The Archive of Traditional Music in Laos Project

From the Lao Language and Culture Learning Resources website (from the Center for Southeas Asian Studies - Northern Illinois University): Information about a recent project to document traditional music in Laos, including Hmong music.

From the website:

Begun in Vientiane in May 1999, the project was funded by DFG (German Research Association) and by GTZ (German Association for Technical Development Cooperation). It was affiliated with the Oldenburg-Ostfriesland-Wilhelmshaven in Emden Fachhochschule in close cooperation with the Museum of Ethnology in Berlin. From May 2001, the Phonogram Archives of project is privately funded by Dr. Gisa Jaehnichen. Tel.: 00856-21-251250

Details of the recordings and current holdings:

Up until May 2002, the project made field recordings in the provinces: Huaphan, Luang Prabang, Xiengkhuang, Vientiane, Bolikhamsay, Khammuan, Savannakhet, Salavan, Attapeu, Sekong, Bokeo, and Champasak. The project includes 1123 audio recordings from 25 different ethnic groups, 1690 minutes video recordings, 764 photographs, 135 transcriptions of music and 70 drawings and descriptions of musical public. instruments, which are accessible for the public.

They have made several tapes of this music available online, albeit with limited documentation. The first tape: Instrumental Music in Laos (Selection 1) features three recordings made of Hmong musicians. Each of the following may be streamed with RealPlayer. (Titles written as they appear on the website [i.e. with some spelling errors])

• Track 3: Hmong Lay Folksong: Tueoti / Pii Hmong (Flute) / Xamtai/1999
  
• Track 5: Hmong Khao Folksong: Khuamhak / Toen / Sam Neua/1999
  
• Track 6: Hmong Lay Folksong: Khithot Phusao / Phi Hmoung (Flute) / Sam Neua/2000
  

[Track 3 is actually a raj nplaim performance. Track 5 is ncas, and track 6 is raj ntsia or a similar flute-type instrument.]

While I enjoyed listening to the recordings (which are of fairly good quality), I am even more fascinated by this tiny glimpse into the music and culture of Laos. Besides a few second-hand reports from Hmong Americans I have spoken with, there is very little information about Hmong music from contemporary Laos. Such a recording at least confirms that as recently as 2000, traditional forms of Hmong music were still practiced by Hmong in Laos. It would be more interesting to know the age of the performers: is the practice being maintained by the younger generation or are these older musicians? It would also be interesting to know more about the holdings of the archives, but I have been unable to find any information on the internet.

The rest of the music is well recorded and it is a treat to hear such a wide variety of performances. Definitely worth a listen. (There are three more tapes available at the website.) It's also worth noting that the SEAsite has lots of language and culture information about other countries in the region. Even the Lao website has much more to offer about Lao literature, arts, and folklore.

Qeej on "Music from Thailand and Laos" CD

One track on the CD "Music from Thailand and Laos," titled "Hmong khaen, features a qeej performance. The recording quality is rather poor, but you can hear the jingling of bells as the player moves. Not sure about the details of where the recording was made, but the ablum is available through Calabash Music. Tracks can be purchased individually. The rest of the album seems interesting, as well, and includes music from a wide variety of locations in Thailand and Loas.

Nyob zoo pauj hauj!

I've written up some instructions on how to install fonts and software on your computer to facilitate converting Hmong RPA to Pahawh: type a word in RPA, hit the space bar = Pahawh!
(Note: Once installed, you can print Pahawh or save the text as an image. As you will see in the instructions, the font is not rendered properly without the installation. Pahawh words will appear as nonsense characters or question marks in other applications.)

-My instructions
-Fonts and software

Hmong and Miao Folklore Research

I'll be presenting on Hmong oral traditions and rap at the upcoming American Folklore Society meeting as part of a panel entitled, "Issues in the Translation of Asian Folklore." The panel also includes a presentation on Miao oral traditions by Dr. Mark Bender (the Ohio State University) and will feature a talk by a poet with whom Dr. Bender has been documenting and translating Miao folklore. [A book of these stories is due out this fall.] The panel is from 8:15 to 10am on Thursday, 19 October.

Delicious Venom Videos on YouTube

From a performance on 4/29/06
Tequila Moonrise
30 Year Secret
(Too bad you can't hear the lyrics very well, its a great performance)

Qeej for sale online?

Bamboo qeej pipes, 'Hmong Ceremony'
[update: link no longer active]
$294.95 through Novica.com (apparently associated with National Geographic). Little information about it in the description except that it was made in Thailand. They do mention that words can be played on the instrument. From the website:

"Brass inlays add beauty to this qeej, hand-crafted of rain tree wood and bamboo. A wind instrument, it is unique to the Hmong people and figures in ceremonies to connect with the spirit world. It is vital in funerals, and its tones emulate the sounds of the Hmong language. Thus it is sometimes used to communicate in "words." This instrument features six bamboo pipes."

My favorite part: apparently it is "on sale" from $454.95 (as if everyone is comparison shopping in villages across Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam before purchasing their qeej online.)

Update 7/11/06: No more qeej available on Novica.com.

“Evil Kwv Txhiaj: Intersecting Oral Traditions in Hmong Rap”

I'm presenting at the upcoming Midwest Society for Ethnomusicology Conference at the Ohio State University, this weekend (schedule). The paper is part of a larger project on relating current Hmong verbal arts to oral traditions I'll hopefully be presenting at the annual American Folklore Society Meeting.

Ntuj No Tuaj Lawm

A classic Hmong song that continues to inspire new generations of musicians and music fans. It's iconic status provides a good example of how what is usually consider popular music can take on a "traditional" character over time.

