Karbi Anglong is the
largest district of Assam with a total area of 10,434 sq.km. A hilly district
of Assam, Karbi Anglong is a very beautiful place in the lap of nature. It is
still unknown to the tourist, in spite of its enchanting natural green forests
and picturesque hills.
The Karbis are the
principal tribal community of the district. They have multi coloured cultures
and traditions.The Karbis still practice their traditional religious belief
system of worshipping HEMPHU. Rongker, Sok-Keroi and Chomonkan are their main
festivals. A number folk dances and folk songs are associated with these
festivities.
Here are some of the folk dances
of the Karbis.
NIMSO KERUNG
It is a mirthful dance recital presented during the Karbi Chomonkan Festival, held
in honour of family members who have passed away. It is somewhat like bidding
farewell to their spirit prior to their departure from this earthly world to
their permanent abode of rest. It is a joyous and festive celebration of young
boys and girl, men and women of the same locality as well.
The word ‘Nimso’ means maiden and ‘kerung’ means picking up the maiden for
dance. A young woman is flanked by two young men and it thus goes on
interlocking each other crafting ‘Nimso
Kerung’ dance according to drum beats. During the ‘Nimso Kerung’ dance the ‘Duhuidi-
Duhuijang’ beats the drum.
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| Nimso Kerung Dance |
BANJAR KEKAN
This dance form is an indispensable part of Chomonkan
festival. This dance is held in the outer courtyard of the house and
only youngsters can take part in it.The word ‘Banjar’ means a kind of bamboo pole, while ‘kekan’ means dance.
CHONG KEDAM
It
is a combating dance form of the Karbis. This dance is performed by a group of
male dancers, during Chomonkan festival. A warrior dance
is performed keeping in perfect rhythm with the drum beat.
KETHIR KEKAN
This dance is performed inside the room where
the effigies representing the dead bodies of the deceased person is kept. A few
boys dance, keeping in rhythm with the drum beat.
HACHA KEKAN
This dance is performed during the
harvesting festival The Karbis celebrates ‘SOK KEROI festival’ after the harvesting
season. This dance is performed with traditional enthusiasm and gaiety and is
tuned by a singer called ‘Lunsepo’.
RIT NONG CHINGDI KEKAN
This is a traditional dance form of
the Karbis related with one of their ‘Seed Sowing festivals’ celebrate in
the first part of the month of April. This dance demonstrates various stages of
the process of cultivation right from the sowing of seeds to the reaping of the
crops.
LENGPUM SOKCHON
KEKAN
This dance is called bamboo dance. It is performed during the
‘harvesting
festival’. The dancing folk move by stepping alternately in and across
pairs of horizontal bamboos.
Music plays an important role in the life of the Karbis. In Karbi Society, there are songs for every occasion.
"Oso Kepadok Alun" is a
lullaby consisting of three segments, viz:- Tu-va—e-a-a alun, Alandung ladung
alun and Kurdidi alun. The OVE ALUN or love songs are beautiful compositions
expressing the love between boys and girls in a very delicate way. ‘OVE ALUN’
is also known as ‘BONG-OI ALUN’.
Some of the ‘BONG- OI ALUN’ are ‘BONG-OI MIR
TAMPE’, ‘BONG-OI MIR VANSEN’, ‘BONG-OI MIR SENGLONG’, ‘BONG- OI MIR LORI’, ‘
BONG –OI MIR MANDUNG, ‘BONG-OI MIR MAVET’,etc.
The folk songs sung
during the Chomonkan festival are-
KAPA-ER, KACHARE and MUSERA KEHIR. ‘KAPA-ER’ is a kind of sensual song sung by a group of young boys.
‘KACHARE’ is a funeral hymn,
especially sung by a female singer known as ‘lunsepi’. These songs are very
pathetic. Another important song of the Chomonkan festival is the ‘MUSERA
KEHIR’. It is recited with high esteem and is an important genre of recounting
the past history of the Karbis.
Similarly, during
marriage ceremony of the Karbis, ADAM ASAR alun is sung which has four stages-
THAP KEPLANG ALUN, BONG KEPLANG ALUN, THELU ALUN and ARNAM KEHANG ALUN.
Different festivals are celebrated by the Karbis in a year. CHOKI AMO ALUN is
sung interrelating with Jhum Cultivation which have been catagorised as Hacha
Keken Alun, Lokhi Keplang Alun, Hen up ahi Kekan alun and Jir kedam alun.
But, however in the
recent years the society has undergone transformation and changes. The grip of
inertia in which the society was found in the past has now been slackened.
