Khuang
| Percussion instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Khuangpui, Khuanglai, Khuangte, Kawlkhuang |
| Classification | Membranophone (drum) |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | (Two-headed cylindrical drum) |
| Related instruments | |
| Darkhuang, darbu, darmang | |
The Khuang (Khuang; Mizo for "drum") is the principal traditional drum of the Mizo people of Mizoram, India, made from a hollowed log of wood about three feet long with both ends closed by stretched animal hide.[1][2] Mizo usage distinguishes drums by size and shape: the largest is the Khuangpui, the middle-sized the Khuanglai and the smallest the Khuangte, and a particularly elongated drum is called the Kawlkhuang.[1] The Khuang occupies a central place in Mizo social and religious life and is regarded as indispensable at all major occasions, with the Mizo saying "Khuang lova chai ang" ("a festival without a drum") capturing the conviction that no celebration is complete without it.[1][3] Used to accompany folk dances including the Cheraw, Khuallam, Chailam and Chheihlam, it is also the only Mizo traditional instrument that has retained a major role into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: with the spread of Christianity from the late nineteenth century onwards, most of the older Mizo instruments fell out of common use, but the Khuang was taken up in church services and remains a fixture of Mizo Christian worship today.[1][2][4] A great many traditional Mizo personal names, including Khuangliana, Khuanglawma, Khuangtuaha and Khuangchhunga, are derived from the word khuang.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Heritage of Mizo Traditional Music (An Overview)". Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Government of Mizoram. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- 1 2 "About Mizoram: Music". Government of Mizoram. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ "Miscellaneous Arts and Crafts in Mizoram". Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Government of India. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ Lalhminghlui (2023). "Traditional Mizo Dance: An Ethnographic Exploration" (PDF). Senhri Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies. 8 (2). Pachhunga University College: 35–44.
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