Lebong Omani Music Unique to Tripura – Special Focus Art & Culture

Tripura the third smallest country of India has a tropical monsoon climate so it is mostly surrounded with tall green grass and Angiospermae across year. So, creative and fun-loving local peoples have found an entertaining and eco-friendly way to clear their exasperating pests.

Location of Tripura on India Map

What They Do?

Music Unique to Tripura - Special Focus Art & Culture

Tripura՚s jhum group peoples have strong belief that their traditional lebong Omani is very strong to attract insects and they performs lebong Omani (their traditional dance) when paddies are ready to collect in nights until the winged marauders are destroy.

Men and women (wearing chains, bangles, ear ring and nose ring) meet at clearing fields after finishing their regular day work with net on the head which is satchel on the waistband then after lighting torches they began their dance so that the insects are attracted by music and bring near to the dancers and stuck into the swish-swash of kerchiefs of net then they are pulled down in to the bags, this dance is performed over an hour.

Lebong omani is a six-foot tall instrument of hollowed bamboo sticks and strings are stretched on the sides, it is generally used in the spirited songs along with the rhythmic sound of anklet bells, sarinda (another folk music instrument of Tripura) , an antique string instrument and tak dutreng (bamboo instrument) .

According to Modern anthropologists the lebong Omani has magical affect at down-to-earth. It produces a high-pitched sound so Insects are attracted from that sound and the light.

Tribes of Tripura

Tripura includes different tribe՚s such as Debbarmas, Tripuras, Reangs, Jamatias, Kolois, Noatias, Murasings, Uchoiands etc. they all have different significant social values.

  • Most popular tribe is Debbarmas forming one of the largest communities of Tripura.
  • Reangs or Bru are located in North and South Tripura and they are second largest community of Tripura.
  • The third largest community of Tripura is Jamatia located in west and south Tripura, peoples of this community live in groups known as Jamatia (collection of groups of peoples) , Jamatia peoples are physically very strong.
  • Noatias are the oldest and important community of Tripura but still they are treated as new comers, majorly founded in South Tripura and they are the reason for present day name of Tripura.
  • Uchoiand are the separate and the oldest community of Tripura belonging to Arakan Hills Burma. They produce everything they need by themselves.
  • Tripuris are native community of Tripura and also the largest. They are mostly Hindu՚s and have different cultural activities then other tribes. They are economically, socially, educationally and agriculturally very strong community of Tripura.

Examrace Team at Aug 21, 2021