Iu Mien End-blown Horn 2

The Iu Mien end-blown horn, chorng, takes form as a curved, conical instrument crafted from the large horn of a water buffalo. Played to the side in Iu Mien style, its resonant tones are produced by a musician’s air stream that vibrates through his pursed lips. What results is a deep bellowing timbre able to reach far distances, be it in a limited melodic range.

The instrument’s blow hole is traditionally carved with multiple decorative rings, where a strap decked with red ribbons or silk tassels is attached. The Iu Mien, like all other Yao subgroups, embellish their clothing, paintings, and ritual instruments in reddish hues that range from burgundy to crimson, as red is the color favored by deities, spirits, and ancestors.

The soundscape that accompanies Iu Mien rituals is vital to the sacred experience. No ceremony marking pivotal life events—weddings, funerals, bridge-crossing healing rites, ancestor memorials, and religious rituals leading men into the mysteries of Iu Mien doctrine—may begin until a high priest has blown the hallowed buffalo horn, chorng, at the Big Door.

For, with the chorng’s ability to travel far and wide in both the mortal and spirit worlds, the musician is specially beckoning the Jade Emperor, Nyut Hung, and the Mien collective of ancestors, deities, and spirit soldiers to attend and bless Iu Mien events.

Ethnic Group: Iu Mien

Local Name: Chorng

Type: End-blown Horn

Class: Aerophone

Tuning:

Age: Mid-20th c.

Materials: Buffalo horn, cotton

Dimensions: 35 x 15 x 7.5 cm / 13.75″ x 6″ x 3″

Location: Thailand

Owner / Instrument Maker:

Catalog Number: 5812