Birdsong: The Dying Whistled Language of the Hmong People in Northern Laos

Exploring the whistling traditions of the Hmong people of northern Laos, whose language straddles the boundary between music and speech, this film witnesses a collision of ancient tradition with modern urban life.

With urbanisation and the advent of modern technology rapidly replacing this culture, Hmong whistling is dying out. Following the stories of three individuals from Long Lan village, they reflect on their experience as practitioners of a vanishing musical language.

0:00 Birdsong
1:37 Who are the Hmong people?
6:03 Where nature and language meet
8:06 A secret serenade
11:00 Crafting the qeej
12:23 The threat of urbanisation
14:43 A shared language

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