KARBI FOLK DANCES AND MUSIC

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.

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.