Musical instruments from Tay Nguyen

Opening: Fri 06 Nov
Exhibition: 06 Nov 2009 – 07 Feb 2010
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

The exhibition consists of 90 photographs selected from several French archival departments, including The French School of the Far East (The École française d’Extrême-Orient) (EFEO), the Paris Missionary and the Quai Branly Museum. The photographs were taken by French colonial officers, military officers, missionaries and scholars from the 1930s to the 1960s. They show a significant interest in the art and usage of several musical instruments, especially Gongs, practiced by the people of Ba Na, Gia Rai, Mnong Gar, etc.

With the help of Christine Hemmet from the Quai Branly Museum, the exhibition is curated and divided into four parts. The first part shows the structure of a Gong orchestra. The second part explains how people played Gongs in the old days. The third introduces spiritual practices and rituals where Gongs are used; while the last discusses the usage of this instrument nowadays.