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Musical Instruments and Sound Objects of Nagaland

Musical Instruments, Sound Objects

Musical Instruments and Sound Objects of Nagaland

Nagas use different musical instruments for different purposes. Their musical performances are basically connected to ceremonial occasions and rituals associated with sowing, war, funerals etc… Rarely do we come across women playing on musical instruments except a few castanets. Among the Sena, Lotha and Angami Naga women are allowed to manipulate drubbing sound from a Lowii or Jew’s harp. Other instruments like the drums, flutes, horns, trumpets are played by the Naga men.

Buffalo horn is sounded at the time of sowing with the expectation of a big harvest. It is never blown during the threshing time as it is believed that it will blow away the grains. It is also sounded in the monsoon at hunting parties so that the prey comes out.

Angami and Sena women are forbidden to play the flute or fululu, as it will seduce young men – they are only allowed to play Jew’s harp.

Instruments: 

Trumpets are very popular with the Nagas – different types and shapes of trumpets are used. Traditional materials like thin bamboo, buffalo hornsmithun horns etc are all used.

A type of trumpet called Thetsu is made from the Thetsu plant. It is neither a bamboo nor wood and is grown in muddy places. It is full of nodes and holes.

Mouth Organ Bamboo Mouth Organ, The bamboo mouth organ is one of the oldest traditional musical instruments used by the Nagas. This is a very simple instrument made of bamboo, yet very effective and enchanting. The length is about 6 inches only and half an inch in width. Ani, a kind of thin bamboo is best suited to make this organ.

Flutes Bamboo Flute The Naga flute is one of the simplest instruments to make and it produces a beautiful sound with different tunes. A thin special variety of bamboo Ani is used to make this instrument.

Malen is a similar musical instrument, used by the Ao. It is made out of paddy plant stump. It is easier to make than the bamboo flute. Its whole length is nearly four to five inches only and as big as a lead pencil. It is made during harvest season only.

Violin Cup Violin The cup violin is one of the musical instruments popularly used by the Aos. To make the cup violin, a good quality of hard and thin bamboo is selected, or sometimes a shell of a bitter gourd is used. A bow is required to play this instrument, which is made out of a thin bamboo half an inch in width and about a foot long.

Drums Log-drums – wooden Log Drums or xylophones,
It is one of the leading instruments of the Nagas. There are different types and sizes of the drum to meet the specific requirement of the ritual occasion. Log-drums or wooden log-drums or huge wooden gongs are one of the amazing creations of the Aos, the Konyaks, the Sangtams, the Phoms, the Changs and the Khiamngan and the Yimchungers.

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