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The Idu Mishmi Ritual Dance
The Idu Mishmis have a ritual-dance and a fertility-dance. The ritual-dance
is performed by the priest or priestess in the ceremonies of Ai-ah, Ai-him,
Mesalah and Rren. The fertility-dance is performed on the last day of
the Rren ceremony.
There is no definite myth about the origin of this ritual
dance. According to local tradition, the first priest who officiated in
a funeral ceremony was Chineuhu and his brother Ahihiuh, was the first
priest who officiated in the other three ceremonies in which this dance
forms a part. This dance is associated with the priestly office.
Besides the priest, there are three or four other dancers
who are selected from amongst the spectators. In addition it is the usual
dress which consists of a loin-cloth, a short-sleeved coat, and a sword
slung on the right side, a leather bag slung on the left side and a few
bead-necklaces, the priest wears a few other articles. These articles
are an apron with particular designs, a head-band decorated with two or
three rows of cowries, a necklace studded with the teeth of tiger and
bear and a few metal bells. A priestess wears these special articles in
addition to the usual Mishmi woman's dress of a skirt, a long sleeved
coat and bead-necklaces. The priestess is generally accompanied
by female dancers. The accompanying dancers wear the usual dress.
The dancers stand in a line, the priest is second either
from the right or left. During the dance, one dancer standing at one end
of the line plays a small drum slung from his neck. The priest and the
other two dancers play a very small semi-globular single-membrane drum,
striking it with a bamboo-stick which is kept tied to the drum with a
string. The fifth dancer, if any, plays a horn bugle. When there are five
dancers, the priest stands in the middle of the line. He sings a line
of invocatory song while all the others play the musical instruments,
flex the knees bobbing up and down and alternately raise the right and
left heels and stamp these on the ground in time to the drum-beats. When
the priest finishes singing the line, others repeat it in chorus. Again
the priest sings another line of the song which the others repeat
in chorus and thus it goes on.
After a prelude of flexing of knees and stamping of heels,
they place one foot forward and immediately bring the other up beside
it. If in the first step, the right foot is taken forward, then in the
next step it is the left one. After each step, they flex the knees. Thus,
they dance forward to the accompaniment of drumbeats and invocatory song.
When they have danced forward for some distance, they dance backward with
the same movement. Thus they dance moving forward and backward.
Sometimes they break away from the line formation and
the four dancers standing in the four corners sing an invocatory song,
play the musical instruments and dance flexing the knees and raising the
right and left heel alternately and stamping these on the ground. Now
and then they change positions dancing all the time but facing inward.
Sometimes they dance in a circle following one another with tripping steps.
In another movement, they dance sideways either in a
clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. They stand in a semi-circle and
in the anti-clockwise movement, they take one step with the right foot
to the right and immediately bring the left foot beside the right one.
Thus they dance in a circle, flexing the knees after each step.
The priest does not demand any money for his priestly
services, but the performer usually remunerates him according to his ability.
The remuneration may also be paid in kind, e.g. with handloom coat, brass
utensils or pigs.
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