The most widely known form of indigenous music in Maldives, and also the most popular, especially in the Northern Atolls, is called boduberu. It is likely that the music was introduced to The Maldives by sailors from the Indian Ocean region in about the 11th century, and that it may have East African origins. It evolved among the common citizens as an alternative to court music. In the early days, the people gathered together to perform boduberu, and it became widely accepted as the music of the common people. The performing of the music is often referred as "vibrating the island".
