Zais Roj Zais Hneev = Hidden Footsteps of the Qeej Player

Zais Roj Zais Hneev = Hidden Footsteps of the Qeej Player. Performed by Aranvihn Thor, Qeej Instructor at Hmong Cultural Center. Videographer Mitch Lee. This song is intended to hide the Qeej player’s footsteps to avoid having any spirits follow him or her back after the funeral ceremony. This qeej instrument song is performed as part of the traditional Hmong Funeral Ceremony and taught as part of the Qeej class curriculum at Hmong Cultural Center in Saint Paul, MN. The Qeej is a bamboo pipe instrument known worldwide as the primary cultural identifier for Hmong people practicing the traditional Hmong religion. It plays a pivotal role at Hmong funerals, as the sound of its chords are thought by Hmong to call the soul out of the body and into the afterworld. Many Hmong believe that a proper burial cannot occur without the playing of the Qeej instrument at a funeral ceremony. This project has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Folk Arts grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.