Folk Dances from Manipur

Ariba Pala

Ariba Pala is another unique form of dance prevalent in Manipur. Lai Haroba menioned above is quite ancient and reflects the Meitei culture that was much influenced by Tantrism. Ariba Pala evolved after Vaishnavism swayed the region around four centuries ago. Both vocal singing and the percussion music of the drum called Pung are the life and breath of Ariba Pala.

The group consists of 16 performers. They are divided into two subgroups. One is led by the main singer called Isei Hanba. The other is led by Dubar. The latter group answers the questions asked by the former group. There are two pung (drum) players whose role in the performance is quite important. The performance does not begin until the Mandava Mapu takes his specified seat. He is a very senior artist who has deep technical knowledge about Ariba Pala. He presides over the performance. As soon as he takes his seat the two drummers enter into the arena of performance. They play a few exquisite passages of percussion music. Then the two groups already seated inside the arena in a semi-circular manner, get up and the Isei Hanba begins the invocatory song. The performers imagine that they are in Nabadwip, the birth place of Shri Chaitanyadev, the great Vaishnava saint. It is his life that is depicted by the performers through superb singing, drumming, and dancing. The performance has very subdued elements of theater and it is so controlled and well-knit that it can easily vie with any classical style.

Dhimsa

Another festive dance prevalent in Manipur is Dhimsa performed by the Kacharis. Young boys and girls attired in their traditional colorful costumes present the dance on festive occasions. The boys and girls dance in pairs. Musical instruments used with the dance are : Kharam, a long cylindrical drum with two faces; and Meri, a reeded wind instrument made of wood and with a very widely flared bell at the end like the French horn. It is played continuously without any break for inhalation. The Meri player while blowing the pipe inhales simultaneously. The mastery of playing the pipe comes after long practice. An expert Meri player can play continuously for hours without any break in the blowing.

Kumpitlung

Kumpitlung dance is prevalent among the Tarao tribal community mainly living in the Tengnoupal district of Manipur. The dance has three parts which are called (i) Enthlona, (ii) Ral Lam, and (iii) Kathla Lam. The Taraos believe that they initially lived in caves. The Enthlona part depicts how the community came out of the cave and what they did after that. The second part called Ral Lam signifies the victory of the community over their enemies. The concluding part called Kathla Lam is a festive dance. All the three parts may be performed one after another or at different times. Both boys and girls perform the dance wearing appropriate costume which is different for the three different parts. The dance is accompanied by a big cylindrical drum with two faces. While one face is covered with deer skin, the other, by a cow skin. The other musical instruments are: Shananda. a bowed variety of chordophone; a gong, an idiophone made of the horn of a Mithun which looks as if it is a mixture of buffalo and bullock. The musicians also sing appropriate songs for the three parts of the dance.

Lai Haroba

Lai Haroba Dance Manipur

Literally Lai Haroba means ‘festival of gods’. It is inspired by a local legend and the festival, through highly symbolic rituals and dances, create and demolish the cosmos. Several forms of dances are performed during the festival that lasts from ten to fifteen days. Lai Haroba of Manipur is conducted by a special kind of priestess called maibi and priest called maiba According to the legend, nine gods brought earth from heaven. Seven goddesses took the earth from the gods and threw it on the primordial ocean. On the first day of Lai Haroba these gods and goddesses are not only invoked but they take their symbolic birth from water.

Two maibis wearing spotless white costume, along with villagers, go in a procession near a stream. Taking two new and empty earthen pots the maibis get into waist deep of water. Two leaves, symbolizing the male and female principles, are put in the water, one facing upwards and the other downward. It is imagined that the seed of creation is within the two leaves. The surface of the water of the stream is gently patted to make ripples which suggest the union of the male and female principles. Then the pairs of leaves are kept in each of the two earthen pitchers which are now filled with water. The maibis take the pitchers in procession to an improvised temple. The deities and the temple are made with wood, cane, bamboo, and such other materials which can be burnt to ashes, because at the end of the festival everything is set to fire signifying the dissolution of the cosmos. The earthen pitchers are placed near the improvised temple. Symbolically the creation begins and a human being is born. Through dance movements and processions the life cycle and growth of human beings, agricultural operations etc are depicted in a stylized manner. Music for the various rituals and dances is provided by a simple stringed instrument called pena which is peculiar to the region The festival concludes by burning the temple and everything used during the festival which, as said before, signifies the dissolution of the creation.

Lam-Kut-Lam

Lam-Kut-Lam is the harvest dance of the Kom tribe of Manipur. There are about ten thousand Korns belonging to the Kuki-Chin constellation of tribes. In the month of July/August, when the paddy transplantation is over, the Koms hold a grand festival. That is the time for the Reivang flowers to blossom. Young boys and girls wearing these flowers on their headgears dance joyously in the festival while singing specific songs. The well-to-do farmers of the Kom tribe present the dancers pigs, cows, and buffaloes as gifts. These are killed on the concluding day of the celebration and a grand feast is arranged. It is believed that the dance brings prosperity to the village. One of the songs that accompany the dance invokes a god named Khornu. In the dance the Reivang flowers symbolize richness and prosperity.

Maibi

The trance dance of maibi of Manipur in connection with the Lai Haroba festival is totally different as it is not only very graceful but aesthetically satisfying also. Maibis are a class of priestesses. Anyone can not be a maibi unless she shows definite signs of being spiritually predisposed. She may show the signs of spiritual predisposition at a tender age or when she is an adult. She is then selected to be a maibi and lead the rest of her life the way prescribed for a maibi.

