There has been a change in the gender perceptions for the Attan dance over time. As ordained in Islam, women are not permitted to dance. But in tribal areas, the religious lines are often blurred. Following the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, which encouraged the cultural intermingling of sexes, the Attan dance was often performed together by men and women. Now, due to the religious diktats of the fanatical Taliban, women are persecuted if they venture out in public and their presence in dance festivals is banned. Even the local warlords in the post-Taliban era have opposed women from performing Attan - the Taliban influence still holds sway in large parts of the Pashtoon areas.
The view in the ‘civilised’ world is that the tribal areas of Afghanistan and the bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas (formerly North West Frontier Province - NWFP) of Pakistan are bereft of any cultural identity. The world sees this area as ‘hell on earth’ – a hotbed of Islamic terrorism, an area that represses women and violates basic human rights. The Pashtoon tribal areas, saddled between the Pak-Afghan ‘no man’s land’, have no definite demarcated border, are inhabited by historically fierce warrior tribes, have been influenced fanatically by the Taliban diktats for more than twenty years, and have scant regard for the rule of Pakistani law. It is true that these border areas have had a troubled past, and are facing an extremely dangerous present. However, it is amazing that certain cultural traditions have survived the onslaught of violent change and retribution for more than 200 years, especially in the tribal dominated areas of Pak-Afghan Khyber and the neighbouring restive southern Pakistani province of Balochistan (which borders South-east Iran).
Attan, the traditional Afghan dance, has stood tall amidst the ruins. The origin of this Dance is questionably attributed to Zoroastrian ancestry (as early as 2000 BCE); it was modified by invading Islamic troops, who considered the Dance a ceremonial Islamic offering to Allah before embarking for battle. Historical notes also trace Attan to Athena, the Greek Goddess of War and Intellect, who was revered by the ancient Greeks in a (dance) ceremony at Panathenaica. Alexander the Great, the Greek ruler who retreated to Athens from the river Hydaspus (River Jhelum in present day Pakistan) only to eventually die of illness in Babylon (Iraq), is believed to have encouraged the intermingling of the Greeks with the local tribes in the Afghan areas. Origins apart, Attan is a ritual dance performed in the Pashtoon tribal areas to the beat of a dhol (drum), surnai (known as shehnai in India), toola (flute), darbukkah (known as tabla in India) and the baja (harmonium). The surnai, unlike the Indian shehnai, is played in a walking position. Attan dancers form a circle, taking each other’s hand and slowly moving to the beat of the dhol, pacing faster with every beat, to the clapping of hands - with the more established dancers spinning before the next clap. The dancers throw their hands in the air (like the Sufi dervishes) and the legs are straightened horizontally. The performance can last for hours - before the dancers fall down in exhaustion. The men wear a pakol (woolen hat) and a wastaka (furry overcoat), suited to the extreme cold desert temperatures, and the women wear colourful dresses embellished with mirrors, which reflect the sun’s rays. Attan is a dance that is performed in celebrations - like marriages, engagements and childbirths.
The Attan is a prism of various other tribal dances. The Kochai Attan is popular in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Men dance on their knees and swing their arms rhythmically. The Logari Afghan Dance is not gender segregative. The men swirl off their turbans at the end of the performance. The Paktai and Khost Attan dancers of Afghanistan squat on the floor, flinging their long hair towards the sky, while the Wardaki Attan perfomers do not clap, but take swift twists and turns. Each form of Attan reflects the regional influence of its origin, like the Waziri Attan (from Waziristan in Pakistan) and Peshawari Attan (from Peshawar in NWFP) - which a deft form of Attan that involves intricate hip movements. A prominent variation of Attan is the Khattak, where male dancers hold huge swords and spin dangerously in the air, before landing perfectly on the ground in a violent manner. The Attan dance is thus an amalgamation of Greek, Iranian, Afghan, Baluchi and Pashtoon cultural traditions. Since these tribal areas have long been inaccessible, they have escaped the vagaries of modernity and have continued to safeguard their tribal character. Though no efforts have been made by the troubled governments of both Afghanistan and Pakistan to revive and propagate Attan as a cultural entity, it continues to mystify. The purists feel that Attan is best left alone, within the realm of its unclear geographical boundaries, away from the gaze of the western world - especially the mushrooming dance academies in upscale Manhattan, New York and other parts of the United States and Europe - which often attempts (sometimes disastrously) to modernise and commercially choreograph indigenous and traditional dance forms.
The Writer is a renowned Kuchipudi Danseuse and Choreographer
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