Birdsong: the dying whistled language of the Hmong people in northern Laos
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- Опубліковано 18 тра 2024
- Exploring the whistling traditions of the Hmong people of northern Laos, whose language straddles the boundary between music and speech, this film witnesses a collision of ancient tradition with modern urban life.
With urbanisation and the advent of modern technology rapidly replacing this culture, Hmong whistling is dying out. Following the stories of three individuals from Long Lan village, they reflect on their experience as practitioners of a vanishing musical language.
0:00 Birdsong
1:37 Who are the Hmong people?
6:03 Where nature and language meet
8:06 A secret serenade
11:00 Crafting the qeej
12:23 The threat of urbanisation
14:43 A shared language
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#Documentary #Birdsong #Climate #Nature #Wildlife #Languages
"Kho siab" is an emotional state that is so hard to capture in the English language or western culture. It's a feeling of longing, maybe melancholic and even inspirational at times.
Eh I just call it having the blues
Neng Now has recently stated in a speech that the elders of the hmong have already found a solution to treat their depression and sadness long before our time. It's through birdsongs, leafsongs, and flutesongs. We didn't realize it. The way we tackle such issue is to speak our emotions out openly. The Hmong language is indeed the most musical language there is out there.
"If everyone could understand and hear the birds, like I do. We would understand each other more and there would be no conflict or violence. There would be no war." 😢14:45
I felt that deep in my soul!
Beautiful film. The Hmong appear so connected with nature and there’s sadness that us city dwellers seem to have lost that touch.
Him talking about his wife responding and wiping his tears made me cry omg 😢
As a Hmong American, I don't understand the Leaf Song, but whenever I hear it, it makes me want to cry. Probably because of the hardship my people have been through.
Only the elders of our people knows how to do this now. We younger generations have lost this beautiful work of art and music. My parents have tried to teach us, but we just dont get it the way our older generations do. But, we still can feel the harmony and the pain when we hear these sounds. As soon as we hear, we know right away its our culture and tradition. Thanks for the documentary so we can still remember what our people has created.
I get it now that I'm older. And I don't want to lose it.
i dont know why but i am tearing up watching this
My grandpa always used to listen to the whistled language and as a child I always wondered why listen to such a weird sound but never understood that it had meaning and words behind it. This makes me miss him. RIP Gramps.
I am so sorry for your loss. Many Prayers and blessings to you from the hills of Tennessee, USA
This is fascinating! My city has the largest Hmong community in the US, I am going to have to visit the culture center to learn more!
Such musical poetry. Suddenly brought out memories that I’d forgotten of my dad in our backyard choosing a blade of grass, a particularly beautiful leaf and making music out of it while I watched and listened in awe. Or taking his qeej from the living room wall and creating a choreographic movements to match the music he made.
Filmed so beautifully - thank you to the crew. This moved me. It helped give me a better appreciation for my people’s art form and craft.
So short a film yet so touching. It delves deep down into my soul. My mom can’t read or write or even understand music notes yet Hmong birdsong is in her blood. I once asked her why can’t I receive any birdsong from you and she just giggled. Some people are just born to be. She passed away a few years ago and the birdsong went with her. I can only imagine that on certain dawn, high in the mountains of Laos, her birthplace, when the fogs are just starting to lift from the valleys she is in symphony with nature. How mesmerize is that?
Such beautiful and touching memories of your sweet Mother. I am so sorry for your loss. I know that she is dancing in the early morning fog and is at harmony with the birdsong awaiting the day that you will be together again. Many blessings to you from Tennessee, USA
What an amazingly respectful presentation of my people and the heritage we stand to lose. Thank you for preserving this.
Exquisite. What a lovely documentary. I feel privileged to see it. I hope that the whistling language doesn’t fade away
This is shot beautifully, thank you for translating the songs, it has a very powerful meaning.
Thank you for this very captivating coverage. I am so proud of my Hmong people as we’ve come thus far. Some may see as though our culture, traditions, and practices may be dying, but to me, it’s only because we are resilient and want conform to what needs to be to survive, to procreate, so that the Hmong population does not die out. We may not have our own country, but we have what it takes to make an impact in this world even if that impact may be small. I would not wish to be another other race or ethnicity. I’m proud to be Hmong. 🤍
Such a beautiful and pleasant film! I feel that if all of humanity had this connection and harmony with nature the world would not have the problems it has today!
