In the northeast of India lies the land of the mighty Brahmaputra-Assam. As the gateway to the northeast, Assam is the home of many cultural art forms. This region is marked by hills, valleys, rivers, tributaries, and most importantly, the lush green tea gardens that add to the charm and aesthetic of the place. This multicultural land of Assam consists of several tribes with their distinct folk art, and one such cultural folk tradition is Jhumur.
An Introduction to the Jhumur folk dance
Jhumur is the traditional dance form of the tea communities of Assam, traditionally performed in harvest seasons, festivals, and social functions, as well as for ritualistic purposes. This dance is performed in open areas like fields by women, especially young girls, with music and vocals composed and performed by men.
Following the rhythm of the musical beats, the dance is performed in groups in which the girls are chained together by holding the waist of each other and moving in a circular pattern. They also use hand gestures and footwork in a synchronized manner. Men accompany them by playing traditional musical instruments like the dhol, madal, dhak or drums, taal, flute and shehnai. Festivals such as Tushu Puja and Karam Puja serve as significant cultural events during which Jhumur is performed.
Roots of Jhumur
Originating in the Chotanagpur plateau, this dance form was practiced by the tribes such as the Munda, Oraon, Santhals and Gonds of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bengal and Odisha. During the colonial period, large numbers of tribal laborers from these places were brought by the British to Assam to work in the newly established tea estates (bagan). Separated from their homes, these heterogeneous groups carried their traditional dance form, which was deeply associated with their tribal agrarian livelihood. Subsequently, they assimilated into the Assamese society, profusely altering the region’s socio-cultural terrain.
Flourishing of Jhumur in Assam
In Assam, the jhumur folk dance evolved and adapted to the local setting of the region, forming new rhythms and styles blending both the original tribal essence and Assamese elements, creating a distinctive form. This evolution is visible in the contexts of changes in costumes, musical instruments and performing style. The tea tribes reside in the areas that consist of several tea estates, mostly in the upper Assam districts such as Jorhat, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, North Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Sivasagar and more.
Known as the ‘baganias,’ the legacy of this community is one of unity and resilience. Jhumur became a central part of these tribes, a medium for expressing shared experience, communal sensibilities, and belongingness in an alien place. Despite facing economic hardships and social isolation by the community, Jhumur flourished as a form of amusement among the laborers, acting as a form of leisure from the tedious plantation and agricultural work.
Attire and ornaments of Jhumur
The common attire for the female dancer is a white saree with bright red borders paired with a blouse, but the colour of the saree may change according to the occasion. They are draped in a way that allows the dancers to move easily, with the hem of the saree touching above the ankle, like a skirt. Male performers wear a dhoti or lungi and a long kurta.
They also adorn themselves with beaded jewellery like necklaces, bangles, payal or brass anklet, nose pins, toe rings, earrings made from locally sourced beads or shells. Men mostly wear traditional headgear. The attire and ornaments worn during the Jhumur dance are not merely decorative but symbolise the performers’ regional tribal heritage and serve as a visual expression of community identity and unity.
Motifs of the Jhumur folk songs
Songs are an integral part of any culture; they are not just vehicles of storytelling but also act as oral archives of a community. Jhumur folk songs are not just accompaniments of the dance, they are the melodies hummed by the women while picking tea leaves, the tunes through which they express their happiness and sorrows. Composed in their regional dialects and sometimes in Assamese, they have varied meanings embedded in them. They include:
Songs surrounding their agricultural life, tied to natural entities – birds, hills, lush green forests, rivers, and rain, mostly used as metaphors to convey emotions.
Motifs like love and longing, social values like unity, resilience, and those sung in festive celebrations are also common.
Verses that depict their hardships—separation from their homeland and their journey of migration through the railroads from the arid lands to the green gardens of Assam, exploitation and trickery under the colonial tea estate owners—invoking the collective memory of suffering and loss.
Songs incorporating motifs from folklore and mythology passed down through generations indicating the continuity of traditions.
Jhumur in popular culture
Tea being an essential commodity of Assam, the Tea Tribe communities occupy a central place in the state’s socio-economic landscape. Their vibrant culture has been expressed in films, music videos, and various other media platforms, highlighting their artistic contributions and cultural significance. Contemporary folk and fusion musicians have elevated the traditional form of Jhumur by blending it with modern musical instruments and styles, creating a dynamic form that appeals to newer generations while preserving its cultural essence.
Coke Studio India, a popular musical platform that showcases talented artists and a diverse range of music from all over India, released a folk song named “Jhumoor” in 2013, a fusion version of its traditional form, celebrating the colourful ethnic community.
Contemporary status of Jhumur
Like many other traditional folk art forms, Jhumur too faces the challenges of modern-day innovations coupled with a lack of cultural awareness among the youth. Preservation of this culture is only possible through renewed interest among the public, who constantly look for new forms of modern entertainment. Common challenges include lack of state funding and patronage, dilution of the authentic indigenous elements with increased modern influences and weakening efforts of transmission of the art form to the next generation.
However, in recent years, grassroots-level initiatives and state-sponsored cultural events have emerged to keep the culture alive. The government of Assam is tirelessly working to preserve the cultural heritage of the tea community.
As part of the state government’s vision of transforming Assam into a global cultural hub for investment, they hosted a grand celebration of the Jhumur dance on 24th February 2025. With more than 8000 dancers performing Jhumur in the grand stadium in Guwahati, a historic world record was set that presented Assam’s rich cultural heritage. Above all else, it was a celebration of the 200-year-old legacy of the Assam tea community.
Conclusion
Cultural art forms are the living, breathing embodiments of a region’s history — markers of identity and heritage. For the tea tribes of Assam, Jhumur is more than just a folk performance; it is a space for collective expression and community bonding. Fostering a deep sense of pride in ancestral traditions, it connects individuals to their cultural roots. Through its rhythm and storytelling, Jhumur offers a voice to generations of struggle, resilience and hope.
References
Gogoi, N. (2022). Jhumur folk tradition: A socio-cultural identity of tea community in Assam. International Journal of Health Sciences, 6(S3), 5059–5064. https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v6nS3.7008
Saha, Pintu. (2024). Examining the Incorporation of Modern Musical Instruments in Jhumur Folk Song – A Research Study – Sangeet Galaxy.
https://www.kihikila.in/ki-hikiba/culture/jhumur-dance-rhythms-of-rural-joy/