Video & eBook | Reviving the Huka Banam: Fiddle of choice for the Santal communities – West Bengal

The Huka Banam has been a Santal tradition, particularly among the community in Purulia and Bankura. Since the last two decades or so however, the tradition has gradually become extinct. Only a handful of old timers are still familiar with or continue to play the instrument, with possibly a few younger exceptions.

This workshop was organized as a response to this decline – hopefully the first of several such initiatives, so that the Huka Banam tradition can truly be “revived”.

Source: Reviving the Huka Banam – YouTube
Address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9vVWQK3jNk
Date Visited: Sun May 21 2017 18:29:34 GMT+0200 (CEST)

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The banam is an ancient fiddle like instrument played by the Santals. Of the 14 different instruments they play, the banam, is the most revered. The Santals play this generally one-stringed instrument as an accompaniment to their songs and dances like the Dasae, Sohrae, Don, Lagre and Karam.

Source: Foundation >>
Date Visited: 29 March 2021

daricha_huka_banam_workshop_2016

The Banam of the Santals is a primitive folk fiddle which accompanies many Santal dances. The Banam comes in various shapes and forms – Dhodro, Huka, Kendri and more recently, Phentor. While the Dhodro Banam is prevalent in in Birbhum and Bardhaman, in Purulia and Bankura, the Huka Banam was once the fiddle of choice. […]

Early in 2016, in collaboration with Anthropological Survey of India
we organized a workshp, reintroducing the Huka Banam to its stakeholders. […]

When we asked the students why it is that they had not attempted to learn earlier, when they were so interested and evidently talented, we were made aware of the unfortunate truth. Most of the Santals in  these dry and arid areas  struggle to eke out a living […]

Music did not pay and so had to be practised in their free time. Where was the time to learn something new? […]

Daricha  Foundation  has been  in touch since then and true to their word, they have been practising. And the gurus have promised to continue teaching. […]

In fact, this amazing experience taught us how important it was to encourage more and more Santals to get back in touch with their age old tradition through workshops such as this. In the near future, hopefully, it would not be only the tamak and the tumdak drums that would be heard during their festivals, but also the music of the Banams.

Source: Final report 2016 © courtesy Ratnaboli Bose, Daricha Foundation | Backup (PDF 1,5 MB) >>

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See also

Audio | Santali Traditional and Fusion Songs: Ghosaldanga Bishnubati Adibasi Trust – West Bengal

Banam (Santal string instrument)
– eBook: Banam Making Workshop at Bishnubati | Daricha Foundation
– Video: Banam Raja | Interview with Nunulal Marndi | Reviving the Huka Banam

eBook | Background guide for education

eBook | Free catalogue: Banam: One of the ancient musical instruments of the Santals

eBook | Free catalogue: Museum of Santal Culture (Bishnubati) – West Bengal

eBook | “Santals Celebrate the Seasons”: Creativity fostered by Ashadullapur Gramin Silpa & Sastha Bidhan Kendra – West Bengal

India’s tribal, folk and devotional music: Secular and ceremonial songs

eJournal | Writing and teaching Santali in different alphabets: A success story calling for a stronger sense of self-confidence

Infusing the Santhali Element in Schooling by Rina Mukherji

Museum collections – India

Museum of Santal Culture Bishnubati

Music album and video by Santal village children and youths (DVD, CD): “Children see world around them differently” – West Bengal & Odisha

Music and dance | Adivasi music and the public stage by Jayasri Banerjee

Puppetry | Santali Chadar Badni / Chadar Bad(o)ni”| Daricha Foundation
– eBook: Cadence-and-counterpoint-documenting-santal-musical-traditions
– Video: Damon Murmu | Sahadev Kisku | Shibdhan Murmu

Santal | Santal creation myth | Santal Parganas | The Santals by Boro Baski

Santal cultural traditions documented on the Daricha Foundation website

Santal flute music: Audio resource by Adivaani.org – West Bengal & Jharkhand

Santali language | eBook | A Santali-English dictionary – Archive.org

Santali script – Ol Chiki

Santal mission | Santali songs recorded in 1931 at Kairabani (Jharkhand)

Santal music | Santal Musical Traditions: National Museum (exhibition catalogue)

Video | Santali video album “Ale Ato” (Our Village)

Video & eLearning | “Cadence and Counterpoint: Documenting Santal Musical Traditions” – A virtual exhibition on Google Cultural Institute