Jankriti International Magazine / जनकृ सत अंतरराष्ट्रीय पसिका ISSN: 2454-2725
can be developed into a nice form of dance to perform in any cultural function. It has got great potentials to develop into a popular folk dance of the state.
Mamita Dance
The Tripuris have customary practice to eat new harvested jhoom rice ceremonially. The festival of eating rice is called Mamita. It is a Tripurri word( kok Borok) meaning rice-eating. Hence the dance performed during this ceremony is called Mamita dance. The jhoom crops are harvested by the end of the Sep-October month. Then the phase of storing comes in. they build up temporary godown in the jhoom field to store up the unthrased crops. The Mamita festival is not held immediet after harvest. After few days the crops are thrashed and shifted to home and then finding out an auspicious day the Mamita festival is celebrated with the great festive mood. On the eve of Mamita festival there is customary practice to sacrifice fowls at the altar of‘ Randak’.‘ Randak’ is a ricecontainer of large size made of earth. It is symbol of Laxmi, the goddess of fotune. After worship the family members together with invited close relatives sit together and starts eating new rice. To make the ceremony more joyous and vivacious a group of dancers both men and women prform dance recital which is known as Mamita dance.
Musical Instruments
Studies on tribal dances are incomplete, without understanding music. Tripuris are endowed with innate love for music and dance. They have several kinds of musical instruments of their own. Musical instruments are a must for vocal as well as dance trperformed. The common varieties of their musical instruments are Drum, flute, Changpreng, Sairinda and Dangdu. All these instruments are melodiously played by experts instrumentalists.
Drum
It is called‘ Kham’ by them. It is made of wood of which both ends are covered with cowhide. The kham is played on the occasions of music and dance recital. This is also beaten on funeral and other ceremonial occasions.
Flute
Tripuris call it Sumu. It is very popular musical instruments of Tripuris. Tripuri young men have innate love to play the note of romantic love-song by flute. It is also played on to the accompaniment of different dance recitals like Garia and other kind of dances.
Sarinda
It is sringed musical instrument of common kind. This is also found to be used among the tribes of hilly region of north India and Bihar. Its body is so deeply pinched that it looks as though it is of two parts. The lower portion is a small pearshaped one with a hide covering. The upper part is much bigger which is kept open. Over this, run four strings o twisted cotton, gut or metal. It is played on as the fitting
Vol. 3, issue 27-29, July-September 2017. वर्ष 3, अंक 27-29 जुलाई-सितंबर 2017