Iu Mien Clapper

The Iu Mien most likely adopted the diang ga, a clapper rarely found in Southeast Asia, from the Chinese p’ai pan, which serves as a vital percussion instrument that marks time and rhythm in Chinese music, opera, and storytelling.

The Iu Mien diang ga clapper consists of two rectangular pieces of hardwood or bamboo, one part measuring half the length of the other. These pieces are loosely joined by tree bark twine or cord at the base of the short piece, which rests atop the longer.

By repeatedly flicking the diang ga so the two pieces strike together in a regular beat, a player creates a sharp, non-pitched, clacking sound used to drive a musical performance or to signal significant events in a ceremony.

During the fee ong kong ha ceremony, an Iu Mien tradition now waning in Southeast Asia, a family seeks merit to restore health to an infirm relative or to memorialize a parent after death. Three musical instruments—the hao dong ngou flute, diang ga clapper, and pang drum—are expressly crafted and played for this occasion, never to be heard again once the ceremony concludes.

Before these instruments can be sounded, an animal sacrifice and a special ceremony must be conducted. The all-night ritual then ensues. As the shaman enters into trance, a son of the deceased performs ancestral melodies on his flute, while other family members play a percussion accompaniment on the clapper and bamboo drum. The rite ends the next morning by burning the hao dong ngou, diang ga, and pang so ancestors can play them in the spirit world.

Ethnic Group: Iu Mien

Local Name: Diang ga

Type: Clapper

Class: Concussion Idiophone

Tuning:

Age: 2008

Materials: Hardwood, cotton

Dimensions: 25.5 x 5 x 2.5 cm / 10″ x 2″ x 1″

Location:
Huay Chang Lod
Chiang Rai, Thailand

Owner / Instrument Maker:
Loong San On, Dzat musician and instrument-maker

Catalog Number: 5960