Shompen Dance (Nicobar)

Understand

Where Shompen Dance (Nicobar) comes from

The Shompen dance is the traditional ceremonial-dance of the Shompen people (one of the indigenous tribes of the Nicobar Islands, settled in the Great Nicobar Island). The Shompen are a small indigenous tribe with their own cultural and linguistic identity. The dance is performed at the community gatherings of the Shompen and is associated with the ceremonial life of the community. The form is one of the documented regional traditions of the Nicobar Islands and is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the union territory.

How it's practiced

The Shompen dance is performed by the men and women of the Shompen 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 Shompen cycle and to the rhythm of the small regional instruments of the Shompen tradition. The dance is gentle, with the small stepping rhythm of the Shompen community. Costume is the traditional Shompen dress — the leaf and the body-paint of the community. Performances are at the central courtyard of the village and at the cultural gatherings of the community.