Maibi Jagoi

Understand

Where Maibi Jagoi comes from

Maibi Jagoi is the priestess-dance of the Meitei tradition, performed by the Maibis (the female priest-dancers of the Meitei community) at the shrine of the Umang Lai and at the Lai Haraoba of the various Meitei shrines. The dance is the central ritual-trance dance of the Sanamahism (the pre-Hindu Meitei religion) and is performed by the Maibis in the courtyard of the Umang Lai. The Maibi Jagoi is the source of the female-dance vocabulary of the classical Manipuri tradition, with the cylindrical costume and the small swaying steps of the classical Manipuri Raas deriving from this older ritual form. The Maibi Jagoi is one of the oldest ritual-dance forms of Manipur.

How it's practiced

Maibi Jagoi is performed by the Maibis (the priestess-dancers) of the Meitei community at the shrine of the Umang Lai in the Lai Haraoba. The dance is the small, gentle swaying step of the female-dance vocabulary, with the Maibi performing in a reverent style and often entering a possession-trance state. Music is the pung, the pena and the dhol. Costume is the cylindrical kumil and the small regional head-cloth, with the heavy silver jewellery of the Meitei tradition. Performances are at the shrine of the Umang Lai in the months of February-May.