Hmong Funeral Drum

The nruas tuag (drua dua) ritual “death drum,” which accompanies the qeej and funerary songs during last rites, has profound significance for the Hmong, as its steady, resonant pulse, able to reach the realm of the ancestors, is the last sound a soul hears before leaving the human world.

Constructed of hard wood, the barrel-shaped nruas tuag has two heads, which are covered with the hide of a water buffalo sacrificed for the rite, and secured and stretched tight with tension ropes or strips of leather interlaced along its sides.  A funeral drum is beat with two mallets made of roughly hewn wood.

Traditionally this sacred Hmong instrument is created for each person at death.  That said, some families designate a single funeral drum to serve over many generations provided it is re-fitted with a new buffalo hide for the rite of each family member.

Played solely for funeral rites, the nruas tuag is first suspended from the main post or beam of the home of the deceased, only to be moved on the final day to the cemetery, where it is set on a wooden three-legged stand near the bier. Depending on the date of the death, funerals may last from three to nine days so the interment can fall on an auspicious day.  During this period, the nruas tuag and qeej are intermittently sounded together day and night to mark the souls’ three daily meals and other significant funerary rites.

Whether inside the home or at the cemetery, final rites continue as the funeral drummer strikes the nruas tuag with two wooden mallets while the qeej player leads family and friends around the bier of the deceased, and under or around the drum. All the while the drummer maintains a constant throbbing beat, while changing rhythmic patterns and styles to correspond to different ritual acts.

Ethnic Group: Hmoob Ntsuab (Hmong Njoua) – Blue Hmong

Local Name: Nruas Tuag (drua dua)

Type: Two-headed Drum and Mallet

Class: Membranophone

Tuning:

Age: 2008

Materials:
Drum: Hard wood, buffalo hide, iron, varnish
Mallet: Wood

Dimensions:
Drum: 58 x 40 dia. cm / 22.75″ x 15.75″ dia.
Mallet: 43 x 6 dia. cm / 17″ x 2.33″ dia.

Location:
Ban Hin Fon
Mae Chaem, Thailand

Owner:

Catalog Number: 5388