High in the mountains of the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar once knew no boundaries, lives a rich multiplicity of traditional peoples. Prominent among them are the Karen, Hmong, Iu Mien, Lahu, Akha, and Lisu, six distinct groups who have maintained their independence, identity, and worldview to a high degree.
Songs of Memory (Book and Flash Drive), in a newly released edition (2022), explores the cultural and musical foundation of each of these groups and the vital role music has played throughout the centuries. Expanded to include recently uncovered vanishing musical instruments and practices, richly illustrated with over 800 photographs, and accompanied by recordings of musicians and ceremonies rarely witnessed, this work highlights the vast range of celebratory songs, sacred chants, and instrumental music that chart the arc of life, the cycles of seasons, and the wheel of generations.