Performing arts – Arunachal Pradesh PCS Free Notes

Art Forms of Arunachal Pradesh

The art refers to the theory and physical expression of creativity found in human societies and cultures from Ancient Time in India. Major constituents of the arts include

Literature – including poetry, novels and short stories, and epic poetry;
Performing arts – among them music, dance, and theatre; and
Visual arts – including drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, sculpting, and architecture – the art of designing and constructing buildings

Performing Art Forms of Arunachal Pradesh

The performing Art Forms of Arunachal Pradesh domain of intangible cultural heritage includes vocal and instrumental music, dance, theatre, pantomime, sung verse and beyond.
This domain is inseparably related with other intangible cultural heritage domains; like music is an integral part of many other domains of intangible cultural heritage including rituals, festive events or oral traditions.
Music can be performed in any situations: marriages, funerals, rituals, festivities etc. Diverse contexts, many dimensions or varied performing occasions make music universal.
Dance illustrates specific events or daily acts, such as religious dances, hunting or warfare dance etc. The rhythmic movements, steps and gestures of dance express sentiments and moods.
Traditional theatre performances generally combine acting, singing, dancing, dialogue, narration or recitation but may also include puppetry or pantomime.
Traditional theatres play crucial roles in culture and society and they are more than simply ‘performances’ for the audiences.
The performing arts of Arunachal Pradesh are vivaciously colorful. They dance for merriment, festive & rituals, and wars or even for funeral.
The dances, performed by the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, have been broadly divided into four groups.
The first group is the ritual dances which are a part of a ritual. This group may again be divided into five subgroups.
The first subgroup of the ritual dances includes those dances which are performing to secure prosperity, good health and happiness of the dancer, his family, village or the whole community in various rituals.
The second subgroup comprises those dances performed in ceremonies related to agriculture and domestication of animals to secure a good harvest and increase of domestic animals respectively.
The third subgroup is associated with the funeral ceremony when the soul is prevented from hunting its old house and guided by the priest to its abode in the land of the dead.
It is generally believed that if the soul returns to its old home, the family suffers diseases and deaths.
The fourth subgroup consists of the fertility dances where the imitation of the movements of coition is believed to promote fertility.
War dances make the fifth subgroup, which are on the decline with the stoppage of the internecine feuds and raids. The war dance used to be prevalent among almost all the non-Buddhist tribes.

Traditional craftsmanship of Art Forms of Arunachal Pradesh

Perhaps the most tangible manifestation of intangible cultural heritage is traditional craftsmanship, though it is mainly concerned with the skills and knowledge involved in craftsmanship rather than the craft products themselves.
The objects are varied in form and type- from delicate, detailed art to rugged and sturdy tasks and from used for a short time, such as for festive events to the objects that are passed from generation to generation.
There are numerous forms of traditional craftsmanship: tools; clothing and jewellery; costumes and props for festivals and performing arts; storage containers, objects used for storage, transport and shelter; decorative art and ritual objects; musical instruments, household utensils and toys, both for amusement and education.
The people of Arunachal Pradesh present an extraordinary tradition of artistic craftsmanship which manifests itself through their various products.
From the perspective of art and crafts, the region may be divided into three zones.
The Buddhist tribes include in the first zone, the second cultural zone occupies the central part from East kameng to Lohit and the third zone is formed by the south-eastern part of the state.
A variety of crafts i.e. weaving, painting, pottery, smithy work, wood carving, bamboo-work and cane-work are practiced by the people of Arunachal Pradesh.
The people of the first zone make beautiful masks. Beautiful woolen carpets, woolen and yak-hair caps, shoes, painted wooden vessels and silver articles are the specialties of the Monpas.
They are also experts at dyeing and painting. Wooden masks are made by the Khambas and Membas.
In the second zone, the people are skilled in cane and bamboo work.
The Nyishis, Apatanis, Hill Miris and Adis make beautiful articles from these materials, like Hats of different sizes and shapes, various kinds of baskets and a variety of cane belts and necklaces.
The people of the third zone, i.e., the Khamptis, Wanchos, Noctes are famous for their wood carving work. The Khamptis make beautiful religious images, toys and other objects.
The Noctes and Wanchos make beautiful strings of beads with attractive patterns and carve beautiful bamboo pipes and human and animal figures.
Making silver ornaments is the specialitiy of the Idu Mishmis of Dibang Valley.
The shawls and jackets of the Apatanis, the Adi skirts or gales, jackets and shoulder bags and the Mishmi coats and shawls are reflective of the weaving talents and artistic sense of these people.

