“The khomus is my red deer on which I fly through the middle world” (Khomus in the shamanic practice of Tuva: Research issues)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2017.2.7Keywords:
khomus; Jew’s harp; khomus player; Tuvan music; shaman; S. Vainshtein; xöömei; Tyva; shamanic practiceAbstract
The author first got acquainted with Tuvan music in 1991, at the 2nd International Congress of Jew’s Harp Music in Yakutia, Russia. Among other ethnomusical bands from Russia’s various regions and CIS states, the Tuvan band stood out with its special techniques of playing the khomus (Jew’s harp) and of throat singing which accompanied their music. One of them, Gennadii Chash, later tutored the author in throat singing during the latter’s visits to Tuva, where he also met Tuvan musicians and ethnomusicologists. The author attended a number of symposia on music in Tyva and researched the Tuvan khomus playing techniques. He also co-produced a CD with their audio recordings (2013).
Of special interest for the author are the khomus playing techniques as they are used in shamanic practice. The author follows the study of the shamanic rituals as they appeared in the works of the Russian scholar Sevyan Vainshtein, in the videos made during his ethnographic field studies, and also reflects on his own observations.
References
Kolltveit, G. (2006) Jew’s Harps in European Archaeology. Archaeopress, Publishers of British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.
Tadagawa, L. (2016) Asian Excavated Jew’s Harps: A Checklist (1) - Lamellate Jew’s Harps (1). In: Institute of Ethnomusicology Bulletin of Tokyo College of Music, Vol. 5, pp. 57–70.
Tadagawa, L. (2017) Asian Excavated Jew’s Harps: A Checklist (2) - Lamellate Jew’s Harps (2). In: Institute of Ethnomusicology Bulletin of Tokyo College of Music, Vol. 6, рр. 57–68.
Vainshtein, S. I. (1991) Mir kochevnikov tsentra Asii [The World of Nomads of the Center of Asia]. Moscow, Nauka. 296 p. (In Russ.).
Markus, S. V. (2006) Tuva: Slovar’ kultury [Tuva: Dictionary of Culture]. Moscow, Akademicheskii proekt. 832 p. (In Russ.)
Suzukei, V. Iu. (2010) Khomus in the Traditional Culture of Tuvans. Kyzyl, Tyvapoligraf. 228 p. (In Russ.).
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Author Biography
Leo Tadagawa, Nihon Koukin Kyoukai [Japan Jew's Harp Association]
Founder & Head, Nihon Koukin Kyoukai (Japan Jew's Harp Association); Instructor at evening public courses, Institute of Ethnomusicology, Tokyo College of Music; Board member, International Jew’s Harp Society.
Postal address: 1-12-24, Midorigaoka, Ageo, Saitama 362-0015, Japan.
Tel.: +81-80-3208-7007.
Email: koukin@center.email.ne.jp
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