Qeej Hmoob: Zaj Hlawv Ntawv - Offering Joss Paper

Hlawv Ntawv = Offering Joss Paper to the Deceased. Performed by Aranvihn Thor.This song is played during the funeral ceremony to inform an...

Hlawv Ntawv = Offering Joss Paper to the Deceased. Performed by Aranvihn Thor.This song is played during the funeral ceremony to inform and offer joss paper to the deceased. It is believed by Hmong that joss paper will serve as money for the deceased in the spirit world. This song is usually played twice during the ceremony, once for the relative’s offerings and once for the immediate family.

It is the goal of the Hmong Cultural Center's Hmong Qeej Videos project to promote increased knowledge of and interest in the Hmong Qeej Instrument and the Hmong Folk Arts Tradition among Hmong and non-Hmong children, youth and adults in Minnesota and the United States more generally.

The Qeej is a bamboo pipe instrument known worldwide as the primary cultural identifier for Hmong people practicing the traditional Hmong religion. It plays a pivotal role at Hmong funerals, as the sound of its chords are thought by Hmong to call the soul out of the body and into the afterworld. Many Hmong believe that a proper burial cannot occur without the playing of the Qeej instrument at a funeral ceremony. 

All of the qeej instrument songs presented here are performed as part of the traditional Hmong Funeral Ceremony and have an important role to play in helping lead the spirit of the deceased to the afterworld. These songs are taught as part of the Qeej class curriculum at Hmong Cultural Center in Saint Paul, MN. The songs are orally recited and performed on the Qeej instrument by instructors and students at Hmong Cultural Center. All videos were filmed by videographer Mitch Lee.

This project has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Folk Arts grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.