TRIBAL DANCES

TRIBAL DANCE


ELELAKKARADI
Elelakkaradi is a highly heroic group - dance in which almost the whole community of men, women and children participate. The dance is very common with the tribal called Irular of Attappadi in Palakkad district. The dance brings out the fight of the people against the wild bears which often attack their tribal hamlets. Hear the dancers move out in rhythmic steps, with vociferous shouts and war cries and keep time to the beatings of the primitive drums. The various stages in the fight against the wild beasts are very well presented.

KAADAR NRITHAM
Kaadar Nritham is a type of ribal dance in which Only women partake.It is a primitive dance of the Kaadar tribes of the forest of Kochi area. The performers arrange themselves in a semicircle. They hold the tip of their cloths in their hands to the level of the waist and wave it to various rhythms of the dance. It is a very simple but elegant tribal dance in slow steps.

KURUMBAR NRITHAM
Waynad district had different types of hill tribes of which the kurumbar and the kattunayakar are the most prominent. They perform a special type of dance which is staged in connection with marriages. Before marriage, the members of the families of both the bride and bridegroom and after marriage the newly - wedded couple perform this dance. After the return of the bridegroom with his bride to his family, all the members of his house household and the newly - wedded again repeat the dance.

KAANIKKAR NRITHAM
Kaanikkar Nritham is a group dance of the kanikkar tribes. The dance is performed as a ritual offering. The steps of the dancers perfectly synchronise with the waving of the hands and beating of drums.

PANIYAR KALI
Panyar are another set of tribel inhabiting the hilly forests of Wayand district. Their dance is highly masculine and only men participate. Hear the dancers numbering about eight or ten stand in a circle with hands linked together. They have around with rhythmic flexions of the body and while moving stamp the ground in perfect rhythm to the loud beat of the primitive percussion instruments called Karu, Para, Udukku, etc. As the dance gathers momentum the circle is swiftly expanded and contracted and the dancers utter peculiar cries which gradually run up to a high pitch.

MAN KALI
Man Kali is a tribal dance. It is mainly of two kinds. In one version, the Ramayana episode in which Sita is being enchanted by Maricha in the guise of a golden deer is enacted in graceful movements. In the second type, one man takes the role of a deer while another that of a hunter. The deer hopes about and jumps around. The hunter follows in close steps and his movements and gestures suggest drawing the bow, aiming it, hurling the spear, brandishing some wooden log, etc. the whole dance is performed to the rhythm of wild percussion instruments.

PARVALLI KALI
Paravalli Kali is a mixed dance of the aboriginals of dense forest of Travancore area in which both men and women participate. They dance holding arms together, or shoulder to shoulder, linked in a backlock posture. The dance develops into variety of pleasing pattern, in which the men and women change their positions which amazing speed. The entire group of dancers sing songs and move swift rhythm in a circle. The linked arms swing to the rhythm in a fascinating wavelike movement.

THAVALA KALI
Thavalakali is a tribal dance in which a number of participants, usually boys, jump one above the other in succession, imitating the leaps of the frog.
KOORAN KALI
Koorankali is another tribal dance which is similar to Mankali. Hear one man takes the role of a wild bear with another enacting the role of hunting dog. The movements are perfectly timed to the rhythmic beats of primitive drums. While this is going on, the large number of onlookers who form a circle round the two dancers, shout wild cries of joy with the occasional clapping of hands and jerky dances.

EDAYA NRITHAM
Edaya Nritham is the dance of the tribal shepherds. Both men and women participate. One of the shepherds sing. This is repeated in chorus by all the rest. As the singing is going in, one of them imitate the special sounds of shepherds driving their sheep. The dance as such consists of someone of the group crying successively to imitate the wild animals that try to attack the sheep and also the thief who tries to robe them while the other members of the group very adeptly bring out the terror on the faces of the lamps and their mournful walings.

NAIKAR KALI
Naikar Kali is popular among the tribes in Wyanad and Malappuram districts. It is more ritualistic than entertainment oriented. This is performed as pooja to family deities and during marriages. When the instruments, Thappu and Kuzhal start playing, the naikars begins their performance. With jingling anklets round their legs, they dance round in clock-wise and anti-clockwise movements to the accompaniment of the instruments. In between they shout 'Hoy Hoy'. Thappu and Kuzhal are the musical instruments used.
MUDIYATTOM
Mudiyattom, also known as Neelilyattom, is a tribal dance in which only women partake. The women stand on small wooden blocks and the dance begins with slow and simple movements of the body which culminate in graceful movements of the head. The uncombed hair of the participants flow down and swing in rhythmic waves. The instruments used are Karu, maram, para, kakkaro etc.

GADHIKA
Gadhika is a ritual dance performed by Adiya tribes of Wayanad district. The art from is meant to care ailments. The performance is also done as part of a ritual for having a safe delivery of child. Gadhika begins with the principal performer invoking lord Siva for his help to cure the patients. Central to the ritual is the belief that a person falls sick when the gods are angry. The prayers are in a strange dialect, which has a pronounced Kannada diction. Once Lord Siva was brought down to earth and he was pleades by the invocations of the worshippers. The other gods, goddesses were enrolled by the performance. These gods include Chamundi, Maniamma, Malankali (Siva) and Karinkali. Simultaneously other actors dressed in colourful costumes also move centralistic which is titled with a small structure that resembles a temple. The participants include men dressed as women whose function is to welcome the gods and goddesses arriving in response to the summons from Siva. Gadhika is usually performed during the month of Mithunam, which falls in June-July period. The participants go to houses from which they had received invitations, conduct rituals, collect the oblations and offer them to gods at a ceremony conducted on the banks of a river.

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