Jikey

  • Jikey
  • Yikey
Snippet of ลิเก performance at the Wat Khung Taphao temple in the Uttaradit province of Thailand
Native nameយីកេ (Khmer)
ลิเก (Thai)
GenreArts performance
Instrument(s)oboe, skor yikey (in Cambodia), tambourine
OriginIndia (originally), later introduced to Southeast Asia
The Jikey performed by Siamese man at the cultural event of Wat Thai in Washington, D.C. (United States of America), 2013


Jikey or Yikey (Yawi: جيكيي; Khmer: យីកេ, [ˈjiːkeː]; Thai: ลิเก, romanizedlikey, pronounced [líʔ.kēː])[a] is a form of traditional religious dance originated from India and commonly practiced by communities in several Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia,[1][2] Malaysia,[3] Thailand,[4] and Vietnam.[b][5] Specifically, there are two major types of Jikey in Thailand, the one in central region tend to have more Buddhist characteristic adopted its original Indian form, meanwhile in the southern region it bear more Islamic characteristic as it is heavily influenced by the Persian and Arabs-derived culture which characterized by the usage of Middle Eastern musical instruments such as the tambourine, etc.[4]

Since 2015, Cambodia has submitted Jikey (យីកេ) as one of its Intangible Cultural Heritages to the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).[6][7]

Performance

The main elements of Jikey are improvised dialogue, music and dance, and local legends formed the main repertoire with considerable emphasis placed on slapstick comedy. The Jikey music consists of both instrumental and singing. The main characters are comedians, king and warriors, and a form of leitmotif is involved as various characters in the drama are identified with specific elements in the music.[5][8]

Instruments

A complete theatrical orchestra for Jikey includes rebana (with no jingles) in large, medium and small sizes; one tambourine; one hanging, knobbed gong, five or more pairs of cerek, one pair of kesi, an oboe (serunai for Malay or pi for Thai). However, typical ensembles consists only of a violin, 3 rebana and 2 cerek or bamboo stampers.[5]

Notes

  1. ^ pronunciation and spelling in Thailand might differs to each region due to dialect differences, but however it refers to the same thing, it can be spelled or known as Jikey, Yikey, Likey, Jikay, Yikay, Likay, Jikae, Yikae, Likae, or Ji-ke, Yi-ke, Li-ke
  2. ^ mainly practiced in southern Vietnam by the Khmer Krom community of Cambodia origin

References

  1. ^ Se, Sio (August 2002). "All The World's A Stage". Leisure Cambodia. Retrieved 25 October 2018. [Web content originally part of Leisure Camobodia (tabloid), Volume 2, Number 8, August 2002.]
  2. ^ Khean, Yun; Dorivan, Keo; Lina, Y; Lenna, Mao. Traditional Musical Instruments of Cambodia (PDF). Kingdom of Cambodia: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. pp. 246–247.
  3. ^ "Jikey". Ministry Of Information Communication & Culture of Malaysia. Retrieved 22 September 2010.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b Sukphisit, Suthon (1995). The vanishing of Thailand: Folk Arts and Folk Culture.
  5. ^ a b c Terry Miller & Sean Williams (2008). The Garland Handbook of Southeast Asian Music. Routledge. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-415-96075-5.
  6. ^ "Rehabilitation and Preservation of Cambodian Performing Arts". United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
  7. ^ "Inventory List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Kingdom of Cambodia" (PDF). United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 2015.
  8. ^ "Music for Theater: JIKEY". Musicmall Production Pte Ltd. 2004. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
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