Ethnomusicological Research of Minorities in South Western District of China and in Northern Thailand

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This Project has been in the links with the past ones : the ones carried out in Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, and Yunnan in every other year form 1980, as the Grants under the Monbusho International Scientific Research Program. From the south Himalayan countries to the inner Indochina and Yunnan district, some common traits, not only ecological or geographical but cultural, have been pointed out. Things are true to ethnomusicological phase, especially in their singing habits and styles. This time, the project has focused on the peoples of the hills, Northern Thailand. Intabitants at large belong to the Tibeto-Burman language family, and their ancestors in many parts ar migrants from Yunnan and its outskirts, holding even today culture in common with the counterpart Nationalities in China.The Akhas who are called Hani in China, though, are unique for their peculiar custom of the Swing Ceremony, one of the two biggest Akha ceremonies of a year ; the other is New Year's. The former is performed before ripening of crops and is regarded rather feminine, contrasted with the masculine character of the latter. Through the project, almost all procedure of the Swing Ceremony has investigated and audio-visual, as well as literary, documents have been collected. Agreat many songs concerned will encourage us to believe in the singing culture of the hill people as a whole.