Dances of Tripura

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The Dances of Tripura refer to several forms of folk dance performed in the state of Tripura in northeastern India. These dances are performed by the Tripuri (the largest regional ethnic group) and Mog (or Marma) peoples, during annual regional celebrations, such as sowing and harvesting festivals.

Contents

The dancers

The Tripuris comprise over half the tribal population of Tripura. They live in the hills of Tripura and are jhum cultivators. Their dances and festivals revolve around the agricultural seasons. [1] Other large local groups, such as the Marmas , Halams, and Reangs share in and conduct their versions of these dance festivals as well. [2]

Types of dances

Goria/Garia

The Tripuris practice jhum, or shifting cultivation and the Goria Puja festival marks the commencement of their sowing season. Garia is commemorated through the Garia dance that accompanies the prayers and pujas for a bountiful harvest and is held in April. [3] The Goria or Garia dance is performed at the time of the sowing of the crops [4] during the festival, in the month of April, and includes people from other ethnic groups in addition to the Tripuri themselves. [5] The dance is accompanied by drums and flutes, [6] and consists of both sexes dancing from village to village in a gradually increasing tempo through various mudra which mimic the movements of different aspects of nature. [7]

Hai-hak

Hai-hak dance is a dance which is specific to the Halam community within the Tripuri. It is performed to honor the goddess Lakshmi after the annual harvest, and is typically done at her place of worship. [8]

Hojagiri

Hojagiri dancers Hojagiri.JPG
Hojagiri dancers

Hojagiri is a folk dance performed by young women of the Bru Reang clanclan (Reang clan). [9] [10] It comprises four to six members in a team singing and balancing various objects or props on their head and hands, (such as a bottle or an earthen pitcher on the head; and lamps on the hands) while only moving the lower half of the body. [11]

Some mudras (gestures) of Hojagiri dance Hojagiri dance.jpg
Some mudras (gestures) of Hojagiri dance

Jhum

The Jhum dance is a dance which is typically performed by girls and boys. [12]

Lebang Boomani

Both men and women participate at harvest time in the Lebang Boomani dance. The men use bamboo clappers called tokkas [13] to set a beat while the women join them waving colorful scarves to catch the lebang (colorful insects of the region). The rhythmic play of the clappers is thought to attract the lebang out of their hiding places allowing the women to catch them. [14] [15] The dance is accompanied by musical instruments like the flute, khamb, the percussion instrument known as a pung , and the sarinda. Women adorn themselves with silver chains, rings, and bangles; and a;so ear and nose rings made of bronze. [16]

Lebangs

Following Garia, there is a lull in agricultural activity as the Tripuris await the monsoon. During this time, hordes of colorful insects called lebangs descend on the hill slopes in search of the freshly sown seeds. The dancers depict how bamboo clappers are used to catch them. The Tripuris believe that the number of lebangs caught indicate how good the harvest will be. [1] [13]

Mamita

Mamita dance is performed at the Mamita Festival, the harvest festival of the Tripuri people. [17]

Mosak sumani

The Mosak sulmani dance is a traditional Indian dance. It originated in Tripura as a hunting ritual. It mimics the act of hunting through elaborate gestures. [18]

Owa dance

The dance is one of the traditional dances of the Marma clans of Tripura, who will also perform the Sangrai dance. The Marmas, also known as Mogs, are Buddhists; and the Owa -Cho -labre is one of their main Buddhist festivals. The Mogs celebrate the Owa festival on the full moon day of Ashwin in the Bengali calendar. They attend the Buddhist temple, and laterwards launch paper boats or toy boats in the river. [2] [19]

Sangrai

The Sangrai dance is a traditional Indian dance performed by the Marma community on the occasion of the Sangrai festival during the month of April (Chaitra in the Bengali calendar year). The Marmas are one of the 19 tribes in Tripura. This dance originated in Tripura. On 26 January 2018, on India's Republic day, Rajpath witnessed for the first time a traditional dance of the Mog tribe of Tripura, the land of plentiful myths and legends. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tripura</span> State in northeastern India

