Idu Mishmi Dance (Reh)

Understand

Where Idu Mishmi Dance (Reh) comes from

Reh is the central post-harvest festival of the Idu Mishmi tribe of the Dibang Valley district of eastern Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated in March to mark the completion of the sowing and the appeasement of the deities of the sky and the earth. The festival is one of the most distinctive regional traditions of the Idu community and is performed at the village and at the district level. The Reh dance is one of the documented regional traditions of Arunachal Pradesh and is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the state.

How it's practiced

The Idu Mishmi dance (Reh) is performed by men and women of the Idu community in a circle at the central courtyard of the village or at the open ground of the festival. The men and women perform in coordinated steps to the song of the Reh cycle and to the rhythm of the dhol and the small regional instruments. The dance is gentle, with the small stepping rhythm of the Idu tradition. Costume is the traditional Idu dress — the men's wrap and the women's wrap with the small regional headdress. Performances are at the Reh festival and at the cultural programmes of the state.