Mina Sakai of the Ainu Rebels playing the traditional Ainu instrument, the mukkuri (mouth harp)

Kaha:wi Dance Theatre (KDT) visited Japan in October 2009 to collaborate and share Indigenous movement and song with a young Ainu group, the Ainu Rebels, led by Mina Sakai. This video was taken by the GM of KDT at the welcoming ceremony on October 1, 2009 where Mina delighted audiences with a short performance of how to properly play the mukkuri. The Ainu Rebels then presented all company members with their own mukkuri made of bamboo. Many different cultures around the world have used some form of the mukkuri, which has also been called a Mouth Harp, or more controversially, a "Jew's Harp" (according to Wikipedia sources.) Thank you Ainu Rebels and thank you Mina for sharing this wonderful instrument with us! During the beginning introduction, which is cut short, Mina is saying, you play this instrument if you want to make the sound of nature, for example the sound of the rain, or you play it for your lover.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Mina Sakai
• Santee Smith
• Ainu Rebels
• Kaha:wi Dance Theatre
• Ainu
• Indigenous
• Japan
• music
• mukkuri
• mouth harp
• Jew's harp

[ZZYY86]

in love....

[Sugarhigh352]

She's so beautiful!

[muaspheeb]

that is like the ncas of the hmong people

[StabbyMcButterPants]

OMG she's totally rocking that mukkuri. MUKKURI SOLO..!  XD

Needs more cowbell though. :o

[tarikrajab]

magneficent.

[sakahari]

that is like Murchunga from Nepal.

[AngeloSantoni]

@toki1221 She looks like my future wife. Nah!!! Just kidding.

[toki1221]

she looks like my mother in young age.

[RoyalKnightVII]

Very interesting, greetings to our Ainu brothers from LA!

[zoom421]

Pretty neat!