Intore

Last updated
Intore
Rwanda IntoreDancers.jpg
Traditional intore dancers in Rwanda
Genre Traditional dance
Instrument(s)Drums, lulunga

Intore, sometimes called the Dance of Heroes, [1] is a traditional dance performed by men in Rwanda and Burundi; women are not allowed to do so. [2] Intore came to Rwanda in the 1830s when the royal Muyange fled fighting in neighbouring Burundi Kingdom and was granted asylum by the King of Rwanda. [3]

In pre-colonial times, intore was a war dance performed by the Tutsi military. [4] Dance numbers were often war-themed, and the performing men carried actual weapons. Present-day intore dancers do not carry actual weapons, but instead use replicas. [5] It is now performed at various celebrations and public ceremonies, including family gatherings and national events. [6] The dance is accompanied by drum ensemble (from seven to nine drums), providing strong, almost hypnotic set of rhythms. Melodic interludes are provided by the lulunga, a harp-like instrument with eight strings. [7]

Potential dancers are chosen based on physical and moral attributes. Before they can perform, the intore dancers receive training, where they learn the steps of the dance as well as moral values. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kigali</span> Capital and the largest city of Rwanda

Kigali is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relatively new city. It has been Rwanda's economic, cultural, and transport hub since it was founded as an administrative outpost in 1907, and became the capital of the country at independence in 1962, shifting focus away from Huye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Rwanda</span>

Rwanda is located in East Africa, to the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the co-ordinates 2°00′S30°0′E.

Human occupation of Rwanda is thought to have begun shortly after the last ice age. By the 11th century, the inhabitants had organized into a number of kingdoms. In the 19th century, Mwami (king) Rwabugiri of the Kingdom of Rwanda conducted a decades-long process of military conquest and administrative consolidation that resulted in the kingdom coming to control most of what is now Rwanda. The colonial powers, Germany and Belgium, allied with the Rwandan court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Burundi</span>

Burundi is a Central African nation that is closely linked with Rwanda, geographically, historically and culturally. The drum such as the karyenda is one of central importance. Internationally, the country has produced the music group Royal Drummers of Burundi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Drummers of Burundi</span> Musical artist

The Royal Drummers of Burundi, commonly known in recordings as The Drummers of Burundi or as The Master Drummers of Burundi, is a percussion ensemble originally from Burundi. Their performances are a part of ceremonies such as births, funerals, and coronations of mwami (Kings). Drums are sacred in Burundi, and represent the mwami, fertility and regeneration. The Royal Drummers use drums made from hollowed tree trunks covered with animal skins. In addition to the central drum, called Inkiranya, there are Amashako drums which provide a continuous beat, and Ibishikiso drums, which follow the rhythm established by the Inkiranya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gitega Province</span> Province of Burundi

Gitega is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi. Its capital is Gitega, which is also the national capital. It has a population of 725,223 as of 2008 and an area of 1,979 square kilometres (764 sq mi).

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

The culture of Burundi is based on local tradition and common influence with its neighbors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sub-Saharan African music traditions</span> Traditional sound-based art forms developed by sub-Saharan African peoples

In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the use of music is not limited to entertainment: it serves a purpose to the local community and helps in the conduct of daily routines. Traditional African music supplies appropriate music and dance for work and for religious ceremonies of birth, naming, rites of passage, marriage and funerals. The beats and sounds of the drum are used in communication as well as in cultural expression.

The Banyarwanda are a Bantu ethnolinguistic supraethnicity. The Banyarwanda are also minorities in neighboring Burundi, DR Congo, Uganda, Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnival of Binche</span> Annual event preceding Ash Wednesday in Binche, Belgium

The Carnival of Binche is an annual festival held in Binche, Hainaut, Belgium, during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday.