Tripura is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers 10,491 km2 (4,051 sq mi); and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 3.67 million. It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east and by Bangladesh to the north, south and west. Tripura is divided into 8 districts and 23 sub-divisions, where Agartala is the capital and the largest city in the state. Tripura has 19 different tribal communities with a majority Bengali population. Bengali, English and Kokborok are the state's official languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Liberation Front of Tripura</span> Militant organization

The National Liberation Front of Tripura is a banned Tripuri nationalist terrorist organisation based in Tripura, India. It has an estimated 550 to 850 members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kokborok</span> Sino-Tibetan language spoken in India and Bangladesh

Kokborok (or Tripuri) is a Tibeto-Burman language of the Indian state of Tripura and neighbouring areas of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marma people</span> Ethnic group of Bangladesh, Myanmar and India

The Marma, also known as Moghs, Mogs or Maghs, are the second-largest ethnic community in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, primarily residing in the Bandarban, Khagrachari and Rangamati Hill Districts. They belong to the same community as the Rakhine people. Some Marmas live in Bangladesh's coastal districts of Cox's Bazar and Patuakhali, while others live in Tripura, India and Myanmar. There are about 224,261 Marmas living in Bangladesh and 35,722 of them living in India. Since the 16th century, the Marma have considered the Bengal's Chittagong Hill Tracts their home, where they have established the Bohmong and Mong Circles (chiefdoms).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhalai district</span> District of Tripura in India

Dhalai is an administrative district in the state of Tripura in India. The district headquarter is in Ambassa. As of 2011 it was the least populous district of Tripura, although it is the largest district in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council</span> Autonomous area in India

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council(TTAADC) is an autonomous district council administering the Tiprasa-dominated areas of the state of Tripura, India. Its council and assembly are situated in Khumulwng, a town 26 km away from Agartala, the state capital is ruled by Tipraland State Party, TSP (TIPRAHA).

Khumulwng is a town in the West Tripura district in the Indian state of Tripura. It is the headquarters and the largest town of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tripuri people</span> Ethnic group of North-East India and Bangladesh

The Tripuri, are a Tibeto-Burman-speaking ethnic group of Northeast Indian state of Tripura. They are the descendants of the inhabitants of the Twipra/Tripura Kingdom in North-East India and Bangladesh. The Tripuri people through the Manikya dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Tripura for many years until the kingdom joined the Indian Union on 15 October 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jampui Hills</span>

Jampui Hills is a part of the Mizo hills range located in the North Tripura district in the north eastern part of the Indian state of Tripura. The average altitude of the hill range is approximately 1000 metres above sea level.

Reang is a Bru clan of the Northeast Indian state. The Reangs can be found all over the Tripura state in India. However, they may also be found in Assam and Mizoram. They speak the Kaubru language.

Noatia are one of the Tripuri clan of Tripura state of India. The clan mainly lives in the North Tripura districts of the Tripura state of India. They speak the Noatia dialect of Kokborok which is of Tibeto-Burmese origin.

Goria Ter is observed for seven days by indigenous Tripuri, honoring universal god Baba Goria, beginning on the last day of Chaitra until Hari Buisu. The first day of the puja is called 'Moha Buisu' and the day of immersion is called 'Sena'. The articles that are essential during the puja are kept strictly under lock in the house of Kherphang as per the rule of the Goria puja.

