Mende song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Mende song accompanied by two shegbureh. The song's meaning is not entirely clear - the interpreters exact words were: "How you come, how you be. Why you come and visit where you are". These could possibly be questions directed at the visiting recording team. 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 heights of these two gourd, measured around the curve are 9" and 7.5"; the respective stalk lengths are 3" and 7". The leading shegbureh player, who does not sing, has the bigger shegbureh and seems to have the more exciting rhythms.

Related Videos

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: Dodo, Dodo (or Bambara) Chiefdom, Kenema District [Place Recorded]
• Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Chris Marshall [Sound Recordist]; Saleh Musa [Lead singer]; Ami Sapha [Lead shegbureh]; Nancy James [Shegbureh]
• Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
• Accession Number: CVO:342

Related Objects