Vai song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Vai traditional song accompanied by three shegbureh (Mende, spoken in Zimmi). The meaning of the song is: "I will not stay long". The song takes the form of a duet between Sehmula, who sings only and Bessie Kohma who sings and plays her shegbureh. The largest shegbureh has red and blue beads, the other two have shells and buttons. The shegbureh, apparently always played by women, is a stalked gourd surrounded by a network of beads, buttons or shells on strings. The end of the strings is held in one hand, the stalk of the gourd in the other. Rhythmic movements of the gourd produce the desired rattle of the beads etc. against the gourd. The shegburehs measure 12", 14" and 12" respectively.

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Further Information

• Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
• Object: Vai song
• Materials: No Data / Other
• Culture Group: Vai, Mende, Gola
• Dimensions: No Data
• Production Date: 1966.12.23
• Associated Places: Zimmi, Makpele Chiefdom, Pujehun District [Place Recorded] [Origin of item]
• Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Bessie Kohma [Shegbureh]; Amahtu [Shegbureh]; Hara Sehmula [Shegbureh]
• Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
• Accession Number: CVO:283

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