Hmong Spike Fiddle

The Hmong perform on the nkauj laus ncas (nkau lau nja), the “old song mouth harp,” a two-stringed spike fiddle made of hardwood. One of its most striking features is its long wooden neck, with a headstock often carved as a great hornbill with a finely pointed beak. At the opposite end, this piece is whittled into a slender ‘spike,’ able to pierce through a cylindrical resonator of coconut or wood, which is covered in buffalo or snake skin secured by nails around its lip. Two strings stretch the length, from tuning pegs to tailpiece, where they are tied to the protruding spike. An arched bow of bamboo, strung with red palm tree vines or horsehair, completes the nkauj laus ncas.

Originally constructed from a bamboo tranche, the Hmong adapted the nkauj laus ncas form to that of the Chinese huqin, with a flat bridge supporting its two strings. Ingeniously, one of these strings is run between the bow’s horsehair and stick, allowing each side of the horsehair to play one string. To make sound, the bow hair is rosined with heated pinewood sap.

Held vertically, with the spike resting on a musician’s body or on the ground, the nkauj laus ncas is able to approximate Hmong speech patterns to convey ancestral narratives through tones, though to a much lesser degree than its namesake, the ncas. The Hmong fiddle is played by men, solo or as an accompaniment to singing, for ritual gatherings and family events during seasonal and life-cycle rites.

Ethnic Group: Hmoob Dawb (Hmong Der) – White Hmong

Local Name: Nkauj laus ncas (nkau lau nja) – “Old song mouth harp”

Type: Spike Fiddle

Class: Chordophone

Tuning: A fifth

Age:.2016

Materials:
Spike Fiddle:  Hardwood, Metal Strings
Bow: Bamboo, horsehair

Dimensions:
Fiddle: 74 x 14 x 7 cm / 20″ x 2″ x 2.75″
Bow: 67.5 x 5.5 cm / 29.5″ x 2″ x 0.4″

Location:
Ban Than Tong
Chiang Rai, Thailand

Owner / Craftsman: Nyiaj Pow Lauj (Nyia Paw Lo)

Catalog Number: 5765