Txiab Neeb

In photo are my two txiab neebs. The literal translation of txiab neeb is "scissors shaman." But to be more specific, a txiab neeb is an instrument or a tool that a Hmong shaman uses during their rituals. The txiab neeb is used for multiple reasons. It can be used to catch the soul of whom the ritual is for. For example, a person's soul might be frightened and may have wondered off into places or territories it shouldn't have. The txiab neeb can be used to catch them. Imagine a cowboy using a net made from a rope to catch something. The txiab neeb is round in shape and the disks make noise once the shaman rattles it. By rattling it, the shaman is preparing to use it, searching for the soul. Shamans will throw the txiab neeb when they need to catch the soul. Depending on how the disks lay out, it tells the shaman that they have caught the soul and it also tells the shaman if other spirits or ghosts are in the way. In addition, a txiab neeb can be used to cut or fight against negative forces like ghosts, wild spirits, demons, etc. The rattles are meant to be loud so they know the presence of a shaman is nearby. Think of the rattles like church bells or temple bells. It is meant to scare evil spirits and remove them from our path. A txiab neeb can also be used for hu plig or a soul calling. It's really meant to catch any soul, almost like a net. Txiab neebs come in different shapes, size, and color. Traditionally these are hand made from bronze but nowadays it can be made with different tools and from different material. The number of rattles on the txiab neeb are usually 9 or 12 rattles. Nine being the nine ways to the afterlife, each representing a path; or 12 being the twelve souls of a person, each representing a soul. Red and white strings are tied to the txiab neeb as with all tools a shaman uses. When does a shaman use their txiab neeb? Some shamans use it for the entirety of their ritual while others, like me, only use it for certain parts. Some don't use it at all, it mainly depends on the shaman.