Played by the Laˇhu_ shehˇ lehˉ (Shehleh Lahu) people (provinces Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai), only to praise Na ̬ Shiˉ (their highest deity) and to call back a vanished soul; At these ceremonies it is very important and must sound before the other types (Naw_ suhˆ ehˆ and Naw_ tawˆ leh mvuh ̬ ) may be played; It is played by men only, and young men are not allowed to play it when they visit/meet with the girls; Its name could simply be translated as "Mouth organ for invocation" (Naw_ is the common Laˇhu_ name for their mouth organ, "ku ̬ " means "to call", and "ma" indicates objects that grammatically are of feminine gender; Its gender is derived from the gourd, which in the language of the Laˇhu_ is a feminine word (According to Schwörer, because "it can hold many pipes"); The instrument must be stored in a house that has a "Spirit room", because sacrificial rituals for "house spirits" can only be held in such a place; Instruments of the Laˇhu_ maˉ lawˉ ([?] Lahu), Laˇhu_ na ̬ meuˇ ([?] Lahu), and Laˇhu_ hpaˉ hkawˇ ([?] Lahu)* differ in tuning only; The photo on p.166 shows a Naw_ tawˆ leh mvuh ̬ player sitting cross-legged, but Schwörer explicitly states (p.162) that indoors the Naw_ ku ̬ ma is played in squatting position; NB: ➺ ? (maker [Term not mentioned in available sources]).

Description of an instrument built in the village Meungˇ No-I_ (Amphur* Wiang Pa Pao, prov. Chiang Rai): length of the pipes: 1: 920 mm, 2: 1100 mm, 3: 860 mm, 4: 750 mm, and 5: 670 mm; Instruments, the longest pipe of which measured 1500 mm, have been encountered; The longest pipe is provided with a bell made of a gourd, which serves as a resonator; The second longest pipe has a "bell" of bamboo; In the villages in Amphur* Muang (prov. Tak) and Amphur* Omkoi (prov. Chiang Mai) also the shorter pipes are provided with 2 or 3 gourds, which are smaller than that of the longest pipe; *NB: Amphur (อำเภอ) is the Thai term for "district".

Naw_ suhˆ-ehˆ, Naw_ tawˆ leh mvuh ̬