INDIAN TRIBAL CULTURE - Dance

INDIAN TRIBAL CULTURE - Dance

India is a country that boasts of a great heritage of music and classical dance. Indian Dance forms are popular art forms that are recognised and appreciated throughout the world. India is identified across the globe mainly by its unique dance and music that never fail to impress. The tribal groups native to such a country, undoubtedly have a diverse range of dance forms that are characteristic to their particular tribe. Tribal Dances are performed strictly by the adivasi population of the country and are vastly dissimilar from Indian folk dances. Each of these tribes possesses its own distinguishable dance traditions and invariably all of them are interwoven with the life of the people who dance it.

Kaadar Nritham is a type of tribal dance performed by the women of the community. It is a primitive dance of the Kaadar tribes of the forest of Kochi. The performers arrange themselves in a semicircle and wave the cloths in their hands to various rhythms of the dance, in slow steps. It is a very simple but elegant tribal dance.

Elelakkaradi is a heroic group - dance in which almost the entire community of men, women and children participate. The dance is common among the Irular tribes of Attappadi in the Palakkad district. The dance brings out the fight of the people against the wild bears which often attack their tribal hamlets. Here the dancers move in rhythmic steps, with vociferous shouts and war cries according to the beats of the primitive drums.

Kaanikkar Nritham is a group dance of the kaanikkar tribes which is performed as a ritual. The steps of the dancers perfectly synchronise with the waving of the hands and beating of drums.

Paravalli Kali is a mixed dance of the tribes native to the dense forest of Travancore, in which both men and women participate. They dance holding their arms together and the dance develops into pleasing pattern, in which the men and women change their positions with great speed. The entire group of dancers sing songs and move swiftly in a circle. The linked arms swing to the rhythm in a fascinating wavelike movement.

Man Kali is a tribal dance. It involves enacting of episodes from the Ramayana and other hunting activities. The whole dance is performed to the rhythm of wild percussion instruments.

Paniyar Kali is another tribe inhabiting the hilly forests of the Wayand district. Their dance is highly masculine and is performed only by men. The dancers numbering about eight or ten stand in a circle with their hands linked together. They move around with rhythmic flexion of the body and while moving, stamp the ground in perfect rhythm to the loud beat of the primitive percussion instruments called Karu, Para, Udukku, etc.

Thavalakali is a tribal dance in which a number of participants, usually boys, jump one above the other in succession, imitating the leaps of the frog.

Edaya Nritham is the dance of the tribal shepherds in which both men and women participate. The dance consists of imitations of wild animals that try to attack the sheep and thieves who try to rob the people, as well as the terror on the faces of the lambs and their mournful wailing.

There are a number of other tribal dances that are performed across the country and which form a significant part of Indian culture.

BY: FAAIQA AISHA

1st BSc. PSYCHOLOGY