Trumpet Horn

Item number 2663/12 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Ritual trumpet known as kangling (རྐང་གླིང་།) made of hollow human shin bone or thigh bone wrapped with a cord and covered with a wax-like substance. The bell is of hammered copper with a brass trim. Bands of brass 2/3 in length above bell and at mouthpiece. Small turquoise stone on band. The bell of the horn is loose.

History Of Use

Kangling (རྐང་གླིང་།) is a ritual implement used in Tibetan Buddhism.

Cultural Context

Human remains in museum collections present a complex, ethical challenge. Objects made from human remains are often removed from their cultural context and have been misidentified or misunderstood, frequently without recognizing the significance they hold in cultures that use human bones for ritual and ceremonial purposes. Ritual objects made both from human and animal bones are a distinctive feature of Tibetan tantric Buddhism. To Tibetans, human bones serve as a reminder of life’s brevity and the inevitability of death. Bones have additional symbolic dimensions. Tibetans view skulls as natural containers that, unshaped by human hands, represent the inherent goodness that reflects the natural state of the mind. Tibetan Buddhists often donated their skulls and bones to monasteries in order to gain spiritual merit after their death.