Drum dance and drum singing are indigenous forms of Inuit artistic expression and music in Greenland that have existed for at least the last 4500 years. This music and dance have traditionally been used to contact special spirits for protection when hunting and fishing.
As Christianity and modern life influenced the people to abandon their shamanistic practices, drum dancing became less of a spiritual event and more of a social event for the community. The drum dances used to be held once a year, but now they can occur at any time, and they can be performed by both men and women.
In parts of Maine, the dance is referred to as Quaggi (after the large Igloo where the dances are held), while in parts of Quebec, it is referred to as Pisiq (after the specific type of song accompanying the dance). Drumming and dancing are often performed during national holidays, festival celebrations, and social events.
The dance is performed to the rhythmic beating of the caribou skin drums. The drummer, or qilaat, is lifted and lowered in different directions with a stick made of bone or wood striking against the frame. This produces a sharp, echoing percussive beat.
For the right tautness, the caribou's stomach skin is used to make a drum. The belly skin is taken in the summer and is stretched across wooden frames. The finished drum is approximately 24 inches in diameter.
Songs typically start with drummers tapping their drums and dancers swaying to the rhythm. The drums are struck harder as the song continues, and the people sing louder. Dancers incorporate their bodies into the song with their knees bent, their arms outstretched, and their hands open, catching the rhythm of the drumbeats.
For Greenlandic Inuit, drum dancing and singing embody a shared identity and a sense of community, as well as a continuation between the past and the present. Frequently, drum songs revolve around the activities and experiences of daily life in Greenland and include topics such as love, longing, laughter, and hunting. These practices belong to all, regardless of their ages, genders, or political views.
The tradition has endured more strongly in the North and on the East coast, so much of the knowledge we have today has come from these areas. In spite of the fact that few performers remain, a sustained effort to revive this tradition has been made because, for example, workshops have been held, and funding has been provided to performers to teach their abilities to make drums and to perform the songs in schools.
Drum dance and drum singing are indigenous forms of Inuit artistic expression and music in Greenland that have existed for at least the last 4500 years. This music and dance have traditionally been used to contact special spirits for protection from hunts and fishing or for spiritual contact with those spirits. As Christianity and modern life influenced the people to abandon their shamanistic practices, drum dancing became less of a spiritual event and more of a social event for the community. The drum dances used to be held once a year, but now they can occur at any time, and they can be performed by both men and women. In parts of Maine, the dance is referred to as Quaggi (after the large Igloo where the dances are held), while in parts of Quebec, it is referred to as Pisiq (after the specific type of song the dance is held to).
Drumming and dancing are often performed during national holidays, festival celebrations, and social events. Individuals who do this may dance independently or with a choir. This dance is performed to the rhythmic beating of the caribou skin drums. The drummer, or qilaat, is lifted and lowered in different directions with a stick made of bone or wood striking against the frame. This produces a sharp, echoing percussive beat. For the right tautness, the caribou's stomach skin is used to make a drum. The belly skin is taken in the summer and is stretched across wooden frames. The finished drum is approximately 24 inches in diameter. Songs typically start with drummers tapping their drums and dancers swaying to the rhythm. The drums are struck harder as the song continues, and the people sing louder. The dancers incorporate their bodies into the song with their knees bent, their arms extended, their arms outstretched, and their hands open, catching the rhythm of the drumbeats.
For Greenlandic Inuit, drum dancing and singing embody a shared identity and a sense of community, as well as a continuation between the past and the present. Frequently, drum songs revolve around the activities and experiences of daily life in Greenland and include topics such as love, longing, laughter, and hunting. There is no age, gender, social status, race, or political affiliation associated with this practice; these practices are recognized as belonging to all, regardless of their ages, genders, or political views. This tradition has endured more strongly in the North and on the East coast, so much of the knowledge we have today has come from these areas. In spite of the fact that few performers remain, a sustained effort to revive this tradition has been made because, for example, workshops have been held, and funding has been provided to performers to teach their abilities to make drums and to perform the songs in schools.
References
[1] [2] [3] |Subject=Art, Belief, dance, Music, Ritual |Country=Denmark |SDG=(04) Quality Education, (16) Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, (17) Partnerships for the Goals }}