Hemat-Araber (Zentralsudan, Süd-Wadai) - Unterhaltungstanz »am haraba«

zweidimensionales bewegtes Bild

Im Dorf Ambasanda tanzen mehrere, in Reihen stehende Gruppen von Mädchen, Frauen und Männern zum Rhythmus zweier Trommeln und zum Gesang der Frauen, wobei sich Frauen- und Männergruppen teilweise gegenüberstehen.
The "am haraba"-dance was originally a war dance of the Sudan-Arabs, but since the failure of the warfare it has become a highly popular entertainment dance, performed mainly at great festivals and in honour of persons of high rank. The "am haraba"-dance presented in this film was performed by the Hemat-Arabs inhabiting Ambasanda village at the foot of the Gera Massif in eastern Tchad. A cylindrical double membrane drum (nugara) and a wooden mortar are attached to a pole on the dancing-place of the village. The drum is beaten by two boys, while a third boy uses the wooden mortar as a drum. To the rhythm of the drums the women sing songs in praise of the several rich and famous men of the country. For dancing the women form into different groups, each group forms in a line, and all the women perform the swaying movements ("bounce") characteristic of the "am haraba"-dance. In the beginning of the dance the different groups of women are composed according to the dancers' social status. The male dancers form also different groups, three or four men dance together in a line, holding in their hands a stick, a sword or a knife. Each group of men dances in front of a group of women, men and women move towards one another, and the figure ends with a kind of mutual bow, the women swinging their plaits. At irregular intervals the men change their partners and pass over to another group of women. In the sequel the dance becomes a little confused because the groups partly dissolve and other groups are formed. In the course of the film, the women's chorus sings two different songs. The film presents about three thirds of the dance.

Object Details

• Alternative title: Hemat Arabs (Central Sudan, South Wadai) - Recreational Dance »am haraba«
• Location: Hannover TIB
• Extent: 417MB, 00:08:12:05 (unknown)
• Notes: Audiovisuelles Material ; Originalton ohne gesprochenen Text ; Original sound, no spoken text

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Hemat-Araber (Zentralsudan, Süd-Wadai) - Unterhaltungstanz »am haraba« ; (Jan. 1966)

Classification and Topics

• Keyword: musical instruments / membranophone ; music (ethnology) ; Unterhaltungstanz ; Musikinstrumente ; Araber ; hairdress ; musical instruments ; Tanzstile ; Tanz (Ethnologie) ; Schlaginstrumente ; Religion ; Gesellschaft ; singing ; drum ; Hemat-Araber ; Encyclopaedia Cinematographica ; Körper ; Chad ; religious practices ; dance / Chad ; religion ; cultural studies ; Ethnologie/Kulturanthropologie ; Trommel ; am haraba ; sacred activities ; percussion instruments ; Arabs ; Gebete ; Gestik ; ethnology/cultural anthropology ; individual ; gesture ; arts (ethnology) ; Musik (Ethnologie) ; eulogy ; Kulturwissenschaften ; Tanz / Tschad ; Afrika ; group dance ; prayer ; Künste (Ethnologie) ; Hemat Arabs ; Musikinstrumente / Membranophone ; Preisgesang ; Individuum ; religiöse Praktiken ; Gruppentanz ; Singen ; sakrale Handlung ; Musiker ; dance (ethnology) ; society ; musicians ; Haartracht ; Africa ; styles of dance ; Gesang ; Tschad ; body ; songs of praise ; entertainment dance ; Am haraba

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): IWF (Göttingen)
• (when): 1966-01-01
• Contributor: Fuchs, Peter

Further information

• DOI: 10.3203/IWF/E-1016
• Last update: 04.12.2024, 8:09 AM CET