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EveryParampara

Indigenous and traditional traditions

Indigenous and traditional spiritual and cultural practices belong to peoples who have lived on their lands for many generations: the First Nations and Native peoples of the Americas, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, the Maori and Pacific Islanders, the Sami, the many peoples of Africa and the hill peoples of Asia.

Indigenous and traditional spiritual and cultural practices belong to peoples who have lived on their lands for many generations: the First Nations and Native peoples of the Americas, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, the Maori and Pacific Islanders, the Sami, the many peoples of Africa and the hill peoples of Asia. Their traditions include ceremonies of the land, naming and initiation, healing, story and dance. Some are public and others private. EveryParampara describes only what communities share openly, and credits them as the source.

Land, ancestors and story

For many Indigenous peoples, land is kin, not property, and ceremonies thank the earth, the water and the animals. Ancestors are present, and stories of creation, such as the Dreaming, tell people how to live. Knowledge is passed by elders in language, song and dance. Many of these languages are under threat, and communities are leading efforts to teach them to the young.

Sharing with care

Some ceremonies are open to visitors, such as powwows and the Maori powhiri, and others, such as initiations, are restricted. Visitors are asked to listen, follow instructions, ask before taking photographs and avoid treating sacred things as entertainment. Many nations have protocols on the use of images and symbols. EveryParampara follows these requests and links to community voices and organisations wherever possible.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Indigenous and traditional (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇺🇸 Fairbanks, United States and 2 moreWorld Eskimo-Indian Olympics An annual Arctic gathering of traditional survival games, athletics, and cultural artsGame 🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandPoi A Māori performing art of swinging tethered weights in rhythmical patterns.Performance 🇵🇭 Philippines and 1 morePangalay A traditional fingernail dance of the Tausūg and Bajau peoples in the Sulu Archipelago and Sabah.Performance 🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreAgbadza An Ewe music and dance, born of war songs and kept for funerals, weddings and festivalsPerformance 🇦🇺 AustraliaBark painting Ochre pictures on flattened tree bark, an Aboriginal art form of northern AustraliaCraft 🇸🇳 Senegal and 1 moreKumpo A palm-leaf figure of the Diola, danced at village festivals to urge good conductFolklore 🇰🇮 KiribatiMusic of Kiribati Chant, body percussion, songs and dances of the islands of KiribatiPerformance 🇭🇹 Haiti and 1 moreRara A Haitian street music of bamboo trumpets and drums, played in the Easter seasonPerformance 🇦🇺 Sydney, AustraliaSongline A navigational and spiritual path across Australia that links ancestral stories to the physical landscape.Folklore 🇮🇳 IndiaTheyyam A sacred ritual dance and divine invocation from North Malabar in IndiaSpiritual 🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreTalchum탈춤 A Korean mask dance drama in which masked actors sing, dance and mock the powerfulPerformance 🇹🇻 TuvaluMusic of Tuvalu Rhythmic storytelling dances and choral singing from the Polynesian atolls of TuvaluPerformance 🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 1 moreEgungunEgúngún Yoruba ancestral masquerades bringing blessings, counsel and moral renewalSpiritual 🇲🇽 MexicoDanza de los ViejitosT'arche Uarakua A Purépecha masked dance honouring the sun and the four elements in MichoacánPerformance 🇲🇬 MadagascarValiha A bamboo tube zither from Madagascar, played for recreation and spirit ritualsPerformance 🇮🇩 Ubud, IndonesiaBarongᬩᬭᭀᬂ A sacred Balinese masked dance drama depicting the eternal struggle of good and evilPerformance 🇻🇳 Hoa Lư, VietnamChèo嘲 Satirical folk musical theatre performed by village troupes across northern VietnamPerformance 🇮🇳 IndiaWarli painting Sacred white rice paste murals made on red clay walls in western IndiaCraft 🇺🇸 Raven's Roost, United StatesStomp dance A ceremonial night dance kept by Eastern Woodland tribes in