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Lyre

Kenya Obukano

Kenya
Kenya

Wood, hide, fiber strings
Collected in 1920's

Height: 53 inches; Crossbar: 17.5 inches
Chordophone - Lyre - Plucked

This large bowl-shaped lyre from Kenya is called a "obukano" and has been referred to as the double bass of East Africa. It has seven strings that are tuned by adjusting the rope-like rings on the crossbar, a resonator hole in the hide, and a wooden bridge to elevate the strings from the hide-covered wooden bowl. The musician plays it by plucking the strings with both hands. It was collected by Quaker missionaries in Kenya during the 1920's.

 

Owner:
Catalog#: AF-CHLR-3-68

Musical Instruments of the World: An Illustrated Encyclopedia by the Diagram Group. Paddington Press Ltd.