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The khaen is a free-reed mouth organ of the Lao people who live primarily in lowland Laos and the Northeastern region of Thailand (also called Isaan). The instrument consists of two rows of bamboo pipes that are mounted in a wooden windchest. The number of pipes can be between six and eighteen, but the most common form has sixteen pipes. Into each pipe is set a piece of flat metal with a tongue cut into it—this is the free-reed that vibrates whether the players blows into, or draw air out of the instrument, producing a continuous sound. Each pipe has a small finger hole near its reed that acts as an air escape valve, preventing the pipe from sounding unless covered by the player. And so the instrument can sound as many pipes as the player can cover, making it a polyphonic instrument—although the conventional musical texture is a combination of one or more sustaining drones with a melody that may be ornamented or harmonically embellished.
Danjiang, Miao village, women dancing at festival
The Miao is an ethnic group belonging to South China, and is recognized by the government of China as one of the 55 official minority groups. Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component groups of people, which include (with some variant spellings) Hmong, Hmub, Xong (Qo-Xiong), and A-Hmao.
The Chinese government has grouped these people and other non-Miao peoples together as one group, whose members may not necessarily be either linguistically or culturally related, though the majority are members of Miao-Yao language family, which includes the Hmong, Hmub, Xong and A-Hmao and the majority do share cultural similarities. Because of the previously given reasons, many Miao peoples cannot communicate with each other in their native tongues and have different histories and cultures.
The Miao live primarily in southern China's mountains, in the provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan. Some sub-groups of the Miao, most notably the Hmong people, have migrated out of China into Southeast Asia (Burma (Myanmar), northern Vietnam, Laos and Thailand).
Silver jewelry is a well-known craftwork of the Miao people. Apart from being a cultural tradition, it also symbolises the wealth of Miao women. As a Miao saying goes, “decorated with no silver or embroidery, a girl is not a girl”, Miao women are occasionally defined by the amount of silver jewelry she wears or owns. It is especially important to wear heavy and intricate silver headdresses and jewelry during significant occasions and festivals, notably during weddings, funerals and springtime celebration. Silver jewelry is an essential element of Miao marriages, particularly to the bride. Miao families would begin saving silver jewellery for the girls at an early age, wishing their daughters could marry well with the large amount of silver jewelry representing the wealth of the family. Although a growing Miao population is moving from rural Miao regions to cities, the new generation respects the families' silver heritage and is willing to pass on the practice as a cultural tradition more than showcase of family wealth.
The lusheng is a Miao musical instrument with multiple bamboo pipes, each fitted with a free reed, which are fitted into a long blowing tube made of hardwood. It most often has five or six pipes of different pitches, and is thus a polyphonic instrument. It comes in sizes ranging from very small to several meters in length.
(sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miao_people and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusheng)
One of the events at the Crawley U3A Christmas social held in the church hall of St Francis Church :)
The lusheng is a Chinese musical instrument played in the rural areas of Southwest China. It is a polyphonic instrument consisting of multiple bamboo pipes of different pitches, each fitted with a free reed, placed into a long blowing tube. This image is of a traditional Lusheng ensemble playing their instruments on the Lusheng ground (cobblestone square) in Langde Shang Miao Village, Guizhou Province, China
23/10/15 www.allenfotowild.com
C/G ratio 2.63
Enrolment day at Crawley U3A
The Miao are one of several ethnic minorities living in the
subtropical mountainous areas of southwestern China. Different groups
include the Dong, Yi, Yao, Shui, Buyi (Bouyei), Li, Gejia, and Bai among many
others. For thousands of years, these migrating peoples have developed
rich, cultural traditions and they are increasingly being recognized
for their extraordinary handcrafted textiles and silver jewelry. It is
the area of costume where mythology, technical skill, and cultural
identity coalesce in vivid aesthetic expression. Until recently, most
of these remote, ethnic villages were relatively isolated from the
majority Han Chinese population. China’s rapid modernization, however,
has penetrated even the minority districts of Guizhou, Yunnan,
Guangxi, and Guangdong provinces. The resultant economic, educational,
and social changes have already begun to erode the look and use of
traditional festive costumes worn by the Miao and other ethnic groups.
In the Spring of 2008, staff of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
documented villages throughout Guizhou, China and the Sisters Meal
Festival in Shidong.
Explore the MIA's Ethnic Minority Textiles Collection
Photos by Dan Dennehy for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
This project has been funded with a grant from the The Institute of
Museum and Library Services. The Institute of Museum and Library
Services is the primary source of federal support for the nations
123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to
create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information
and ideas.www.imls.gov/
Copyright: Some rights reserved. Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License
Shop No. 25
Waterfront Craft Market
Cape Town
South Africa
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Shop No. 25
Waterfront Craft Market
Cape Town
South Africa
+27 72 1580 178
africanmobiles@africamail.com
Shop No. 25
Waterfront Craft Market
Cape Town
South Africa
+27 72 1580 178
africanmobiles@africamail.com
Shop No. 25
Waterfront Craft Market
Cape Town
South Africa
+27 72 1580 178
africanmobiles@africamail.com
Shop No. 25
Waterfront Craft Market
Cape Town
South Africa
+27 72 1580 178
africanmobiles@africamail.com
Shop No. 25
Waterfront Craft Market
Cape Town
South Africa
+27 72 1580 178
africanmobiles@africamail.com
Shop No. 25
Waterfront Craft Market
Cape Town
South Africa
+27 72 1580 178
africanmobiles@africamail.com
