Iu Mien Double-Headed Drum (Wood) 2

The Iu Mien dzoe, a double-headed cylindrical drum, is distinctive in all of Southeast Asia because of the unusually large wooden tapered blocks that encircle its heads in three alternating rows. With the buffalo- or cowhide drumheads secured by metal counter hoops, a musician wedges these blocks deeper into a latticework of leather tension ropes around the drum’s side to keep the hides stretched taut and tuned. A drummer beats the dzoe with one or two wooden mallets.

Wide in circumference, but shallow in depth, the Iu Mien dzoe originated from the double-headed long drum, wang du, played by some Yao groups in China’s Hunan, Guangdong, and Guangxi Provinces. Such a hefty instrument—constructed of hardwood, covered in calfskin, and tapering in the middle—measures between eighty to one hundred and twenty centimeters long and eighteen to twenty-three centimeters in diameter.  Because of their massive size and weight, wang du proved too unwieldy to transport during southerly migrations. Thus, the smaller dzoe form was adapted and adopted by most Yao groups in the Golden Triangle.

All major Iu Mien rites and dances are animated by the reverberating timbre and rhythmic heartbeat of a percussion ensemble composed of dzoe drum, bo mang gong, and chao jae cymbals.

The principal celebration of the Iu Mien year, held on the sixteenth day of the tenth lunar cycle, marks the anniversary of the birth of P’an Hung, the founding father of the Iu Mien clans. The multi-day event unfolds in a series of collective offerings, sacred rites, feasting, and dancing, all animated by the steady rhythms of dzoe, bo mang, and chao jae percussion as they accompany the Iu Mien double-reed woodwind, dzat.

This band of male musicians plays a prominent role during weddings. The penetrating tunes and improvisations of the dzat soar above the driving, synchronized pulse of drum, gong, and cymbals to accompany every phase of Iu Mien nuptial rites—to assemble relatives; accompany the high priest’s ritual activities; welcome guests; inspire the traditional tray dance; and lead the bride and her entourage from her village to the groom’s.

A troupe of musicians on the dzoe drum, bo mang gong, chao jae cymbals, and dzat woodwind also accompanies the hierachy of priests and deities during sacred rites, as heard at funerals and initiation ceremonies inducting acolytes into the mysteries of Yao Daoism.  These musicians are beautifully portrayed in Yao ceremonial paintings, collectively called Mien Fang.

Recording
Wedding Music, played on a dzat shawm and percussion (bo lor gong; chao jae cymbals, and dzoe drum) (Iu Mien)

Nai Sheng, dzat, and male percussion ensemble, Ban Nam Thin, Phayao Province, Thailand, March 2007

Ethnic Group: Iu Mien

Local Name: Dzoe

Type: Double-headed Drum and Mallets

Class: Membranophone

Tuning:

Age: Circa 1930

Materials:
Drum: Wood, buffalo hide, metal, hemp
Mallets: Wood

Dimensions:
Drum: 19 x 34 dia. cm / 7.5″ x 13.4″ dia.
Mallets: 24 x 1.2 dia. cm / 9.5″ x 0.5″ dia.

Location: Guizhou, China 

Owner / Instrument Maker:

Catalog Number: 5941