Assam ASSEB HS Skill Assamese Folk Music and Dance flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Bohag Bihu

The mid-April Assamese New Year and sowing festival, also called Rongali Bihu, marked by husori singing, Bihu dance, and the display of the mekhela chador.

Borgeet

Vaishnava devotional song composed by Sankardeva and Madhavdeva in Brajavali lyrics and raga-based melody, sung in Sattras with taal accompaniment at a slow tempo.

Goalpariya Lokgeet

Folk song tradition of the Rajbongshi community of western Assam, including Bhawaiya, Chatka, and Mahut songs, marked by high tessitura and ornamented free-rhythm openings.

Ojapali

Narrative performance tradition in which an Oja sings mythological episodes with a responding Pali group, accompanied by toka, gogona, and dhol.

Aai Naam

Women's devotional call-and-response singing performed during Bihu and puja in Assam, led by one singer with the group answering the refrain.

Husori

Male group song-and-dance of the Bohag Bihu season, performed house to house with clapping, a lead singer, and dhol accompaniment.

Bihu dance

Assamese spring dance of the Bohag season, performed by women with rapid hip sway and wrist movements, and by men in the husori group form.

Sattriya Nritya

Classical dance form from the Vaishnava Sattras of Assam, recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000, with repertoire including Chali, Jhumura, and Nadu Bhangi.

Bagurumba

Bodo community women's dance performed at Bwisagu, using a swaying bird-like step with arms held out, in dokhona and jhumra costume.

Deodhani dance

Ritual trance dance of the female oracle in Manasa worship, with rapid head and body shaking, accompanied by dhol and cymbal.

Bhortal Nritya

Group dance of the Barpeta region in which men in white strike large metal cymbals in unison while moving in a circle, attributed to Narahari Burhabhakat.

Jhumur

Circle dance of the tea-garden, Sadri, and Oraon communities of Assam, using clapping and footwork, distinct from the Bengali form of the same name.

Dhol

Double-headed barrel drum central to Bihu and Sattriya ensembles; the left head is paste-tuned and the right is struck with a stick.

Pepa

Buffalo-horn pipe of the Mising community, a single-reed instrument with a piercing melodic range, used to accompany the Gumrag dance.

Gogona

Bamboo jaw harp played by women during Bihu, producing a rhythmic drone; held in the mouth and plucked while dancing.

Khol

Sattriya barrel drum played with fingers and palms, producing stroke syllables (bols) that also govern the dancer's footwork.

Sarinda

Assamese bowed folk fiddle with a hollow body and three main strings, used as a melodic instrument in folk ensembles alongside the bamboo flute.

Toka

Bamboo clapper used in Ojapali and Bihu performance to mark a steady pulse for the singer and the responding group.

Sattriya tala system

Codified cycle system of the Sattriya tradition including Sutkala, Chutkala, Jhumura, and Gopi tala, each with a fixed beat count and khol theka.

Bihu dhol cycle

Repeating fast duple-feel dhol pattern counted in six or eight beats depending on gharana, with fill variations signalling section changes.

Bhawaiya diha

Free-rhythm opening section of a Bhawaiya song, sung before the metred body begins, using glides and a high tessitura.

Khol bol syllables

Spoken stroke names of the Sattriya drum that are recited in training and mapped directly to the dancer's footwork rather than to a metronomic count.

Ardhamandali stance

Half-sitting Sattriya posture with knees bent outward and weight low, forming the base position from which all Sattriya movement sequences begin.

Husori formation

Group arrangement for husori performance with the lead singer at the front, dhol player beside him, and the line or circle of dancers behind.

Bihu costume

Women's Bihu dress of mekhela chador in muga or pat silk with the riha and a flowered hair bun; the male husori wears dhoti and gamosa.

Sattra institution

Vaishnava monastery system established by Sankardeva and Madhavdeva, with centres at Majuli, Barpeta, and Kamalabari, custodian of Borgeet and Sattriya.

Three Bihu seasons

Bohag (mid-April, New Year and sowing), Kati (mid-October, transplanting and akashbanti lamps), and Magh (mid-January, harvest and Meji burning).

Barak Valley repertoire

Distinct folk song traditions of Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi, influenced by Bengali and Manipuri practice and not classifiable as Bihu.

Field recording metadata

Documentation set capturing performer, community, village, district, occasion, date, lyric language, instrument inventory, and stated tonic for each recording.

Sargam transcription

Notation of folk melody as Sa Re Ga Ma relative to the singer's tonic, paired with a numbered beat grid and theka bol for the tala cycle.

Ensemble rehearsal order

Tune to the singer's tonic, fix the tala with dhol and taal alone, add melodic instruments, then add voice; never begin with the full ensemble.

Performer recording consent

Written agreement covering recording, broadcast, and derivative use of a folk performance, stating the fee or royalty and crediting the source performer and community.