Tribal Dance & Music in Chhattisgarh

During my two day stay at Chhattisgarh tribal villages, I happened see exhilarating tribal dance and music. Both tribal men and women stand around in a circle and they dance and sing together.

(Photo courtesy Retlaw Snellac)

All men had headbands strapped across their foreheads, with towering headdresses made of rooster and peacock feathers that shimmer in the sun. They also carry two sided dhols, or a special type of drum,  that they play during their dance. Tribal women wear red headbands with tiny white shells arranged in a specific pattern, along with a uniform yellow-and-red sari.

Most of the tribal villages are isolated from the rest of the world,  so the tribal arts and culture were unaffected by the outside world. My tourist guide told some of the names of the dances, such as Gaur, Gendi, Bhandri, Hulki Pata, and Kaksaar. Admittedly, I do not understand most of the dances and the songs; they performed it for us anyhow. The women circled around the men, while the men rhythmically beat their dhols. The dance has an ethereal feel to it, provided by the the womens’ haunting chants. Unlike most dances, which seem synchronized and stilted, the tribal dances have a natural feel to them, as though the men and women performing the dances fell into them immediately from muscle memory. Though the steps themselves are simple, there appears to be a sort of inherent complexity and richness to the execution.

The tribal dance and music in Chhatisgarh may look like the average tribal dance at first, but when you take a closer look, you find a whole new level of meaning to the dance and music they perform.

Chhattisgarh tribal music pictures

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