Mende song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Mende song of sorrow for a departed leader, accompanied one shegbureh. The musicians and instruments can be seen in the photograph (the tin can player on the right did not take part in this particular song). There are small vocal embellishments in the song, both from the leader and chorus. The singing is gentle and sad. The shegbureh, apparently always played by women is a stalked gourd surrounded by a network of beads (or buttons) 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 or buttons against the gourd. The height of this gourd, measured around the curve, is 9". The stalk is 5" long.

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Further Information

• Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
• Object: Mende song
• Materials: No Data / Other
• Culture Group: Mende
• Dimensions: No Data
• Production Date: 1970.12.25
• Associated Places: Panguma, Lower Banbara Chiefdom, Kenema District [Place recorded] [Origin of item]
• Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Chris Marshall [Sound Recordist]; Kpoi Guee [Lead singer and shegbureh]
• Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
• Accession Number: CVO:349

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