Gola Poro dance

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Gola Poro Dance, accompanied by one small kelei, one large kelei, one shegbureh and handclapping. This Poro dance song is an accompaniment to acrobatics performed by boys who have just returned from the society. The shegbureh measured 13" in length. The small kelei measured 21.5" by 5.5", the large kelei measured 60" by 13". The large kelei is suspended from a pole supported by two 9ft tripods. The boys, just returned from the Poro Society perform various acrobatic dancing skills in front of the whole village. Boys will start their training at the age of 8 and return from the Poro Bush to their villages at the age of 13. In this dance they show what they have learnt, encouraged by occasional shouts from the chorus. The photograph features the small kelei. The kelei is a hollow log with length-wise slits. Variations of pitch and tone are obtained by hitting the kelei in the middle and nearer the ends, and on either side of the slit or slits. In addition, the large kelei is hit not only with the free ends of its sticks but also sometimes with their handles. 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 on buttons against the gourd.

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Further Information

  • Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
  • Object: Gola Poro dance
  • Materials: No Data / Other
  • Culture Group: Gola
  • Dimensions: No Data
  • Production Date: 1966.12.23
  • Associated Places: Tuasu, Makpele Chiefdom, Pujehun District [Place Recorded] [Origin of item]
  • Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Dera Seguah [Small Kelei player]; Bryma [Large Kelei player]
  • Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
  • Accession Number: CVO:276

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