Khomus Museum

The Khomus Museum is unique in the world: a museum dedicated entirely to the jaw harp, the small metal instrument that produces sound by plucking a tongue of steel against the mouth. The collection covers jaw harps from across Siberia, Asia, and Europe, but the heart of it is the Yakut khomus tradition.

Demonstrations are sometimes given on request, and there is a small workshop where master makers can be visited. It is a small, charming museum that throws light on a corner of Yakut culture you would never guess existed.

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A story
The khomus is the Yakut jaw harp, and Sakha has the densest concentration of jaw-harp players and makers of any region on earth. The instrument has near-sacred status here and is used in shamanic ceremonies, traditional music, and contemporary throat-singing performances.

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