the United States and Oklahoma.Performance · Dinner 🇱🇻 LatviaDaina Short, traditional Latvian folk songs and verses sung across the human life cyclePerformance 🇳🇬 NigeriaMmanwuMmanwụ An Igbo masquerade tradition invoking ancestral spirits through masked performanceSpiritual 🇨🇺 CubaAbakuá An Afro-Cuban initiatory brotherhood rooted in West African sacred traditionsSpiritual 🇳🇬 Onitsha, NigeriaAgbogho MmuoAgbọghọ Mmụọ An Igbo masked dance celebrating maidenhood and the female spiritPerformance 🇦🇺 Sydney, AustraliaCorroboreegaraabara A gathering of Australian Aboriginal peoples featuring dance, music and storytellingFestival 🇭🇳 Honduras and 4 morePunta A lively dance and music style of the Garifuna people, celebrated in Central America and the Caribbean.Performance 🇺🇸 United StatesFancy dance A fast-paced, athletic Indigenous dance kept at powwows across North America and beyond.Performance 🇲🇼 Malawi and 3 moreNyau A secret society and masked dance tradition of the Chewa people in Southern Africa.Spiritual 🇧🇴 Potosí, BoliviaTinku A ritual combat and dance from northern Potosí, Bolivia, honoring Pachamama through ceremonial fighting and performance.Festival 🇿🇼 ZimbabweBira ceremony An all-night Shona ritual in Zimbabwe where music and dance summon ancestral spirits for guidance.Spiritual 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreTribal youth dormitoryMorung A communal house where a tribe's unmarried young people sleep, learn and serveRite of passage 🇺🇸 United StatesJingle dress A healing dance and regalia worn by First Nations women at pow wows across North America.Performance 🇦🇺 AustraliaGarma Festival of Traditional Cultures A four-day cultural gathering in northeast Arnhem Land celebrating Yolngu traditions and fostering two-way learning.Festival 🇱🇷 LiberiaDan maskgle or ge A sacred wooden mask worn by the Dan people of Liberia to embody forest spirits during masquerade.Spiritual 🇲🇾 Malaysia and 2 moreNgajatTanda Ngajat A traditional folk dance of the Iban people in Sarawak and Borneo, mimicking birds and warriors.Performance 🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilJongo A nightlong dance and music gathering kept by Afro-Brazilian communities in the southeast of Brazil.Performance 🇧🇷 Recife, Brazil and 1 moreMaracatu A set of Afro-Brazilian performance traditions from Pernambuco and Ceará featuring drumming, dance, and royal pageantry.Performance 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreAlpanaআলপনা (Alpona) A Bengali floor painting tradition using rice flour paste to mark festivals and rituals.Performance 🇲🇽 Guadalajara, Mexico and 1 moreMariachi A Mexican string and trumpet music tradition featuring charro attire and communal singing.Performance 🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and 1 moreNaadamнаадам A midsummer festival of wrestling, horse racing, and archery kept by Mongols in Mongolia and neighboring regions.Festival · Feasts and festival meals 🇳🇴 Norway and 2 moreJoik A Sámi song that evokes a person, animal or place instead of telling about themPerformance 🇲🇬 MadagascarFamadihana A Malagasy reburial custom where families gather to rewrap and honour their ancestorsRite of passage 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreGeledeGẹlẹdẹ A Yoruba masked dance festival honoring the spiritual power of mothers and social harmony.Festival 🇧🇴 Oruro, BoliviaCarnival of OruroEl carnaval de Oruro A Bolivian festival of masked pilgrimage dances honoring the Virgin of the MineshaftFestival 🇨🇴 Pasto, ColombiaBlacks and Whites' CarnivalCarnaval de Negros y Blancos A week of street games, parades and music held every January in Pasto, ColombiaFestival 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreSohrai A harvest and cattle observance kept by indigenous communities in eastern IndiaSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals 🇮🇳 Guwahati, IndiaBohag Bihu A multi-day Assamese New Year festival of cattle rites, music, gifts and feastsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals 🇵🇭 Kalibo, PhilippinesAti-Atihan A week of drumbeats, street dancing, and devotion to the Infant Jesus in AklanFestival 🇬🇧 Llangollen, United Kingdom and 5 moreEisteddfod A Welsh festival of poetry and music competitions, featuring the chairing and crowning of winning bards.Festival
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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.