The indigenous people of Bangladesh are ethnic minorities in Chittagong Hill Tracts (southeastern), Sylhet Division (northeastern), Rajshahi Division (west), and Mymensingh Division (north-central) areas of the country. They are indigenous and the tribal races, total population of ethnic minorities in Bangladesh was estimated to be over 2 million in 2010. They are diverse ethnic communities including Tibeto-Burman, Austric and Dravidian people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Tripura</span>

The culture of Tripura is distinct and a bit similar to other people of Northeast India. However like Assam, Manipur, Burma and Southeast Asia culture of Tripura is characterized in small portion where people live in plain and hill areas. Tripura is a state in North East India. In the 2001 census of India, Bengalis represented almost 70% of the population and the Tripuri population comprised 30% of Tripura's population. The Tripuri population comprises some clans and ethnic groups with diverse languages and cultures. The largest native group was the Tripuri who had a population of 543,848 in 2001 census, representing 16.99% of the state population and 54.7% of the scheduled tribe population. The other group of people in order of decreasing population were Chakma (6.5%), Halam (4.8%), Mog (3.1%), Munda, Kuki tribes and Garo Hajong. Bengali is the most spoken language, due to the dominance of Bengali people in the state. Kokborok (Tripuri/Tiprakok) is a common language among Tripuris and lingua franca in Tripura. Several other languages belonging to Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan families are spoken by the different tribe

Ranglong is an ethic people belonging to the old kuki chin, majority of Ranglong's live in the northeastern part of India, mainly in the border area's of Tripura, Assam and Mizoram. The Ranglong people live in a small and densely-packed area over three federal Indian states,(tripura, Assam and Mizoram)

Mamita Festival is a festival is observed in Tripura by the Tripuri, Jamatia, and Noatia people after harvesting various crops including rice, sesame, vegetables, etc from the jhum or paddy field. In this day Tripuri people worship Mailuma and Khuluma deities by offering newly harvested crops. On this day a dance is performed by group of young male and females named" Mamita dance.

The National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage. It aims to raise awareness about the various intangible cultural heritage elements from different states of India at national and international level and ensure their protection.

Satyaram Reang was an Indian folk performer and folk artist from Tripura. He was noted for his significant contribution to Hojagiri Dance. In January 2021, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian award the Padma Shri in the Arts category. After Thanga Darlong and Benichandra Jamatia, Satyaram Reang became the third renowned person from the indigenous Tripuri community of Tripura to receive such a prestigious award. Reang was also conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986.

References

  1. 1 2 "Folk Dances of Tripura". Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Dey, Kallol (7 January 2018). "Sangrai dance from Tripura to debut at Rajpath on Republic Day". The Indian Express. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  3. ↑ Raatan, T (2006). History, Religion, Culture of North East India. New Delhi: Isha Books. p. 302. ISBN   9788182051782.
  4. ↑ "Tribal Dances of Tripura" . Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  5. ↑ S.C. Bhatt, Gopal K. Bhargava (eds), Land and People of Indian States and Union Territories: Volume 26: Tripura, p. 180, Kalpaz Publications, 2006 ISBN   8178353822.
  6. ↑ Debapriya Deb Barman, Treatise on Traditional Social Institutions of the Tripuri Community, p. 104, Directorate of Research, Department of Welfare for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, Government of Tripura, 1984 OCLC   610605741
  7. ↑ Surajit Debbarma, "Folk music and dances of Tripura: with special reference to Tripura tribe" Archived 17 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine , The Creative Launcher, vol. 2, iss. 3, August 2017 ISSN   2455-6580
  8. ↑ "Hai-Hak Dance in India". www.india9.com. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Hojagiri". Tripura.org.in. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  10. ↑ "Tripura, the land of fourteen gods and million statues". www.tripura.org.in.
  11. ↑ "The folk dance and music of Tripura" (PDF). Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  12. ↑ Gupta, Shobhna (2002). Dances Of India. Har-Anand Publications. p. 85. ISBN   978-81-241-0866-6 . Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Tripura - tribal and folk dance forms". Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  14. ↑ "Celebration of Life". Access Northeast. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  15. ↑ "Tripura Dance" . Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  16. ↑ Bhatt, S C (2006). Land & People of Indian States and Union Territories. New Delhi: Kalpaz Publications. p. 181. ISBN   9788178353562.
  17. ↑ "Mamita". Tripura.org. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  18. ↑ "Mosak Sumani". Indian Culture. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  19. ↑ "Tripura", Diligent IAS, retrieved 10 July 2022
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