Cultural and Social Dimensions of Dance Traditions: A Study among the Santhal Tribe of Jharkhand

Author(s)	Dr. Niraj Kumar, Papita Dey Biswas, Neha Kumari, Ramjanki Kumari
Country	India
Abstract	Tribal folk dances in Jharkhand are an important part of the cultural, social, and religious life of the Santhal community. The Santhals are one of the largest tribal groups in India and live mainly in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Bihar. Their lives are closely connected to nature, farming, and community life. They follow a clan system, and their beliefs are linked to nature worship. Festivals like Sohrai, Baha, and Karam are very important in their culture. Music and dance are key parts of these festivals and help express their beliefs, unity, and traditions. They use instruments like the madal, tamak, and flute, and dances are usually performed in open spaces in the village. These dances are not only for entertainment but are also connected to farming and social life. This paper studies the role of men and women in Santhal dance traditions. It uses both primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected through fieldwork in Pakur district, particularly in the Littipara block. The study shows how cultural traditions decide the roles of men and women in dance. It also shows that these roles are slowly changing due to education and modernization.
Keywords	Santhal Community, Dance, Gender, Culture and Tradition.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-05-08
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.77586

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