Mende song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Mende traditional song accompanied by three shegbureh, one sangbai, one bass drum and one side drum. The meaning of the song is: "A solo singer is handicapped and pleads with her husband who is leaving, not to leave her in Palaver. He says he will as long as she has humbled herself before him". The soloist is Jabakoh's wife (Jabakoh is the composer). Sheriff says that he is a farmer and writes songs for merriment. For the right occasion, he mentioned that he could compose 20 songs per day. The sangbai is 19" high; the diameter of the drum head is 9" and the shake-shake part if 36" high. The drum is made of wood and the shake-shake part is metal strips with metal rings attached through holes. The bass drum is an African instrument made of wood. The diameter is 14", height 15". The underside played with hand while top played with stick. The side drum is a Western snare drum, with a diameter of 14" and height of 8". The shegbureh are made with buttons and are 17", 14" and 15" long respectively. 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 sangbai is a conical drum with one skin and a rattling or buzzing extension. It is played with the hands.

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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: 1966.12.27
• Associated Places: Mattru-Jong, Bonthe District [Place Recorded]; Gobah, village near Mattru Jong [Origin of item]
• Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Sarah Sheriff [Shegbureh]; Sumaila Kamara [Sangbai]; Okie Kamara [Shegbureh]; Komeh Jobbi [Shegbureh]; Momba Jusu [Bass drum]; William Sumaila [Side drum]
• Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
• Accession Number: CVO:288

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