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Musical Instruments

Drum

Drum

Object/Artifact

Tall narrow drum carved in four tiers. Upper tier is a parade of 7 overlapping men striding. They wear traditional caps and loin cloths and are carrying walking sticks in their right hands. Some are carrying a log on their left shoulder. Second tier painted black, bordered by a chain of open oval shapes. Third tier is made up of 8 shield shapes in pairs carved in diamond patterns on their surface. In between the double shield shapes are vertical bands carved with wavy lines. Under that tier is a band similarly carved but horizontal. Last tier is carved with four dog heads with forelegs pointing down, in between them are vertical bands carved with wavy lines and leaf shapes.

Lute

Lute

Object/Artifact

Lute-like instrument with five strings. Raised metal covered bridge, half moon shaped sound hole, oval shaped flat top, curved back. Sides and top decorated with geometric carving. Top attached with fiber stitching. No neck, just five curved sticks, one for each string, extend up above the sound box.

Percussion instrument

Percussion instrument

Object/Artifact

Long open tube carved with vertical slit about 1 m wide down its length, and horizontally carved gouges about 1 cm apart for creating the percussive effect. A stick is scraped against the ridges in rhythmic patterns.

Rattle

Rattle

Object/Artifact

Round bellied dry calabash with a long stem with a hole at the end, filled with dried seeds that rattle when shaken.

Rattle

Rattle

Object/Artifact

Round-bellied dry calabash covered with a loose woven mesh threaded with seed beads that rattle against the body of the calabash when shaken.

Rattle

Rattle

Object/Artifact

Basket-woven rattle containing seeds, with solid, wrapped handle.

Slit drum

Slit drum

Object/Artifact

Round, hollow slit drum with plain handles, no decoration. Opening a narrow slit on top opening up to rectangular holes at either end.

Slit drum and beaters

Slit drum and beaters

Object/Artifact

Elaborately carved, horizonal cylindrical drum. Handles are two smiling human faces. Surface carved with 12 lizards facing in alternate directions. Also two spider shapes and a plant form. In between the lizards are carved variously sized rectangular shapes, and around the edges a border of alternating vertical and horizontal lines. Ends and bottom of drum are plain. Opening is a vertical slit with larger rectangular openings at each end. Beaters are smooth rods made of bamboo.

Trumpet

Trumpet

Object/Artifact

Side-blown trumpet made of a hollowed out cow's horn. Narrow end is carved with a man wearing a traditional cap sitting on a stool. The bell is carved with the heads of three men, some decoration. A braided fiber cord is attached at both ends for carrying it.

Trumpet

Trumpet

Object/Artifact

Side-blown trumpet decorated with carvings of lizards facing down its length. A figure of a man wearing a traditional cap and loin cloth forms the top of the instrument. His hands are encircling the mouthpiece and his chin is resting on the tail of one of the lizards. Beneath his feet a ring of lozenge/cowrie shapes are carved around the shaft.

Trumpet

Trumpet

Object/Artifact

Trumpet carved from an elephant tusk. It is sounded by blowing into a large aperture carved at the narrow end, above which is encircled with a band of geometric carving.

Xylophone

Xylophone

Object/Artifact

Twelve flat wooden keys held together by cords passing through loops formed by cord passing through two holes on the end of each key, and a second line of cord just held by knots between the keys. Keys are laid on top of a frame containing a line of six resonators made of open calabashes that are hanging from a metal piece that passes through holes near their tops. They sit inside a frame made of wood planks with bent cane handles at each end. The frame is covered by strands of red, green and yellow colored raffia fiber. The keys are held on a removable frame of 2 cm x 1 cm pieces of wood and secured at one end with rubber tire pieces and buffered by pieces of foam.

Xylophone keys

Xylophone keys

Object/Artifact

Flat wooden keys of different lengths and widths giving different pitches when struck. Decorated with crude spider shapes, carved into the ends and blackened. Each key has two holes at one end for attaching to completed instrument