Limba dance song, followed by tuning of kondi

Ethnomusicological dance recording made by Cootje van Oven. Limba dance song, followed by tuning of kondi. The song is accompanied by one kondi or kuchuteng, two koto, one hotamba, two inkali, one ban or bang or hobang (the different names all seem to be in use among different Limba musicians), rattling bracelets worn by one inkali player. The photograph pictures the hotamba. The meaning of the song is: "Strangers have come with torn clothes, saying we have torn clothes because we are poor ". The performers describe themselves as a Poromende group. The kondi is a metal box with a number of metal tongues fixed on top of it (the longest in the centre, then tapering off regularly on both sides). The box has an extension through which small metal wires are threaded. The player plucks the tongues with his thumbs while shaking the box up and down to obtain a rattle from the wires threaded through the extension and from some pebbles inside the box. The tongues are actually flattened-out umbrella stays. This kondi has 9 tongues. The koto is a bent piece of metal hit with a metal beater. Usually it is more or less U-shaped. In this item the shape of the first is horse-shoe shaped, while the second is more V-shaped. The hotamba ("talking drum") is an hourglass-shaped drum with two drumsticks connected by ropes. The drum is held under the player's arm. His arm movements tighten and slacken the ropes and thus the drum skins raise and lower the pitch of the drum. It is played with a curved beater. This one has some bells around its skin. The inkali is a hollow log with length-wise slits. The big one in this item is played with two soft-headed sticks, the smaller one with two ordinary sticks. The player of the big one has rattling bracelets on his wrists. The ban is a bass drum. This one is played with two sticks, one on each of its skins. Measurements of kondi box 11" by 6.5" by 4". Length of its curled-up extension 7". Length of first koto 21" taken right round, the distance between its ends 6". Length and diameter of hotamba 21" by 7". Big inkali 44" by 10", smaller one 29" by 7". The ban is not round (section of tree). Its diameter varies from 21.5" to 18". Its depth is 21".

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Further Information

  • Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
  • Object: Limba dance song, followed by tuning of kondi
  • Materials: No Data / Other
  • Culture Group: Limba
  • Dimensions: No Data
  • Production Date: 1966.01.01
  • Associated Places: Mabonto, Tonkolili District [Place Recorded] [Origin of item]
  • Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Alimamy Kargbo [Lead singer and first koto, and dancer]; Sembu Sesay [Second koto]; Sembu Bangurah [Kondi]; Santigie Conteh [Hotamba]; Simbu Turay and Saram Sosingbi [Inkali]; Kamando Kargbo
  • Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
  • Accession Number: CVO:135

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