The Damphu Drum

"Do you want to hear a song about the damphu?" Nangsali's grandmother asks.

"Yes, please," Nangsali says.

Nangsali's grandmother sings: "Tak dhui tak, tak dhui tak, goes the beat of the damphu. Round is the damfu’s shape. The daphne dances with grace."

"Protected by pegs, thirty-two, a playing stick made of bamboo. Do you wonder who made the damphu? Listen closely as I tell you."

"A story by my grandfather, a song by my grandmother.Circle made from Koirala wood, and dried deer skin covers it good."

"Look at the damphu. It is covered tight. Turn it around. It is open, right?"

"Thirty-two pegs hold tightly. The danphe bird dances free."

“Created very long agotak dhui tak the damphu goesmade by King Byan Dorje."

"Damphu, I have seen and I hear you sing In times both good and bad. Without you, I feel really sad."

"In chhewar, played by the mama. During death rituals by the lama. In weddings—tak dhui tak, the tambas swing— while the mothers beautifully sing."A symbol of our past, the damphu will last for years to come with victory songs."