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.

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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 Tripuri people of 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 northeastern 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 was a banned Christian Tripuri nationalist militant organisation based in Tripura, India. It had 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. Its name comes from kok meaning "verbal" or "language" and borok meaning "people" or "human", It is one of the ancient languages of Northeast India.

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

The Marma 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. Marmas alongwith Barua Maghs and Jumias make up the wider Magh community. There are three endogamous groups within Magh Community which are known as i) The Thongtha, Thongcha, Jumia Mags, ii) The Marma, Mayamma, Roang or Rakhaing Magh, iii) The Maramagri, otherwise called Barua Magh. They belong to the second sub tribe or group within the Magh Community.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakhine people</span> Ethnic group in Myanmar

The Rakhine People or Arakanese are a Southeast Asian ethnic group in Myanmar (Burma) forming the majority along the coastal region of present-day Rakhine State, although Rakhine communities also exist throughout the country, particularly in the Ayeyarwady and Yangon Regions. They constitute approximately 4.61% or more of Myanmar's total population. Rakhine communities exist in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts and in India, where they are known as the Marma and Mog peoples respectively.

<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 Bangladesh and 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 over 600 years starting from 1400 A.D. until the kingdom joined the Indian Union on 15 October 1949. The Tipra Dynasty was established in 590 AD.

Reang is one of the Tripuri 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 Reang dialect similar to Kokborok language, which has Tibeto-Burmese roots and is locally known as Kau Bru.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rignai</span> Traditional Tripuri dress

Rignai is a traditional wrap-around dress worn by Tripuri womenfolk, predominantly in the state of Tripura. It is worn by wrapping it around the waist. It is worn with Risa which is a piece of cloth wrapped around the bust. It is worn by every Tripuri women in homes, workplaces, and particularly occasions.

Ethnic minorities of Bangladesh or loosely termed minority 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 assumed as ethnic group 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 ethnic people belonging to the Kuki people. The majority of the Ranglong people live in a small and densely-packed area in the northeastern part of India, mainly in the border areas of Tripura, Assam and Mizoram.

Mamita Festival is a festival is observed in Tripura by the Jamatia, Tripura, and Noatia people.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sangrai festival in Bangladesh</span> New Year festival of Marma and Rakhine in Bangladesh

Sangrai is the name of the New Year celebration of the Bangladeshi Marma and Rakhine ethnic groups, which is celebrated from April 13 to 15 every year. Although it is one of the main traditional ceremonies of the Marmas, the Rakhine also celebrate the New Year with their own rules. In the case of the Marmas, it is celebrated according to their Burmese calendar. The calendar of the Marmas is called "Mraima Sakraoy". The Marmaras observe Sangrai as a total of three days, including the last two days of the old year and the first day of the new year. Earlier, according to "Mraima Sacramento", these three days fell in the middle of April of the English calendar, but now they are observed on April 13, 14 and 15 in line with the English calendar. The traditional games of the Marmas are also held on the morning of the 13th with Pangchowai, the main Sangrai on the 14th and the water on the 15th.

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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