Ntaus Rog = Getting Rid of Evil Spirits

Ntaus Rog = Getting Rid of Evil Spirits. Performed by Aranvihn Thor, Qeej Instructor at Hmong Cultural Center. Videographer Mitch Lee.
This song is played in the funeral ceremony when it’s time to play the Qeej Tshais, Qeej Su, and Qeej hmo songs. These songs can be played simultaneously. Ntaus Rog is played to keep evil spirits away in order to help the Hmong funeral run smoothly. The Qeej player blowing this song would be seen walking to and from the two doors of the funeral home, this will occur seven times if the deceased is female and nine times if the deceased is a male.
This qeej instrument song is performed as part of the traditional Hmong Funeral Ceremony and taught as part of the Qeej class curriculum at Hmong Cultural Center in Saint Paul, MN. 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.
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.