Fascinating. Each culture is unique and should be valued and treasured.
How beautiful crafted this documentary was. Thank you.
This was beautiful storytelling. In only a short time you get to know and feel the different emotions of each individual and their individual instruments. I started to get emotional even. Bravo, to all teams: writing, producing, editing, filming and music. 👏 I salute you! 🫡
As a Hmong dude this has always been soothing to hear...but for the ladies it's rizz time 😜
Beautifully shot and well done. Transmitted the deep emotions of the love and lost of a language and culture.
Sounds and visuals of nature is captivating..
Love it. Thank you for this segment on us Hmong. Starting to get back this root of us Hmong
I hope the next generation of Hmong can reconnnect with the forest and listen to its calls.
I Pray that future generations of the Hmong people can reconnect with the forest and can teach the rest of the world peace and harmony! Many blessings to you from Tennessee, USA
Admirable way of living, we lost that ability😢😢😢
Beautiful film. Thank you for sharing.
Zoo heev os. Ua cas peb cov suab qeej suab hmoob hu tau kho siab ua luaj os cov phooj ywg sawv daws.
This was a nice video and i will share it with my parents.
Zoo npaum ntawm los Hmoob tsawm tsis kam kawm tej txuj ci no tseg
Amazing film that brought a tear to my eye. I feel that mourning feeling as if as humans we have all lost that connection to nature that all humans once had. The understanding between humans and nature that lasted for thousands of years has been killed in the matter of hundreds of years. Me must all find away to reconnect and maybe our lives will be that little better for it.
Very well documented for our Hmong people.. thank you
Nicely done! I love the story behind it.
Beautifully done! Love it
beautiful video! thank you!
This was beautiful 😢
Tears for my people.
Beautiful. Wow.
So Beautiful.
Kho siab is a longing, usually felt between relationships of people when time/distance/situations has caused a drift in that relationship. It can be used to describe the yearning for another, and sometimes feelings of unease/erraticness resulting from the yearning.
Thank you 🙏
My mom used to play this when i was little, truly soothing to sleep to for me.
Very educational video
Thank you
This was a beautifully made document film. The footage was professionally captured and film quality was graded. I wish I could UA-cam would allowed for two thumbs up but I could only gave one thumb as indicated. A big thanks to the producer of this film.
Amazing
beautiful and poignant. thank you Guardian!
Wade Davis wrote about this stuff in the Light at the Edge of the World, very poignant.
Does the flute player have more videos of him playing?
something similar is to be found in the black sea region of türkiye. they call it "kus dili" (birds language).
My people are beautiful.
The leaf song i see in 90s hmong movies
I'm sorry he has lost his wife. I wish him peace.
I thought the elders caution people from leaf whistling because it attracted wandering spirits 🤔 I might be wrong.
I wish the translation was better! They missed so many key moment...
I'm sick of 'progress'
ชีวิตบ้านป่าไม่มีหนี้สินพะรุงพะรัน ไม่มีความวุ่นวาย ก็ kho siab ซิ ได้อย่างเสียอย่าง ชีวิตอย่างนี้ล่าหลังเกือบ 200 ปี century 21 แล้วไม่เอาความล่าหลังแล้ว มีแต่ก้าวต่อไป ไปให้ไกล ไปให้ดวงดาว ตามความฝันให้ถึง ก่อนชีวิตจะหาไม่… ไกลเกินจะหันหลังให้แล้วพี่น้องม้งเอย เขาไม่ดวงจันทร์ ดาวอังคารกันแล้ว ยังมานั่งเป่าอยู่หรือ?
have they heard of mobile phones?
Yes, you saw one in the video, though I find that the mobile phone doesn't measure up as a musical instrument & a poetic language. Your mileage may vary
You have to understand this method of communication has been practiced since the bronze age
You see how kids now day don’t have talent or skills because all they can do is look into their phones. My people have come a long way from the yellow river of China to the mountains of Laos to the Americas without losing our culture and our history.