Te na wa – Karen Zither (Bamboo – Pair)

Exceptional in the highlands of Southeast Asia is the Karen bamboo tube zither, te na wa, as played by the Karenni, Pa O Karen (who call it the tiktung), and S’gaw Karen (paplaw). Fashioned from a large bamboo segment that is closed at both ends by a natural node, the zither measures thirty-seven to forty-four centimeters long and eight to fifteen centimeters wide. It is marked by a long, deep crack running along its side, which serves as the sound hole. Te na wa are often crafted in pairs, a large, long ‘male’ zither for a suitor and a smaller ‘female’ for his fiancée.

Ingeniously, the zither’s ‘strings,’ which run lengthwise along the resonator, are finely cut from the upper layer, the ‘skin’ of the bamboo body, and remain attached, defining this instrument as an idiophone. Each string is mounted on two small moveable wood or bamboo bridges, lateral bars which, when slipped closer together or farther apart, can raise or lower the pitch.

The Karen play on two bamboo zither forms.  One is marked with eight strings aligned at equal points around the bamboo body.  The other, as seen in this example, has two sets of three to five strings set close together on either side of its two top bass strings. Tuned in unison and joined by a central thin board, or bass bar, these bass strings emit deep vibrations that serve as a pedal point and rhythmic drone when the bar is plucked.

A musician rests the te na wa flat on her lap and plucks the strings with both thumbs or a small plectrum, or taps them with a slender bamboo mallet. Whether plucked or struck, the result is a winsome, woody timbre that accompanies songs of the heart. With mesmerizing effect, the Karenni follow their haunting, sighing vocal strains with plaintive whistling.

Note: Phuepabue, a S;gaw Karen villager born in 1944 from Ban Ka He Phoo, Maehongson, Thailand, near the Myanmar border, made a pair of te na wa when he was twenty years old so he and his wife could court during the year before they married: a long ‘male’ te na wa himself, and a shorter ‘female’ instrument for his wife, Phidapho, born in 1946.  Each of these instruments comes with a small plectrum.

The timbre of the te na wa bamboo tube zither—like that of Karen harps, lutes, and flutes with a similar melodic range and reach—is well-suited for personal enjoyment, and its dulcet tunes fitting for expressing deep-seated emotions, recounting Karen beliefs and life lessons, and wooing a mate.

Recording:
Ancestral Song, accompanied by a te na wa bamboo tube zither and whistling (Kayaw)

Mo Ee, Ban Nai Soi, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand, December 2008

Ethnic Group: S’gaw Karen

Local Name: Te na wa

Type: Plucked Zither (Male, ten strings / Female, seven strings)

Class: Plucked Chordophone

Tuning: Pentatonic scale, tuned to the vocal range of the singer

Age: Mid-20th c.

Materials: Bamboo, hemp

Dimensions:
Male: 61 x 12.5 dia. cm / 20” x 5” dia.
Female: 51 x 12.5 dia. cm / 24” x 5” dia.

Location:
Ban Ka He Phoo
Maehongson, Thailand

Owner / Instrument Maker: Phuepabue, Karen villager

Catalog Number: 6382