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Intellectual Cultural Heritage
57
Diker Hulu
Diker Hulu
is a traditional folk singing that is
popular in the three southernmost provinces of
Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala provinces. “
Diker
” is
Persian for: (1) a hymn to God; (2) a sung verse often
performed in groups in response to other groups. “
Hulu
”
means the source of stream or a countryside village.
Here it probably means the area where the Pattani river
originates, which is called in local dialect “
Thit Hulu
” or
“the South,”.
Diker Hulu
is mostly performed by men. The
performers comprise one to two
mae phleng
(lead
singers); 10 to 15
luk khu
(chorus singers), and five to six
musicians. All are clad in Muslim folk costume. The
chorus and the musicians don similar clothes, while the
lead singers and other solo singers wear clothes of
different design. The musical accompaniment comprises
one medium-sized
gong
, which is alternatively called
mong yai
; two rammana drums, and one to two pairs of
maracas. Later additions are
krap
(a pair of wooden
blocks),
chap
(a pair of medium-sized cymbals), and
mong khu
(a pair of medium-sized twin gongs).
Diker Hulu
performance begins with an overture.
After that a
Karo
is performed to pay homage to the
teachers and to greet the host of the event and the
spectators. Later on the singers sing to announce the
objective of the event through the songs in various
tempos, alternated with the comments and responses
between the singers, which depict the current actualities.
The songs end with the singing of the farewell verse
called
Wabulae
, followed by a finale music. Usually
Diker
Hulu
does not feature a story line or narrative structure,
but mainly focuses on entertainment and amusement,
which depend on the lead singers’ witty comments and
responses.
In addition to providing entertainment to the
people,
Diker Hulu
reflects, through its performance
customs and Malay language, the unique characteristics
and identity of the Muslim Thai people in Thailand’s
southern provinces.
The
Diker Hulu
troupes that continue to preserve
the ancient performance customs and maintain their
popularity among the local communities are: Mayaha
troupe, Anoh Puyu troupe, Slindong Bayu troupe, and
the Bu-nga Tani troupe.