Sounds of the Hills: Traditional Musical Instruments of the Mro

Traditional music and ritual performances are at the heart of Mro cultural life. Whether in festivals, marriages, death rites, or agricultural celebrations, a wide range of indigenous musical instruments accompanies the rhythms of their existence. Most of these instruments are handcrafted by Mro artisans using locally available materials like bamboo, gourds, animal hide, and wood. Their creation, repair, and performance are deeply embedded in local knowledge systems and spiritual worldviews.

Among the Mro, musical instruments are not just tools of entertainment — they are vessels of myth, memory, and collective identity. Below is a catalog of key instruments, along with their cultural significance and modes of usage.

Plung (Bamboo Flute)

The most iconic and essential instrument in Mro society, the Plung is used during ritual dances, particularly in buffalo sacrifice ceremonies. A variant called Rina Plung is played during musical gatherings.

Plung is constructed from dolu bamboo and the bark of the Sanku tree (a palm-like plant). The bark is dried and carved into a thin reed, similar to a harmonium reed, and inserted into a bamboo tube sealed with beeswax. The assembly is housed inside a dried gourd. Blowing air into the gourd causes the reed to vibrate, creating sound. Making a plung is a specialized skill; not everyone is permitted or capable of making it.

Plai Plung (Dance Flute Set)

Used exclusively during buffalo sacrifice dances, this ensemble consists of 20–25 flutes played in unison to produce resonant, forest-filling rhythms. The coordinated performance sets the beat for group dances, usually performed by Mro women.

Rina Plung (Cholera Flute)

This instrument has a mythical origin tied to a cholera epidemic during World War II. According to legend, a young man named Ringklang, who died of cholera, was revived while being carried to the cremation ground. He described a vision where he boarded a celestial ship full of youths in white garments who taught him to play a mysterious flute. Upon returning to life, he crafted that flute — the Rina Plung.

Rina means cholera; Plung means flute. It is played during musical gatherings, especially by young people during joyful moments.

Tam Ma (Drum)

The Mro drum, Tam Ma, is carved from a single log and hollowed at both ends. Animal skin is stretched and fastened over the openings to produce deep, resonant beats. It is essential for rhythm in group performances.

Purui (Melodic Bamboo Flute)

Made from dolu bamboo, this long flute features seven holes — one near the mouthpiece and six along the body — allowing the player to create melodic variations. Beeswax is used to seal specific chambers for tonal control.

Tu’ (Funeral or Sacrificial Flute)

This rare flute is only played during deaths or sacrificial rites. It is reserved for elders, shamans, and community leaders, and carries a sacred sound structure unknown to ordinary people.

Constructed from dolu bamboo and gourd, the Tu’ flute is designed with a central reed and side air holes, sealed and reinforced with beeswax. It is considered a channel for communicating warnings or conveying the soul to the afterlife.

Tum Plung (Field Flute)

This flute is played in jhum (shifting) agricultural fields, especially when the first signs of harvest appear. Families move to their tong ghar (field huts), and the hills resonate with Tum Plung sounds. It is also used during hunting festivals, where hunters play the flute during Chaklu Plai, a dance commemorating successful hunts.

Made from muli bamboo, its diagonal mouth-cut allows airflow and sound generation.

Ting Teng (String Idiophone)

Ting Teng is a plucked instrument made by slicing the middle of a mitingya bamboo segment to create six string-like slivers (resembling the strings of a monochord). Often played with the Rina Pung and Tri (violin) during performances.

Sok Cha (Cymbals)

Sok Cha is a handheld metal shaker or cymbal made of brass or bronze. Though not locally made, it is integral to buffalo sacrifice dances, where it adds percussive energy alongside flutes and drums.

Ner (Brass Plates)

Ner are three brass plates, typically bought from local markets, chosen specifically for their tonal harmony. Not all plates are suitable — their sound is tested before selection.

Each plate is fitted with a string and played by striking with a Kaiym — a stick with a cloth-wrapped head resembling garlic. These plates are sometimes also used as ceremonial serving dishes during ritual feasts, and households owning them are highly respected.

Mong (Bronze Bell)

A bronze handbell found across many indigenous communities. In Mro culture, it is used during various social and spiritual gatherings, often complementing other instruments.

Trau (Mro Violin)

The Trau, is a violin-like string instrument made from Gamari wood and the skin of monitor lizards. It is shaped like a coconut shell and adorned with carved animal heads (rooster, pheasant, drongo). Two brass or copper strings are stretched across its body and played using a bamboo bow.

The Trau is considered highly romantic and emotive — often used by young men to attract women. Its haunting melody, especially when played under the moonlight alongside the Rina Plung, gathers crowds and creates a magnetic atmosphere.

The musical instruments of the Mro are not merely artistic artifacts — they are living symbols of spiritual memory, ecological knowledge, and social structure. From cholera legends to hunting rituals, each instrument holds a piece of Mro history, reverberating across generations. Their preservation is not only about sound, but also about sustaining identity and resisting erasure.