Kachin sound instruments within the context of the Kachin Baptist Convention of Northern Burma: History, classification, and uses

This organology identifies and describes the Kachin's sound instruments, classifies them according to the Hornbostel-Sachs' system, and considers evidence of an indigenous classification scheme. Very little research exists to date on the music of the Kachin peoples of Northern Burma. This paper cites the only known indigenous organology and is the first English language study to extrapolate evidence into an emergent classification system. This qualitative study is based on ethnographic interviews, the minimal literature available on the topic, and participant observation drawn from fieldwork conducted in the Kachin State of Northern Burma (modern day Myanmar) during the months of May 2011 and November 2012. The participants in this study are music leaders in the Kachin Baptist Convention, a Christian association of churches whose membership includes approximately three quarters of the total Kachin population.