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Shell zither

An elongated bowl with broad, tapered narrow edges, towards which the base of the bowl curves upwards. The long edges curve slightly over the opening. On each narrow side [are] six diagonally burnt string guide perforations. Six strings. One stem extension carved lengthwise. Four round perforations arranged in a square in the centre of the bottom of the bowl and eight impressions in the wood in the centre line. A firmly bound cushion ring wrapped with strips of fabric around the edge of the open-topped resonance calabash. This [is] also tied to the shell through two shell perforations by means of a string made of thick vegetable material. One end of the string [is] tied to a crosspiece below a perforation, the other end [is] probably not original. A linear notched pattern along the narrow edges. from Ulrich Wegner: Afrikanische Saiteninstrumente, Staatliche Museen Berlin - SPK, 1984 (Appendix Object Catalogue)

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Data Provider
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Cataloguing data

Cultural attribution
Atonga
Object type
musical instruments
Dimensions
Length: 55 cm
Width: 18 cm
Height: 23,3 cm
Material/Technique
Wood, Plant fibre , Pumpkin peel
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III E 3198

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    where
    Malawi
    Lake Nyassa (Nyasa, Niasa)
    Bandawe
    who
    Atonga
  • Collecting
    who
    Rudolf Franke - Collectors
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Africa

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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