Duffmuttu (also: Dubhmuttu) is an art form prevalent in the

Malabar region The Malabar Coast () is the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. It generally refers to the western coastline of India stretching from Konkan to Kanyakumari. Geographically, it comprises one of the wettest regions of the subcontin ...

of the states of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

and

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

south India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. It derives its name from the duff, a

percussion instrument A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

made of wood and ox skin. The word duff is of

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

origin and is also called a ''thappitta''. Duffmuttu is performed as social entertainment and to commemorate festivals, ''uroos'' (festivals connected with

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s) and weddings. Duffmuttu can be performed at any time of the day. A ''duffmuttu'' performance usually consists of ten members who stand or sit facing each other singing songs and swaying their bodies to the tempo of the song which is set by the rhythmic beats of the ''duff''. Duffmuttu perfomance by IUHSS Parappur

Duffmuttu songs are a tribute to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic heroes and martyrs. The lead player also leads the troupe in song while the others provide the chorus. The dancers drum the duff with their fingers or palms and while moving rhythmically often toss them over their heads. A closely related art form is the Aravana Muttu or Arabana Muttu that uses a drum called arabana that is similar to the duff.

Gallery

File:Duffmuttu IUHSS Parappur 01.jpg, Young Duffmuttu Artists File:Duffmuttu IUHSS Parappur 06.jpg, Duffmuttu Artists File:Duffmuttu20180219110544 25 1.jpg, Duffmuttu File:Duffmuttu IUHSS Parappur 04.jpg, Young Duffmuttu Artists from Kerala School Kalolsavam File:Dafmut IMG 1345.jpg, Traditional Duffmuttu

References

Dances of Kerala Kerala music Mappilas {{India-music-stub ml:ദഫ് മുട്ട്

Gallery

See also

References