Handloom Making Art Forms of Arunachal Pradesh

Handloom also forms an integral part of the rich art and craft and for most of women in the state, it is the primary occupation.

Women of 20 tribes and 100 sub-tribes in Arunachal work to manufacture products like skirt (Gale), shirt (Galuk) , cotton shawl, side bag, curtain cloth in different patterns, quality, traditional value, motive and design. Paintings is yet another important art that Arunachal Pradesh is proud of.
A special type of painting called Tangkha is prevalent in Buddhist dominated areas of the state like Tawang, West Kameng, and Upper Siang Districts.
The motif of these paintings is mainly a religious subject or that of a traditional value. Carpet weaving in Arunachal is mostly seen in the regions same as that of the painting making.
The carpets of the state has been acclaimed to be of National & International repute, which definitely adds a feather in the cap of Arunachal.
Apart from carpets, wall hanging , cushion pad, telephone pad, floor covering etc. are also handmade in the state.
One of the unique items coming from Arunachal is the Wangcho Bag, which is handmade by the women folk of Wangcho tribe of Tirap District.
Cotton and acrylic yarn is used for weaving the colourful geometrical pattern on the bag. Today, apart from the the trademark bags, the weavers are designing and different utilities like ladies and gents waist coat and dresses as well.
The Wangcho women also make grass necklaces with the help of seasonal reed that is found on river banks.
Along with this, necklace wristband, waist band , head gear and earring are also made in the Tirap district.

Famous Tangkha painting of Art Forms of Arunachal Pradesh Tangkha painting is one of the most artistic craft; it is prevalent mainly in Buddhist dominated area like Tawang, West Kameng and Upper Siang Districts.

The motif of the painting is mostly religious subject along with traditional value.
It is a traditional form of Tibetan Buddhist art. Learning this craft can take three years and is part of a monk’s education.
Monks who have left monastic life can continue painting Tangkhas in craft centers like in Bomdila.

Folk Songs of Arunachal Pradesh

The folk song of Pailibos relate more to their folk history, mythology and description of their known past.
Themes of songs are like fables involving creatures or the animal and urgent words signifying moral deduction.
Music & dance are an integral part of every festival and occasion, taking place in Arunachal Pradesh.
Every festival is celebrated with much fun & fair, which also includes music and dance.
The folk dances and Folk Songs of Arunachal Pradesh are are generally performed in groups, in which both men & women participate.
There are also famous tribal songs and dances generally performed on marriage occassions, harvet time or on every aspecious event.
Dance forms an important aspect of the socio-cultural heritage of the people of Arunachal Pradesh.
The people of Arunachal dance on important rituals, during festivals and also for recreation. The dances of the people of Arunachal are group dances, in which both men and women participate.
There are some dances such as igo dance of the Mishmi priests, war dance of the Adis, Noctes and Wanchos Tribal dance, ritualistic dance of the Buddhist tribes, which are specifically male dances. Females are not allowed to take part in these dances.

Experience the Dance & Music

Some of the popular folk dances of the people of Arunachal Pradesh are Aji Lamu (Monpa), Roppi (Nishing), Buiya (Nishing), Hurkani (Apatani), Popir (Adi), Pasi Kongki (Adi), Chalo (Nocte), Ponung (Adi), Rekham Pada (Nishing), Lion and Peacock dance (Monpa) and so on.
Most dances are performed to the accompaniment of songs sung generally in chorus.
Musical instruments like drums and Cymbals are played along with the songs sung for the dances.

