Jhumur: A Folk Tradition Shaping Assam’s Tea Community Identity

The tea communities of Assam represent a rich tapestry of cultural diversity, blending traditions from their ancestral homelands with new influences encountered in their adopted region. This heterogeneous group, comprising over a hundred aboriginal Indian tribes and castes, has undergone significant socio-cultural transformations since their migration to Assam's tea plantations. Despite these changes, they have maintained a strong connection to their heritage, particularly through the practice of Jhumur, a vibrant folk dance and music tradition. Jhumur, originating from regions such as Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal, has found a prominent place in the cultural landscape of Assam's tea communities. This art form serves as a powerful medium for cultural expression, community bonding, and the preservation of collective memory.

• Performed during harvest seasons and festivals, Jhumur encapsulates the joys, sorrows, and aspirations of the tea workers, offering insights into their daily lives and historical experiences. The persistence of Jhumur in Assam demonstrates the resilience of cultural practices in the face of migration and social change. It has adapted to its new context while retaining core elements that connect the community to its roots.
• The dance is typically performed by young women, accompanied by male musicians playing traditional instruments such as the Madal, Dhol, and Bansi. The songs, composed in regional languages, create a sense of familiarity and belonging among the performers and audience.
• Importantly, Jhumur transcends mere entertainment, serving multiple socio-cultural functions. It plays a role in religious rituals, such as prayers for rainfall, and acts as a form of recreation between agricultural work periods. The songs often reflect the community's agricultural heritage, celebrating harvests and nature's bounty through festivals like Karam Puja and Tushu Puja.

In recent years, scholars and activists have begun to analyze Jhumur songs more deeply, uncovering layers of meaning that speak to the historical experiences of tea plantation workers. These interpretations reveal themes of labor, exploitation, and marginalization, providing valuable insights into the socioeconomic conditions of the tea communities. As such, Jhumur songs have become an important source for reconstructing the oral history of these migrant communities, whose stories have often been overlooked in official records. The evolution of Jhumur in Assam's tea communities exemplifies how cultural practices can serve as vehicles for preserving identity, fostering community cohesion, and articulating shared experiences. It demonstrates the dynamic nature of cultural traditions, which adapt to new environments while maintaining links to ancestral heritage. As both an art form and a historical resource, Jhumur continues to play a crucial role in shaping and expressing the identity of Assam's tea communities, bridging their past and present while offering a window into their unique cultural journey.

REFERENCES

• Gogoi, N. (2022). Jhumur folk tradition: A socio-cultural identity of the tea community in Assam. International Journal of Health Sciences, 6(S3), 5059²5064.