Umkiki (spike fiddle)
(opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab)
(Note: Each icon above opens in a new tab.)
Alternative TitleUmkiki. |
InstrumentUmkiki |
Instrument FamilyStrings |
Place MadeEast Africa ; Sudan ; Africa |
Date MadeCirca 1970 |
DescriptionTechnical description: Neck passes right through hemisphere of gourd; table of skin (from young goat?) glued and nailed with iron tacks; single horsehair string attached with European-type string at lower end. Decorative features: Head decorated with hide strips and animal hair. Performance technique: Primarily played by the Baggara to accompany gardagi, special songs of praise, satire, or censure that are performed in small gatherings. The person singing the songs plays the instrument at the same time. While playing the instrument, the performer will pull the bow across the string, changing the notes stopping the string in different spots, which creates a hemitonic pentatonic scale, much like the violin. Historical sources and dispersal: The umkiki is played by the Baggara (‘cattle breeders’), an Arabic tribe that lives in the savannah of south central and western Sudan, bounded by the Jebel Mara mountains in South Darfur and the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan. It is a type of rabab, or spike fiddle, a family of bowed chordophones that has existed at least since the medieval era. It was first recorded in 9th-10th century Islamic texts. |
NotesP.R. Cooke, 1995. |
Measurements522. |
Provenanceex- Gwendolen Plumley. ; on loan to the Collection. |
CollectionMIMEd |
Accession Number2063 |