Category Archives: Performing arts

“Culture nourishes itself from nature / Without nature, culture cannot exist / without culture, a society cannot” – Vayali Folklore Group’s motto on its journey: “learning the traditional/local Knowledge systems practiced in and around the banks of River Nila (Bharatha Puzha) and share/impart the same to the young generation” through folk art dance performance.
http://www.vayali.org
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=1972

“Many of the tribes have two distinct types of music, the ‘outdoor’ ensemble, which is often performed by members of a different tribe or a Hindu caste, and their own characteristic tribal songs. The outdoor ensemble is used at weddings and on festive occasions. It varies in size and structure, depending to some extent on the affluence of the tribe. The main instruments are the double-reed oboe-type, a straight, curved, or S-shaped horn, a variety of drums – kettle-shaped, cylindrical, or frame drums similar to the tambourine – and cymbals.” – NA Jairazbhoy in A Cultural History of India (Oxford University Press, 1975, Chapter XVI “Tribal, Folk and Devotional Music”), pp. 212-242
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=3488

“Economic deprivation, degradation of land and the temptations of urban culture have led to large scale migration of tribals to greener pastures. The ones who are left behind have far more pressing problems to attend to, than that of the survival of a dance form that hardly anyone understands or appreciates.” – Amitabh Ghosh of The Celluloid Chapter Art Foundation in Jamshedpur, quoted in “The disappearing steps of tribal dance” (The Deccan Herald, 22 October 2011)
https://www.deccanherald.com/content/199806/disappearing-steps-tribal-dance.html
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=5383

“The performers of the Tribal/Folk Arts and Culture should continually upgrade their creative flair and operational skill so that they themselves can play a proactive role in bolstering the foundation and ensuring the sustainability of Tribal /Folks Arts and Culture. They should adopt a proactive stance in carrying the rich cultural legacy of India and proceed forward in pursuit of functional excellence.” – Final Report, Evaluation Study of Tribal/Folk Arts and Culture in West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar.
http://planningcommission.gov.in/reports/sereport/ser/ser_folk2211.pdf
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=29938