The ataaba is a traditional Arabic musical form sung at weddings, festivals, and other occasions. Popular in the Middle East, it was originally a Bedouin genre, improvised by a solo poet-singer accompanying themselves on the rababa. As part of Arab tradition, ataabas are generally performed by a vocal soloist, without instrumental accompaniment, who improvises the melody using folk poetry for the verse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burundi</span> Country in East Africa

Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border. The capital city is Gitega and the largest city is Bujumbura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwandan cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Rwanda

The cuisine of Rwanda is based on local staple foods produced by the traditional subsistence-level agriculture and has historically varied across different areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwandan Revolution</span> 1959–61 period of ethnic violence in Rwanda

The Rwandan Revolution, also known as the Hutu Revolution, Social Revolution, or Wind of Destruction, was a period of ethnic violence in Rwanda from 1959 to 1961 between the Hutu and the Tutsi, two of the three ethnic groups in Rwanda. The revolution saw the country transition from a Tutsi monarchy under Belgian colonial authority to an independent Hutu-dominated republic.

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

The culture of Rwanda is varied. Unlike many other countries in Africa, Rwanda has been a unified state since precolonial times, populated by the Banyarwanda people who share a single language and cultural heritage. Eleven regular national holidays are observed throughout the year, with others occasionally inserted by the government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashanti Yam Festival</span> Festival in Ghana by the Ashantis

The Ashanti Yam Festival is an annual celebration of the Ashanti people of Ashanti. It marks the first harvest of yams during the autumn season, after the monsoon season. The yam is the staple food crop in Ashanti and most of Africa.

Ibitekerezo is a form of epic hero poetry that was performed at the royal court in precolonial Rwanda. This oral tradition serves to explain the history of Rwandan dynasties in poetic form. It is one of four major royal traditions of the Kingdom of Rwanda alongside ubwiru and the oral literature forms ubucurabwenge and ibisigo. Ethnographers Jean Hiernaux and Emma Maquet recorded several major ibitekerezo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnival in French Guiana</span>

Carnival in French Guiana is a major event. Its style is described as Afro-Caribbean. A moveable holiday, it takes place between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday, ending on Mardi Gras. Known internationally for its Paré-masqué balls and its emblematic character, the Touloulou, it is considered the longest carnival in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab folk dances</span> Traditional folk dances of the Arab world

Arab folk dances, also referred to as Oriental dance, Middle-Eastern dance and Eastern dance, are the traditional folk dances of the Arabs in Arab world. Arab dance has many different styles, including the three main types of folklore, classical, and contemporary. It is enjoyed and implemented throughout the Arab region, from North Africa to the Middle East.

Adai-adai dance is a traditional dance of Bruneian Malay ethnic group in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Labuan in Malaysia, this dance is based on the life of the fishermen. This dance tells the story of a group of fishermen who go fishing in the sea while the women wait for their return to the beach to help collect the catch that will be obtained.

References

  1. Fegley, Randall (2016-03-18). A History of Rwandan Identity and Trauma: The Mythmakers' Victims. Lexington Books. ISBN   978-1-4985-1944-1.
  2. Gallimore, Rangira Bea (2008). "Militarism, Ethnicity, and Sexual Violence in the Rwandan Genocide". Feminist Africa via researchgate.net.
  3. "The story behind the Intore dance". March 11, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  4. Dahlmanns, Erika (2015-05-30). "New Community, Old Tradition: The Intore Warrior as a Symbol of the New Man. Rwanda's Itorero-Policy of Societal Recreation". Modern Africa: Politics, History and Society. 3 (1): 113–151. ISSN   2570-7558.
  5. King, David C. (2007). Rwanda. Marshall Cavendish. ISBN   978-0-7614-2333-1.
  6. "Amani Festival: The DR Congo music festival celebrating life". BBC News. 2020-02-23. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  7. King, David C. (2007). Rwanda. Marshall Cavendish. ISBN   978-0-7614-2333-1.
  8. "Traditional music in Rwanda". Music In Africa. 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2021-09-15.