THE HMONG KHAENE (RAB QEEJ HMOOB)

All life is sound. For life is motion, and motion grows out of sound. Nature itself is full of sound, full of music. But the most remarkable things in life are not always easy to define - love, sadness, joy, imagination - like the Spirit of the Qeej. The qeej or khaene (pronounced roughly 'kling' and spelled qeej transliterated Hmong) is the most famous instrument in the Hmong culture. No other instrument in the world speaks like the qeej. It warms each heart and soothes each sadness; it leads the way when one seems lost. To study its uses takes a season, but to understand its meanings takes generations. At first, I thought I would not be able to find enough information about the qeej to write my eight- to ten-page paper. I was thinking too shallow. I realize I cannot fit something that takes generations to understand onto even a thousand pages! The qeej has many functions in the Hmong culture. It is played during the New Year festivals, funeral ceremonies and other special occasions. The major dialects of the Hmong language (White, Green, and Black) are incorporated into the lyrics of the qeej. This bamboo and wooden mouth organ has been with the Hmong culture for generations. Read more - http://www.csuchico.edu