Performing the Garo Nation? Garo Wangala Dancing between Faith and Folklore

In recent decades, Wangala dancing has gained prominence as an important cultural expression of the Northeast Indian Garo community. In 2008, a Wangala performance was included in the annual Republic Day parade. Photographs of Wangala dancing have come to play an important role on posters circulated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Asian ethnology 2013-09, Vol.72 (2), p.221-239
Main Author: de Maaker, Erik
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Celebrations
Christianity
Dance
Dance festivals
Dancing
Ethnology
Faith
Festivals
Folklore
Garos
Indian culture
Photograph collections
Political aspects
Politicians
Religious aspects
Religious dances
Religious rituals
Rites, ceremonies and celebrations
Social aspects
Traditional dance
Villages
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Summary:In recent decades, Wangala dancing has gained prominence as an important cultural expression of the Northeast Indian Garo community. In 2008, a Wangala performance was included in the annual Republic Day parade. Photographs of Wangala dancing have come to play an important role on posters circulated by politicians and on calendars produced by organizations that call for greater political assertion of the Garo community. Beyond these relatively new uses, for adherents of the traditional Garo religion, Wangala dancing continues to be linked to the most important post-harvest festival. In exploring how Wangala dancing has developed into a powerful mediatized expression of the Garo community, this article examines how national- and state-level performances continue to be linked to village-level celebrations.
ISSN:1882-6865