Performing the Garo Nation? Garo Wangala Dancing between Faith and Folklore

In recent decades, Wangala dancing has gained prominence as an important cultural expression of the Northeast Indian Garo community. In 2008, a Wangala performance was included in the annual Republic Day parade. Photographs of Wangala dancing have come to play an important role on posters circulated by politicians and on calendars produced by organizations that call for greater political assertion of the Garo community. Beyond these relatively new uses, for adherents of the traditional Garo religion, Wangala dancing continues to be linked to the most important post-harvest festival. In exploring how Wangala dancing has developed into a powerful mediatized expression of the Garo community, this article examines how national- and state-level performances continue to be linked to village-level celebrations.