The maibi dance begins from the kneeling position. Very slowly she rises holding die knees always close. She holds both her hands near the navel with both thumbs and forefingers touching each other. Between the forefinger and middle finger she holds a leaf of a sacred plant. The dance movements are all slow, controlled, and lyrical. Right from the beginning of the dance the maibi is in trance. Slowly rising while moving like a spiral when she comes to the erect position, with controlled and elegant stepping she moves like the figure of eight which symbolizes the Nagamandala, the Tantrik yantra. Although it is a dance in trance the aesthetic quality is no less than any classical dancing.

Paos Jagoi

In Manipur a fascinating dance called Paos Jagoi is performed. It is associated with an equally fascinating Meitei (Manipuri language and its old culture) myth which is as follows : God Atinga Shidaba had three sons; Amiba, Ashiba, and Achiba. He asked his sons to create the Universe. When Amiba began the creation, Ashiba destroyed it, not once but thrice. God Shidaba thought that unless he creates someone who can help Amiba, the creation of the Universe will never be complete. Therefore, he created Nogthangleima, a beautiful girl from his eyes and advised her to help Amiba. When Ashiba, who is also known as Pakhangba, saw the beautiful girl, he changed his destructive attitude and wanted to marry Nongthanleima. She spurned the advances of Ashiba and cooperated with Amiba to complete the creation of the Universe. God Shidaba was very pleased to see the beautiful Universe and granted a boon to both of them to be born as lovers generation after generation. Amiba was born as Ningthou and Nongthangleima as Panthoibi. As ordained by God Shidaba, she came searching for Ningthou. When the two met they remebered the sweet days they had while creating the Universe. They were so overjoyed to be once again together that they started dancing which was called Paos Jagoi. The dance is performed to perpetuate the love of Ningthou and Panthoibi.

While dancing the male and the female dancers exchange loving words through singing. The dancers wear gorgeous costumes which are prescribed for the dance. The accompanying music is provided by Pung the drum with two faces; Pena, a simple bowed string instrument, Banshi, bamboo flute; Senbung, a large gong; and Taal, the cymbals.

Pung Cholam

Pung Cholam Dance Manipur

One of the finest example of drum dance is the fascinating Pung Cholam of Manipur. It is a highly sophisticated dance with all the elements of a so called classical dance. Pung is a drum with two faces. One face, usually played with the tight hand, is much smaller than the other. The drum is slung from the neck of the drummer for playing with both the hands. Pung Cholam is performed either solo or in a group. At times, about a hundred drummers perform the dance all wearing spotless white dhoti and white turban. It is then a treat for the eyes, ears, and mind. The aesthetic appeal is so over-powering that it becomes an experience for the life time. While playing intricate rhythmic passages on the drums, the drummers not only dance gracefully and vigorously, but also swings the drum in incredible ways, all the while playing. There ate also acrobatic elements in the dance.

Actually, cholam is a generic name of percussion dances prevalent in Manipur: Cholam performed by men are vigorous having acrobatic elements. Those performed by women are delicate and lyrical. The style of dance changes as the percussion instrument changes. Men perform two other drum dances with Dhol and Daph, a frame drum. Men also perform Kartaal Cholam. Kartaal is a pair of large cymbals. The cholams performed by women are not with drums, but with idiophones like clappers and smaller cymbals. Among all the cholams, the Pung Cholam is the best.

Thang-Ta

ThangTa Dance Manipur

Among the martial dances some are not much stylized and their martial character is obvious. Some are so stylized that careful analysis only reveals their martial character. One of the martial dance of former kind is Thang-Ta of Manipur. Thang means sword and Ta means spear. The dance is performed with other weapons also. It is basically a mock fight of attack and defense. Traditionally various kinds of martial dances are performed on the concluding day of the Lai Haroba festival. The tradition is very ancient and its reference is found in many myths peculiar to Manipur. The myth connected with the martial crafts is as follows: A progeny of Teen Sidaba, who is the progenitor of the ancient Manipuri race called Mata, was lost having been caught in the ancient fish trap of Thongnang and the various parts of his body became different kinds of sword, knives, other weapons and tools. Teen Sidaba is an aspect of Pakhangba, the God. When Pakhangba springs into the core of the sun and remains there inside the golden casket, he is known as Teen Sidaba. It is Pakhangba who originated the Thang Ta.

There are two kinds of swordplay : the make-believe kind is called Leiteng Thang, and the actual fight is called Yanna Thang. Generally, the former kind is performed as dance.

Thisham

In the hills of Manipur lives the Tangkhul tribal community. In the month of December they perform the Thisham dance. The dancers form a bow-like arrangement and depict the cycle of life and death. The song accompanying the dance speaks of the meeting of souls after death and exhort people not to be afraid of death.

At Nongtalang village in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya live twelve tribal communities. They all perform Shad Ronkhla or Tiger dance. Whenever a tiger is killed by the hunters of these tribes, the representatives of the tribes go to the priest who fixes a date for the performance of the dance to celebrate the killing of the tiger. All the twelve communities participate in the dance. First the boys dance it during the day and later the girls dance at night. The dancers wear their ceremonial costumes and the music is provided by simple instruments, such as, flute, a huge war drum, a smaller drum and a clapper made of bamboo.

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