Flute - Whistle

Samo or Bwa Bird Flute

Burkina Faso, Black Volta River region
Samo

Wood with nice patina
Early 20th century

Length: 17.5 inches
Aerophone - Edge-blown - Flute/Whistle

This beautiful hand carved bulbous-shaped bird flute is from the Samo or Bwa People of Burkina Faso. There is a hole in the top and holes on the sides of the diamond shaped body. A feather was often placed on the top hole to keep the bugs out. The Samo and Bwa play flutes to accompany the music of balafons and the rapid beat of drums during ceremonies and mask performances. They are played in groups of 5 to 7 or more men. Each flute is played in a set of notes with a complex but very repetitive tune. Because the languages in this area are tonal, flutes can imitate the tonal patterns of spoken phrases, as well as those in songs. Burkina Faso is a multiethnic nation with about sixty ethnic and linguistic groups. In the eastern and central region the Mossi are at the center, the Gurmanché in the extreme east and the Fulbe and Tuareg in the north. The western and southern regions the largest groups are the Bisa and Gurunsi in the south, the Lobi and Dagara in the southwest, the Bobo in the west, and the Bwaba(Bwa)and Samo in the northwest.

Owner:
Catalog#: AF-AEBH-65-42

© Hartenberger World Music Collection