From what I have been able to piece together, it was written by the prolific Lis Pov (Paul Ly/Lee Pao) currently of the Pheej Ywg Band (website). The earliest version I'm aware of is by the Kaab Nqausvas band with singer Vaaj Ntxawg, but I'm not sure of the date. This version is also available on the "Kaab Nqausvas Best Collection" album, which contains songs from their four previous albums. Information about Kaab Nqausvas is difficult to come by, but I'll post again as I learn more.
The Kaab Nqausvas albums are for sale at Long Chang (LoobCeeb) Entertainment
[note: the page contains audio examples of all the songs, including Ntuj no tuaj lawm]

Here is a clip from a movie (purportedly "Kev Hlub Txiav Tsis Tau") using the song over an emotional reunion. YouTube - Ntuj No Tuaj Lawm

Cover versions (that I know of):

Luj Yaj - unknown album [song retitled: Koj nyob qhov twg]

Rasmi Moua - currently posted at Cyber Brain

Jay Xiong (of Hmongdictionary.com) - Jay sings over a karaoke version of the song (.mp3 download)

An excellent version also appears in Kang Vang's new movie "Tou and Mai" (more info). A demo version (vocals by Becky Vang and music by Kenny Lee) is currently available on YouTube

Hmong Research Fulltext Online Resources

As part of an ongoing bibliography project, I'm keeping track of online resources for research in Hmong studies (not including the Hmong Studies Journal and other sources associated with the Hmong Resource Center.) I'll update it as necessary.

The REN, Inc. Bookshelf The Refugee Educators' Network makes available several out-of-print titles as part of their library. The variety and rarity of the titles is amazing and the quality of the scans is excellent. Many of the books are standard texts for anyone interested in Hmong studies, although some of the information is outdated. A sample of titles offered as .pdf for download (* marks outstanding titles):

A Life Apart: Viewed from the Hills, Boyes/Priban
Allons Faire le Tour du Ciel et de la Terre: Le Chamanisme des Hmong Vu dans les Textes, Mottin
English-Hmong Primary Word Book (Revised), National Center for materials and Curriculum Development
History of the Hmong, Mottin
The Hmong in the West: Observations and Reports, Downing/Olney
The Hmong in Transition, Hendricks/Downing/Deinard
Hmong Folktales, Johnson
Hmong Recipe
Kr'ua Ke (Showing the Way): A Hmong Initiation of the Dead, White [English translation of Lemoine's French transcription of the Hmong funeral ritual in L'Initation du Mort]
L'Initiation du Mort chez les Hmong, LemoineThe Meo of Xieng Khouan Province, Barney/Halpern
Minority Groups in Northern Laos: Especially the Yao, Iwata
Songs and Stories of the Chu'uan Miao, Graham

The Hmong in the West contains three articles, significant for their contribution to the study of Hmong music in the United States, which began shortly after Hmong immigrants arrived.
"Speech Surrogate Systems of the Hmong: From Singing Voices to Talking Reeds." Amy Catlin
"Aesthetic Language in White Hmong." Brenda Johns and David Strecker
"Some Secret Languages of the Hmong." Maria Derrick-Mescua, Judith Berman, and Mary Beth Carlson.

The Hmong: An Introduction to their History and Culture (2004) A fairly up-to-date and comprehensive introduction to Hmong history, language, and culture produced by the Center for Applied Linguistics. Features multiple authors and input from Dr. Gary Yia Lee and Dr. Martha Ratliff.
Chapters are available online at (links at the top of the page): http://www.cal.org/co/hmong/index.html
The entire booklet can be downloaded as a .pdf: http://www.cal.org/co/hmong/hmong_FIN.pdf

Field Guide to Hmong Culture (2004): written by Dia Cha (PhD, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies, St. Cloud State University) and produced by the Madison Children's Museum. A booklet aimed a a young audience. Those looking for a general introduction to Hmong traditions (art, folklore, history) may find this to be useful. Includes several pictures.
http://csumc.wisc.edu/cmct/HmongTour/howwedidit/HMONG_FIELD_GUIDE_WEB.pdf

The Hmong World (1986): a fulltext pdf of this important (and out-of-print) volume. Contains oral histories, stories, and scholarly articles.
Link to the page at Yale: http://www.yale.edu/seas/VietText.htm#Hmong
Link to the pdf: http://www.yale.edu/seas/VietText.htm#Hmong

The Hmong Primer (last revised 1999): extensive collection of language learning materials via the Refugee Educator's Network (including a glossary, frequently used word list, and graded Hmong language stories.)
http://www.reninc.org/pages/hmongprimer.htm

REN also has a downloadable copy of Grandmother's Way, Grandfather's Path (Yang/Lewis) an outstanding collection of stories and songs in Hmong and English. [One of the sections does not download properly.]

Hmong Visual, Oral, and Social Design: Innovation within a Frame of the Familiar (1993) by Judy Lewis: also hosted by REN, Lewis's masters thesis


La Musique des Hmong (1976) is Eric Mareschal's groundbreaking document on Hmong music practiced in Laos. 

Linguist David Mortenson has pdf copies of several unpublished articles about (H)mong language on his academic website (scroll down for the list): http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~dmort/

Markedness of White Hmong Tones (1996) by Brian McKibben.
Available through via Internet Archive: http://web.archive.org/web/20010617131118/members.citynet.net/brianm/thesis/thesis.htm

Of course, there is always the extensive collection of articles at Gary Yia Lee's website: http://www.garyyialee.com/
and Kao-Ly Yang's trilingual website: http://www.geocities.com/kaoly_y/historyculturelanguage.html

I know there are a multitude of resources available, but hopefully these are few of the less obvious ones that people will find useful. A frequently updated list of of the Hmong related websites I find is available at: http://del.icio.us/nfposs/hmong