Maliku Dhandi and Kelaa Dhandi Group
Age group of performers: 15 – 35 years old
Average no. of performers: 30
Kelaa Dhandi Group is a group of youth living in Male’ who are proud of the culture and heritage of Kelaa. They strive to preserve their traditions through participating in community events and keeping traditional activities alive by performing them consistently over the years. They are firm believers that sharing cultural activities with the public is one of the main ways to preserve Maldivian culture – through exposure, education, and enjoyment.
Maliku Dhandi
Maliku dhandi originated in Maliku Atoll, which is the southernmost atoll of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, north of the Maldives. Maliku dhandi was taught to the people of Kelaa by visitors from Maliku. Although the exact dates of origin are unknown, this is an ancient tradition that the people Kelaa has worked hard to preserve. It has been changing over time with variations added by the locals. Today, the art has been lost from Maliku and is only practiced in Kelaa. Maliku dhandi has two types of stick dance, Mulhifoa Dhandi and Maali Dhandi, both of which the Kelaa Dhandi Group will perform.
All the sticks are made from locally sourced materials such as iron wood (Kuredhi) and Lime berry (Kudhi Lunboa) which are abundant in Kelaa. These are decorated with a ‘Maa’ made of cloth and/or wool. A loose ring of metal caps called Fulus is also attached to the sticks at the bottom. The dance is accompanied by traditional music from a hand drum with singers. The hand drum is called Thaara and is made using the skin of goats or rays.
The people of Kelaa have worked hard to preserve this tradition. Between the years of 1990 and 2000 the art teacher in Kelaa, Amir Usmaan, taught Maliku Dhandi to all male students (grades 5-7) at school as an extra activity. This was done in the hopes to conserve the cultural art of performing Maliku Dhandi. As a result, today many Kelaa youth know the history, culture, and art behind Maliku dhandi because of his hard work and commitment. The members of IDEAS and Kelaa Dhandi Group remember Amir sir and his 2-4 pm Friday afternoon practices fondly, and express their heartfelt gratitude to him.
