Most flutes are played by blowing air through the mouth. The Kalinga people of northern Philippines have a different way of playing one. Their traditional bamboo nose flute, known as the tongali, is played by blowing through the nose.
The tongali is part of the musical traditions of Indigenous communities in the Cordillera highlands. Historical accounts link the instrument to courtship and funerals, giving it a place in community life beyond music for leisure.
Played Through the Nose, Tuned by the Fingers
The tongali is a bamboo nose flute associated with the Kalinga people of the Cordillera region in northern Luzon, Philippines. Rather than blowing through the mouth, the player places the instrument’s blowing hole against one nostril and directs air into the bamboo tube.
Producing different notes requires control over both airflow and finger placement. The player changes the pitch by covering and uncovering the instrument’s finger holes, while breath control also helps shape the sound.
An entry in the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Iskomunidad cultural resource portal describes the tongali as a bamboo instrument averaging approximately 60 centimeters in length, with finger holes and a thumbhole.
A Flute With Many Names
The tongali is not the only nose flute found in the Philippines. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the country’s national cultural agency, documents similar instruments among several Indigenous communities.
Among the Bontok, the instrument is known as the kaleleng, while the Ifugao name it ungiung. The instrument is also found in other parts of the country, including among the Hanunuo, Batak and Bukidnon communities, where it is known by different names.
Although these instruments share the basic technique of producing sound through the nose, their forms also vary across communities. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts notes that the Cuyunin people of Palawan have unusually large nose flutes, with tubes much wider in diameter than those found in Luzon.
Across the Philippines, nose flutes take different forms and serve different purposes depending on the community.
Music for Courtship and Rituals
Historical accounts also link the tongali to courtship and funerals, not just recreational music.
The Koizumi Fumio Memorial Archives describes it as a bamboo nose flute measuring about 61.5 cm, with three front finger holes and one thumbhole. It was traditionally played solo by men for courtship and funerals. The University of the Philippines Diliman also records it as a bamboo nose flute averaging 60 cm in length, played solo by men.
These accounts suggest that the tongali was associated with courtship and funeral practices in Kalinga communities. However, historical descriptions alone do not establish whether these practices continue today or how frequently the instrument is played in contemporary communities.
Keeping Traditional Instruments in View
The tongali challenges the familiar idea that flutes must be played with the mouth. Made from bamboo, this nose flute produces sound when the player directs air through a hole held against one nostril.
In the Philippines, it belongs to a wider family of nose flutes known by different names among Indigenous communities. Historical records also associate the tongali with courtship and funerals, showing that its significance extends beyond the sounds it produces.
Its design is simple, but its playing technique and documented cultural associations make it more than just a bamboo instrument.
