied, saying that he left his heart in the tree. With that, the crocodile swam back to the monkey's tree. After the monkey escaped into the tree, he scolded the shark for his deceit and faithlessness.

Although the two folktales are structurally similar, there are some differences in interpretations. In the Indian version, the crocodile is described as actually enjoying the fruits. In the Kenyan version retold by Dr Vincent Muli Wa Kituku, the shark's acceptance of food outside of its natural diet is interpreted as a pretense to win the monkey's friendship.¹ Dr Kituku equated the shark to people who present a fake lifestyle in order to win a relationship, only to show their true colors later. (I think we've all met that sort of person at some point)

Notes

1. "Monkey and the Shark", East African Folktales, Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku
2. The Monkey and the Crocodile, Cultural India. Web. 31 October 2017

Tales of married women murdered by their stepmothers even after they moved away from their abusive step-family

These 3 folktales from Armenia, India and Vietnam share strikingly similar motifs - and not just because a fish has a role to play in all three tales.The differences are just as interesting:

The Golden Maiden (Armenia):

There was a young woman who whose father married a widow who mistreated her and her younger brother. The stepmother pressured her husband into abandoning his two children in the mountains. The siblings managed to find their way home, but not before the brother had been magically transformed into a lamb. The stepmother wanted to eat the lamb, so the maiden took her brother and fled once more into the mountains. There, she met a fairy crone who took pity on her and changed her into a golden-haired fairy maiden with golden garments.

The golden maiden returned home with her brother and hid her golden garments. But she could not hide her golden hair. Her stepmother, on hearing how her stepdaughter came by her golden hair, sent her own daughter from a previous marriage to the mountains. But the fairy crone disliked the stepsister and turned her into a hideous being. Because of that, the stepmother hated her stepchildren even more.

Portrait of a Kadal Kanni

Close up of the South Indian mermaid in Kadal Kanni.

Animals that attack their own reflections: Tales from Africa, Asia and Europe

From the Avatime ethnic group of Ghana:

A dog got into its master's house when its master went out and left the door open. It took meat from the table. Then it saw its own reflection in the large mirror in the room. Seeing another dog with meat in the mirror, the dog attacked it to get the other dog's meat. The mirror fell on the dog and killed it.¹

From India:

In the Foolish Lion and the Clever Rabbit from the Panchantara tales, an old rabbit saved itself from becoming the lion's meal by setting the lion against its own reflection in a well.

From Greece:

The Dog and Its Reflection" is one of Aesop's fables.

Notes

1. "The Greedy Dog", West African Folktales, translated and collected by Jack Berry

How NOT to choose a husband: Fairy tales about willful maidens who pursue handsome strangers without parental approval

A recurring theme in supernatural folktales from various ethnic groups in West Africa is an arrogant maiden marrying a good-looking young man who turns out to be a disguised serpent, devil or big cat:

From the Mende ethnic group of Sierra Leone:

There was a young woman Magotu who said that she would only marry the most handsome man in the world. Her parents were worried that she was refusing all her suitors.

A devil, having heard of the matter, disguised himself by borrowing the best features from the handsomest young men. Magotu accepted his proposal and left the village with him. Before long, the devil gave up his borrowed features and showed his true form. A small dog that had followed them along the way encouraged the woman to run away before the devil ate her. The devil pursued them, but the dog and the maiden met a human ally who told them how to shake off their pursuer. They returned to Magotu's village where the elders concluded that "It was not good for a woman to be so particular in the choice of a mate". ¹

From the Fon ethnic group of Benin:

Mythology and Fantasy Art with South Asian Themes

A collection of images from paintings, animation and graphic novels. Click to learn more about the artists:

Rock-cut architecture in Africa and Asia

Rock-hewn monuments from North African, East African, West Asian and South Asian civilizations:

Abu Simbel Temple (photo by Than217)

Bet Medhane Alem church (photo by Julien_Demade)

Mada'in Saleh" (photo by SammySix)

Cave 21 at Ellora (photo by Nandanupadhyay)

Detail of Naqsh-e Rustam (photo by Pastaitaken)

Click on thumbnails to view images on wikipedia.