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Thumb PianoSongye BellowsDemocratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) Wood Height: 17.5 inches x Width: 14 inches The top of this bellows is carved with an elegant head with a long neck, a face with features typical of the Songye. This Songye blacksmith’s bellows is carved from a single piece of wood and consists of four chambers originally covered with bags made of animal skin, which are missing here. Usually wooden handles were used to raise and lower the skins in the bellows to force air out of the iron nozzles. When raised and lowered rapidly the skin envelopes a volume of air that when compressed is forced out through the iron tubes to fan the fire. Bellows like these are very important tools for smiths in sub-Saharan Africa. They are central pieces for smiths in the transformation of metal and the production of tools,currency, and other utilitarian objects. Bellows help to activate the fire that melt the metals and transform them and were important in making metal tongues of the early lamellophones. Today, the common practice is to hammer pieces of metal, such as bicycle wheel spokes to make the lamellae.
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| © Hartenberger World Music Collection |
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