Mende Bundu Society song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Mende Bundu Society song accompanied by two shegbureh. The song is connected with the next song; both are sung to wake up girls who are to go to the Bundu bush. 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.

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Further Information

• Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
• Object: Mende Bundu Society 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:343

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