Damphu
Encyclopedia
Damphu, or Damfoo, is a double-sided disk-shaped drum
topped with leather
and with a long wood
en handle
.This is a very rare musical
instrument belonging to the indigenous Tamang
Community. Damphu is a percussion instrument similar to a big tambourine
. This instrument is used to melodiously play Tamang selo.
The popular ancient folk instrument Damphu and an original rhythm of Tamang Selo have unique importance and influence among other Nepalese cultural folk music. This instrument is very easy to play and easy to learn.
of Damphu in Tamang community. It is like an ornament of Tamba. Tamba sings our historical and ritual songs with Damphu. According to Tamba - Once upon a time a man named Peng Dorje who was a hunter used to go to the jungle and kill animals.As usual,on a fine day he went for hunting and killed a deer. After seeing the corpse of the deer his wife became too sad because the deer was so beautiful. Since that day she kept on weeping. Peng Dorje was worried about his wife's sadness. He tried to make her happy. He used many tricks to get smile on her face. But he was unable to do that. Her sadness knew no bounds. Peng Dorje always wanted to see his wife very happy. Where there is a will, there is a way, He then went to the jungle and bought a 4 feet long wood called 'Ambu Sing'. He shaped it into 4 inches width and made a circle. He made 32 sticks made up of Bamboo
too. Then he tighten the dry skin of deer on one side of the circle with the help of 32 bamboo sticks. The circle created melodious sound - 'Trak Dhin'. He started to sing remembering his ancestors and gods with the beat of that newly invented instrument. All creatures began to dance and his wife also started to dance upon the wonderfully created melody. A bird-"Danphe" was beautifully dancing too on this melody so beautifully. So Peng Dorje named that circle as Damphu.
Then Damphu became lifestyle
of Tamang people. Tamang people use Damphu in each and every event such as marriage
ceremony, funeral ceremony,several occasions/rituals and festivals. Tamang people express their happiness, sadness, remember their ancestors and say their history through a song with Damphu.Damphu symbolizes Buddha
and Bodhisatwa too. 32 bamboo
sticks symbolize Buddha's 32 symbols.
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
topped with leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
and with a long wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en handle
Handle (grip)
A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that can be moved or used by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt with intuitively or by following tradition...
.This is a very rare musical
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
instrument belonging to the indigenous Tamang
Tamang
The Tamangs are the ancient and original inhabitants of the mountains and plains of the Himalayan regions of Nepal and India. Their ancient capital being Yambu - modern day Kathmandu. They have their own distinct culture, language and religion. Their ancestral domain is popularly known as...
Community. Damphu is a percussion instrument similar to a big tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
. This instrument is used to melodiously play Tamang selo.
The popular ancient folk instrument Damphu and an original rhythm of Tamang Selo have unique importance and influence among other Nepalese cultural folk music. This instrument is very easy to play and easy to learn.
History
There are many saying and stories about inventionInvention
An invention is a novel composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived, in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social...
of Damphu in Tamang community. It is like an ornament of Tamba. Tamba sings our historical and ritual songs with Damphu. According to Tamba - Once upon a time a man named Peng Dorje who was a hunter used to go to the jungle and kill animals.As usual,on a fine day he went for hunting and killed a deer. After seeing the corpse of the deer his wife became too sad because the deer was so beautiful. Since that day she kept on weeping. Peng Dorje was worried about his wife's sadness. He tried to make her happy. He used many tricks to get smile on her face. But he was unable to do that. Her sadness knew no bounds. Peng Dorje always wanted to see his wife very happy. Where there is a will, there is a way, He then went to the jungle and bought a 4 feet long wood called 'Ambu Sing'. He shaped it into 4 inches width and made a circle. He made 32 sticks made up of Bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
too. Then he tighten the dry skin of deer on one side of the circle with the help of 32 bamboo sticks. The circle created melodious sound - 'Trak Dhin'. He started to sing remembering his ancestors and gods with the beat of that newly invented instrument. All creatures began to dance and his wife also started to dance upon the wonderfully created melody. A bird-"Danphe" was beautifully dancing too on this melody so beautifully. So Peng Dorje named that circle as Damphu.
Then Damphu became lifestyle
Lifestyle
Lifestyle is a term to describe the way a person lives, which was originally coined by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in 1929. The current broader sense of the word dates from 1961. A set of behaviors, and the senses of self and belonging which these behaviors represent, are collectively used...
of Tamang people. Tamang people use Damphu in each and every event such as marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
ceremony, funeral ceremony,several occasions/rituals and festivals. Tamang people express their happiness, sadness, remember their ancestors and say their history through a song with Damphu.Damphu symbolizes Buddha
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and Bodhisatwa too. 32 bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
sticks symbolize Buddha's 32 symbols.