Acholi Dance Culture (by Nighty Ayaa)
Hailing from the northern part of the country, I always have a feeling that we are really the most blessed people who have the richest culture in the whole country. this ranges from dances , cooking ( over 80 dishes) and then the different customary practices , to mention a few.
This time I will mainly be dwelling on the different types of dances and the particular occassions when they are performed.I have picked on four major ones.
1--- ' Bwola' This is the royal dance, which is mainly perfomed when installing a chief or when welcoming a special guest.
2----' Otole' -- This is a war dance - though these days it can be done for entertainment.The Acholi people are very particular people who even have theguts to dance even when going to fight,
3--' Larakaraka'-- The youth's dance, this as the name depics, is danced by the youths who are still looking for partners. On many occassions , it takes about a week once organised and by the end of it , most would have got their would be spouses.
4-- ' Dingidingi' --- This is yet another one for the youths, but is more of an entertainment other than any specific meaning. Though the boys also take the opportunity to get the girls with the most flexible waist - because it's done by twisting the waist.
I was so lucky that I got to know all these, when I was a young girl and would join my friends at the arena, Oh! those were really lovely days, I wish they could come back.
This time I will mainly be dwelling on the different types of dances and the particular occassions when they are performed.I have picked on four major ones.
1--- ' Bwola' This is the royal dance, which is mainly perfomed when installing a chief or when welcoming a special guest.
2----' Otole' -- This is a war dance - though these days it can be done for entertainment.The Acholi people are very particular people who even have theguts to dance even when going to fight,
3--' Larakaraka'-- The youth's dance, this as the name depics, is danced by the youths who are still looking for partners. On many occassions , it takes about a week once organised and by the end of it , most would have got their would be spouses.
4-- ' Dingidingi' --- This is yet another one for the youths, but is more of an entertainment other than any specific meaning. Though the boys also take the opportunity to get the girls with the most flexible waist - because it's done by twisting the waist.
I was so lucky that I got to know all these, when I was a young girl and would join my friends at the arena, Oh! those were really lovely days, I wish they could come back.
1 Comments:
The acholi are very cultural and known for there traditional dances. Acholi dancing is communal and they have eight or nine different and distinct types of dance- bwola, lalobaloba, otiti, myel awal, apiti, aije, labongo, myel wanga and atira.
In the lalobaloba dance, people dance in a circle, but no drums are used. The men form an outer ring, while the women form an inner circle. All the dancers carry sticks. In the otiti dance, all men carry spears and shields, and the dancers encircle drums that are usually attached to a post in the middle of an arena. The myel awal dance is a funeral dance during which the women wail around the grave while the men dance the lalobaloba carrying their shields and spears.
The bwola dance (below)is the most important because it is the chief's dance and is only performed on his orders. The men form a large circle and each carries a drum. The movement of the feet matches rhythmically with the beating of the drums. The women dance separately inside the circle without beating drums. The dance has a leader who moves by himself within the circle and sets the time and leads the singing. He is regarded as an important person and traditionally was among the few in the community allowed to wear a leopard skin.
Larakaraka(above) is a ceremonial dance, also from Acholi, It is primarily a courtship dance that is performed during weddings. When the youth in a particular village are ready for marriage, they organize a big ceremony where all potential partners meet. As a sign of friendship, food and alcoholic drinks are served during this ceremony. Only the best dancers will get partners, so there is a lot of competition during the dancing. In Acholi, if you are a poor dancer, you will likely die a bachelor.
Labongo is a dance following a successful hunt performed while the hunters are still away from their homes. Men and women face each other in two lines and jump up and down while clapping their hands. In the myel wanga dance, the men sit down and play their harps while the women dance the apiti in front of them. The atira dance was held on the eve of a battle.
The Acholi by large are known for being very honest people. In fact too honest. Some of them say. They are also a very proud people with big hearts as others say.
SEE PICTURES OF THE DANCES AND DETAILS AT http://www.acholiteck.com/aboutAcholi.php
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