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Music of a Sherpa Village

Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
Music of a Sherpa Village

In 1973, anthropologist John M. Bishop recorded music of the remote village of Melemichigaon, Nepal. With influence from Tibet, this Nepalese music is characterized by unison singing and occasional accompaniment on the damian, a stringed instrument in the lute family that provides a strong rhythmic base. The musicians generally sing in Helambu (a Sherpa-Tibetan dialect) and sometimes in Tibetan on themes of religion, a desire for material wealth, the natural landscape, and a “sense of an ordered world in contrast to the nomadic pattern of many peoples’ lives” (Bishop). Liner notes include a description of the village and its music, track notes, and lyrics in Helambu/Tibetan and English.

Track Listing

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101
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
00:07
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102
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
02:05
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103
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
03:33
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104
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
02:21
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105
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
02:55
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106
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
03:51
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107
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
02:42
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108
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
02:34
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201
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
01:56
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202
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
05:31
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203
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
02:07
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204
Kirkiyap and Dawa Sonam
09:58