Following are their chief folksong, sung on different occasion:

Ja-Jin-Ja Folk Songs of Arunachal Pradesh:

On occasion of feasts and merriment, during marriages or other social meets, this song is sung.
This song is sung especially during the social gatherings such as marriages, family feasts and friendly get-togethers.
The song lightens up the mood and provides a spirit of mirth and merriment to the people.
This folk song is sung by both males and females but gradually everyone lends their voice as the celebration peaks.

Baryi Folk Song Folk Songs of Arunachal Pradesh:

It is a song which narrate their history, their religious lore and mythology.
Its whole cycle takes hours to complete. It is also a feature of festivals or of occasion of important social or religious gatherings.
Both Ja-Jin-Ja and Baryi produce a nostalgic feeling in Pailibos as the glories of the past ancestors are narrated through them.

Nyioga Folk Songs of Arunachal Pradesh:

It is sung when a marriage ceremony is concluded and the bridal party returns leaving the bride in her home. The theme is that of the joy. It contains pieces of advice to the bride for her future life.

ZIRO FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

This festival is Arunachal’s own version of the Sunburn Festival.
Ziro Festival of Music is the biggest outdoor music festival in the state and is the most happening event in Arunachal Pradesh as well.
Music lovers from all over the state and the North East region gather at Ziro, where this festival takes place.
It is a four-day festival where the music lovers enjoy the performances of international and domestic music artists.
Folk acts from all across the North East are also organized; therefore it is a good opportunity to learn about the different cultures here.
People make merry and spend four unforgettable days at the Ziro Festival of Music.

Musical Instruments used during singing

Music is an important component of the performing arts like dance and drama, and of rituals. Each community has its own style of music and tradition of songs.
There are essentially two ways to make music:

With the human voice
With an instrument.

The musical instruments are classified on the basis of the scientific principle used to create the sound they make. They are briefly described below.

Percussion Instruments: These instruments are struck to produce sound. Often these are used to produce the taal or beat and do not produce all the musical note or cymbals.
Wind Instruments: These need air to flow through them to produce soundóbansuri or flute.
String Instruments: These are instruments that use one or many tightly tied strings that when struck vibrate to create soundóthe veena or ektara.
Drums: A drum is made of a membrane stretched across a hollow frame and played by striking the dholak or mridangam.

Basic/General Features of Folk Music across India as well as Arunachal

India has a very rich and varied tradition of folk music.
The extreme diversity in rural culture spawns endless varieties of folk styles.
Each region has its own particular approach and repertoire.
There is a tendency to lump folk music along with tribal music, but strictly speaking this is not correct.
Where folk music is a rustic reflection of Indian society at large, tribal music often reflects cultures that are very different.
Some of these tribal cultures are throwbacks to society as it was thousands of years ago.
Folk and tribal music is not taught in the same way that Indian classical music is taught.
There are no formal periods of apprenticeship where the student is able to devote their entire time to learning music; the economic realities of rural life do not permit this.
Folk musicians must still attend to their normal duties of farming, hunting, or whatever their chosen occupation is.
Folk music is learned almost as if by osmosis. From childhood, the music is heard and imbibed as a simple matter of life.
There are many public activities that allow the villagers to practice their musical skills.
Folk music is an indispensable part of functions such as weddings, births and engagements.
There is a vast body of songs for each occasion.
There are also songs associated with harvesting and planting. In these activities, the villagers routinely sing of their fears, hopes and aspirations.
Folk music is also used for education.
There is a ceremony when a girl has her first period.
In this function, the elderly women in the village gather at the house (men are excluded), the girl is given her first langa and woni (the half sari which is worn by unmarried women), rich food and other presents.
At this time, the women sing songs that are extremely bawdy.
To an outsider, this would seem out of character for obviously respectable community members.
However, the purpose of such Folk Songs of Arunachal Pradesh is to provide the girl’s first instructions on her emerging womanhood and what her future duties as a wife will be.