who asked the first question? - International Research Center For ...

252you know that? That’s exactly where it is!” Next year, on May 27 th I met Tamara’shusband, Vietnamese composer, Nguen Van Nam in Nalchik, North Caucasia, who gaveme very interesting and useful information about the vocal polyphony among Vietnamesemountain populations, and sent materials for the 1988 polyphonic conference in Georgia,Borjomi.I am not going to discuss here in detail the complex and not fully understoodethnic and cultural history of the southeastern Asia. Generally speaking, contemporarypopulation of this region consists of two major elements: (1) earlier layer of indigenouspeoples, occupying most of the southeastern Asia, including southern China (particularlyrich archaeological cultures of their culture had been unearthed from Taiwan andVietnam) and (2) the east Asian populations, who came later from more central andnorthern regions of contemporary China, assimilated and pushed the indigenouspopulations towards more mountainous and forest-covered regions of Southeast Asia(Cavalli-Sforza, 1994:206-207).Stratification of vocal polyphonic traditions and the populations of Southeast Asiastrongly suggest that the tradition of vocal polyphony must have been a cultural trait ofthe earlier, indigenous population of this region. This ancient tradition survived togetherwith its bearers mostly in the forest-covered tropical mountains of Southeast Asia.Another question that could be raised in connection of the polyphony of Southeast Asiaare the possible links (via Assamese and Southern Indian tribal communities) (1) to thesub-Saharan polyphony on the West, or/and (2) to the polyphony of the some Indonesianminorities and further, to the polyphony of Melanesian and even Polynesian peoples.Hopefully future studies in the field of traditional polyphony will illuminate thesequestions.Case Study #11From Atlas Mountains to BahrainReaders may remember the unusual three-fold division of the African continent,suggested in the first part of this book. This was based mostly on the fact of the presenceof the unique for the African continent tradition of vocal drone polyphony amongTuaregs. Tuaregs live between the Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa, in inhospitableAtlas Mountain ranges and Sahara Desert. The two neighbouring regions from south andnorth from Tuaregs residence are musically totally different. Sub-Saharan Africa is thelargest and the most active polyphonic region of the world. North Africa, on the contrary,is one of the most monophonic regions of the world.With their tradition of vocal polyphony Tuareg music is generally closer to sub-Saharan African music, which is also polyphonic. At the same time, the differencebetween the sub-Saharan African polyphony and the Tuareg polyphony is based on theelement of crucial importance. Tuareg polyphony is based on drone polyphony, whereasin sub-Saharan Africa drone is hardly ever used. Therefore, Tuareg traditional polyphonycannot belong to sub-Saharan Afri can family of vocal polyphony.