Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan

Overview

Songs and dances are an expression of the Kalbelia community’s traditional way of life. Once professional snake handlers, Kalbelia today evoke their former occupation in music and dance that is evolving in new and creative ways. Today, women in flowing black skirts dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent, while men accompany them on the ''khanjari'' percussion instrument and the ''poongi,'' a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes. The dancers wear traditional tattoo designs, jewellery and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread. Kalbelia songs disseminate mythological knowledge through stories, while special traditional dances are performed during Holi, the festival of colours. The songs also demonstrate the poetic acumen of the Kalbelia, who are reputed to compose lyrics spontaneously and improvise songs during...

This record is imported from the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage public dataset as discovery metadata. ARED has not independently verified community authority, access protocols or local naming beyond the source record.

Community and Authority

Communities: India
Languages: Not specified in UNESCO dataset
Cultural territories: India
Countries: India

How the System Works

Music, Performance and Oral Literature Language, Story and Memory Material Culture, Design and Technology Ways of Knowing and Knowledge Transmission

Sources and Evidence

Imported from UNESCO DataHub dataset ich001. Field-level provenance is retained in the record metadata.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ListsDataset

Open original source record

Field-Level Provenance

title: UNESCO DataHub field title_en
preferredTitle: UNESCO DataHub field title_fr
summary: UNESCO DataHub field description_en
type: UNESCO DataHub fields type_of_element_en and type_acronym
countries: UNESCO DataHub field countries, ISO codes resolved with ISO-3166 regional metadata
categories: ARED category inference from UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names and title
relationships: UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names, type fields and World Heritage links
sourceUrl: UNESCO DataHub field http_url_en
rights: UNESCO DataHub dataset metadata license and license_url

Original Source Metadata

uuidb35a9e16-f49f-4bc1-bc4d-50d298b41654

ich_public_ref340

inscription_year2010

title_enKalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan

title_frLes chants et danses populaires Kalbelia du Rajasthan

type_of_element_enRepresentative List

type_acronymRL

countriesIN

http_url_enhttps://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/00340

concepts_primary_namesDance, Instrumental music, Vocal music

concepts_secondary_namesAcrobatics, Circular breathing, Costumes, Embroidery, Festivals, Humour (literary), Improvisation, Jewelry, Makeup, Musical instruments, Mythology, Nomads, Oral tradition, Poetry, Tattoo

main_image_urlhttps://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/03356-LRG.jpg

main_image_caption_enNot supplied

main_image_copyrightWest Zone Cultural Center, Udaipur, Rajasthan, 2009

main_image_authorNihal Mathur

videoshttps://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/RGGmW5CQmdw

images[object Object], [object Object], [object Object]

Why This Record Is Credible

This public record is connected to 1 source and has been labelled Source Supported. ARED separates evidence sources from cultural authority so users can see both provenance and review limits.

Cultural Access

Use this as public discovery metadata only. It does not replace community authority or local access protocols.

Relationships

Dance Instrumental music Vocal music Acrobatics Circular breathing Costumes Embroidery Festivals Humour (literary)Improvisation Jewelry UNESCO representative list World Heritage connection: Hill Forts of Rajasthan

Review and Corrections

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