Enanga (trough zither)

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Alternative Title

Enanga.

Instrument

Enanga

Instrument Family

Strings

Date Made

1965

Description

Technical description: Zither with hollowed wooden body shaped like a shallow trough. Six strings made of one length of nylon cord run across the instrument and settled into deeply hollowed notches on each end, one string per notch. Tuned pentatonically. The number of strings can range from six to eight. The bottom of the instrument is slightly concave. Three crosses are cut through the bottom wall of the trough. Incised a burnt geometric decorations on the back, including two larger etched crosses. Performance technique: The seated musician rests the instrument vertically on his lap. While holding the instrument with the little finger of the left hand, the performer plucks the top strings with all other fingers of his left hand and the bottom strings with the fingers of his right hand. Only open strings are played. Harmonics can be produced by lightly touching a plucked string with one finger. Tapping the soundboard also adds rhythmic detail. Predominantly played by skilled musicians and poets to accompany their praises of heroes or martial exploits. Historical sources and dispersal: Historical sources and dispersal: Played by the Bembe people of Rwanda, Burundi, and the Kivu area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Nyoro/Haya people of Tanzania. Most inanga repertory in Rwanda is transmitted orally, so some of it may be from Yuki III Mazimpaka, who ruled in the first half of the eighteenth century, whose compositions depicted his own heroic days and the rise of the Tutsi kingdom. The Rundi and the Twa Pygmies use the inanga to accompany songs and dances. The cult of Biheko in Kivu use the inanga for magic practices and to recognize Biheko, the daughter of a king who escaped death when her family was slaughtered.

Notes

P.R. Cooke, 1995.

Measurements

length 780.

Provenance

on loan to the Collection.

Collection

MIMEd

Accession Number

2028

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