Kenyan String Instruments
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Featured below are some from around the Lake Victoria/Western Kenya region.
The idea of these stringed instruments is said to have been borrowed from the shape of a hunter’s bow, but with time, it has been developed further in different communities
1. Siiriri (Luhya)
Known as siiriri among the Luhya, wandindi among the Kikuyu and orutu among the Luo, documented discovery of this instrument dates back to the late 1930s. It is a simple merger between a small drum, a stick and wire strings. The drum forms the base of the instrument and the stick is lodged into it to act as the neck. The siiriri usually had one or two strings stretching from the base to the top of the neck, and with a small bow made from sisal, the instrument was complete. In the case of related instruments, the orutu had a single string, while the wandindi had two.
2. Adeudeu (Teso)
The adeudeu is a harp-like, Teso instrument credited as a producer of a variety of sounds. It has an oblong wooden base covered in hide. There is a hole in the membrane atop the wooden bowl that enables the emitting of sound. The stem of the adeudeu runs from within the membrane and extends outwards and upwards in a curve, with tuning pegs fixed 5cm apart.
3. Litungu (Kuria, Luhya)
This seven-string instrument was first found in the late 1940s around the Mount Elgon region as well as the Kenya-Tanzania border area and known as the litungu among the Kuria and Luhya. It is similar to the obokano of the Kisii – made with a larger karai and an additional string.
The litungu has a large resonating bowl made from a karai that is about 42cm in diameter. The base is covered in zebra or cow hide. A sturdy wooden frame juts out of the bowl and widens as it gets to the top. The strings that run parallel to the frame are made of sisal and are fastened by knobbles onto the cross bar. It was often played along with ibiturani – large, pea-pod-shaped metal rattles on a stick.
17 Comments
Very informatory. Kindly advice on how to tune an adeudeu from Teso community.
Ok
Good job I’ve learnt a lot.Hoping to learn more
Thank you Daisy, we hope you read more of the stories on the website!
Limoyi
Ekegogo for kuria community not mentioned
Thanks for the feedback, could you please share more about the ekegogo?
And Ong’eng’o from the Kisii community? Obakano player Grandmaster Masese can provide information about this .
Thanks for your feedback could you share more about entonk, ong’eng’o, itritungu and limoyi
What about Ute?
What about the Luhya Ground bow?
Feel free to tell us what you know about this instrument!
Can one meet the makers of these instruments with tourists to buy and see how they are made.
Sounds like a good plan! Feel free to share about your visit with us.
What is the community of ekegogo
These music instruments are a good resource for CBC.
Can you show me the kimengeng, ongengo,agereget, mwazigizi