Discerning Sound Ethnobiology in the realm of Ethnomusicology: A Study of Deori Folk Musical Instruments

Abstract

Folk music has always been known to be the best source of connecting us to our culture and keeping our identity alive as an individual and as a group. The concept of melody and the artistic pursuit of musical composition were probably unknown to early players of musical instruments. A musical instrument is used to make musical sounds. Once humans moved from making sounds with their bodies-for example, by clapping-to using objects to create music from sounds, musical instruments were born. The purpose and meaning of musical instruments differs from region to region and from culture to another. Instruments have special significance in music. The Deoris belong to the Sino-Tibetan family of Mongoloid stock. They are considered to be one of the communities found in Assam and some parts of Arunachal Pradesh in North- East India. The word ‘Deori’ means the offspring of Gods and Goddesses. The Indian Constitution has regarded the Deoris as a scheduled tribe of Assam and they are considered to be a small plains tribe. The Deoris have their own language which is the Deori language. Customarily the Deoris are divided into four clans namely ‘Dibongiya, Tengaponiya, Bongiya, Patorgoyan’ which are present till date. This paper studies the vitality of sound ethnobiology, ethics of instruments, crafting and classification of musical instruments in the field of Ethnomusicology. Musical instruments are constructed in a broad array of styles and shapes, using many different materials. It mainly explores and discerns the variety of Deori traditional musical instruments from a closer proximity in the realm of material culture under the broader context of folklore. The crafting processes and the materials used for the making of the musical instruments of the Deoris is discussed in a detailed manner.