Manhu Band, Traditional Courting Song 蛮虎乐队 －石林彝族音乐

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Manhu means "fierce tigers" in Mandarin.

The Chinese governments classify them as the Yi ethnic group, but they call themselves the Ni, or Sani, people. After working in the touristy minority culture park in Kunming, the group decided to go out on their own, and come up with arrangements that were more faithful to the spirit of their traditional music.

This song is a traditional courting song involving call and response parts between the two sexes. In a culture in which it is not customary to openly discuss one's emotions, song is a necessary means of hinting at one's affections through metaphor.

This song is also notable for the use of an ordinary leaf as a musical instrument!