Kommu Koya Dance of Koya Tribe of Andhra Pradesh - Hindi

The Koya people have been preserving one of the rarest art forms known as the “Kommu Koya”. The continued popularity of Kommu Koya hints at rich cultural practices that the Koya tribes seem to have preserved through generations of practice and assimilation from ancestors to descendants. “This dance form derives its name from the Telugu words ‘Kommu’ and ‘Koya’ which mean ‘horn’ and ‘tribe’, respectively. The dance form is believed to be over 1,000 years old and is said to have originated during the festival of Bhoomi Pandaga (Festival of Land) during which the Koya people pray for rainfall and proper harvest of their crops. The most eye-catching aspect of this dance form is the costume. Being hunter-gatherers, The Koyas after killing their prey collect the horns of the animal, clean it and use them as headgear during the dance. Bovine horns,and peacock feathers are decorated skillfully on the head by men who wear standard clothing that incorporates red and green hues along with white and yellow colors. Women fix hen feathers alongside a fabric on their heads. Men fix peacock feathers on their heads. The men in brilliant red garments with bull-horn head gears, playing percussion instruments are the highlight of this tribal dance form.