PH
Traditional Ifugao musical instruments are not always simply entertainment instruments.
The Philippine inventory records particular instruments as having sacred roles in religious ceremonies.
One example is an idiochord tubular clapper, which can be used by a mumbaki, or ritual specialist. Its sound is traditionally associated with communicating messages and requests to deities and ancestors.
Other instruments can also have special significance depending on the ritual in which they are played.
This gives certain musical objects a role that goes beyond music itself. In this tradition, sound can become part of communication between the human community and the spiritual world.
© NCCA — TALAPAMANA