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1.8. |
DRUM DANCES:Most of the folk dances of Sikkim require drum accompaniment.
Generally the drummer provides the percussion accompaniment with dances. There
are many dances in which the dancer himself plays the drum while dancing. Such
dances come under the category of drum dance (Pani, 2000: 99)
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(a)
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Ke Lang or Chybrung Lang: Ke Lang: Ke-Lang is one of the most popular
drum dances of Sikkim danced by the Limboo community. The dancers ranging from 5
to 20 people, depending on the space available for dancing, sometimes are
accompanied by dancing females in between each of them, play the drum themselves
while dancing. It is essentially a religious ritual drum dance of Shamanistic
Phedangma priest of the Limboo community at the time of offering the new
harvested festival of "Phungsok Timma ritual, new house opening ceremony of Thok
Thamma ritual, solemnizing marriage ritual of Metkamma, as gesture of welcome
occasion Lamthan or any happy occasion. Usually the young boys slung the Ke or
Chabrung in front of the body with leather cord and play on it while dancing. It
is a dance with Ke Lang Samlo or without any song performed by the male dancers
and in some occasions, the female dancers accompany them. The female dancers do
not carry the Ke but stand in between the male dancers and follow the beating
sounds by clapping their hands and perform dance through proper stepping and
bodily movements. It is essentially a nature dance and the dancers imitate
actions of animals, insects and other living creatures. They dance imitating
movements of different kinds of animals such as deer, buffalo, goat, elephant,
sheep, frog, pigeon, eagle, peacock, jungle fowl, butterfly etc. through variety
of stepping and bodily movements (photo enclosed).
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The myth says that the primitive man constructed his house but was destroyed by
wood insects and termites known as Mudhok Thoknam, caused by the evil spirit
(Sogha) of his sister Mellonghangma who was killed in an accident during the
house construction. Then the primitive man invited Lokpha Temba Hangpha Temba;
the Ke Lang experts who played on the Niyara Hongsing Ke on the main pillar of
the house and made the insects fall on the ground. Then they invited a bird
known as Temlana Lakherek Pu (woodpecker) to eat away the fallen insects and
thus they saved the house for man. The myth is followed then onwards in the
community at the new construction of a house. Another myth says that the
Phedangma priests of the Limboo community accompany and reach the soul of the
deceased to the village of the ancestors and hand over to the Hangsam (soul
receiving ancestor) after the death. While returning, they imitate various
creatures by Ke Lang, dance stepping so as to confuse the evil spirits or the
souls of the dead, and thereby the souls and evil spirits do not come down to
the earth following them. The drum dance is also used to enhance concentration
of the shamanistic priest while worshipping during harvest festival of Phungsook
Tzmma. Ke Lang is also essential to introduce the new bride to the household
deity Akwanamma during Metkamma (marriage) ritual. Ke Lang is also popular in
other happy occasions for Lamthan and stage entertainments in Sikkim (Subba,
1999: 215-216).
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