Mende song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Mende song accompanied by two shegbureh, one kongoma and one pair of wanjo. The shegbureh is featured in the photograph. The meaning of the song is: "If I am in love with someone there should be harmony and peace, no forcing. There should be laughter and playing". The kongoma player, who in the previous song had begun to join in the singing, thus adding a further part to harmony now did so more often at the request of members of the recording team. The shegbureh, apparently always played by women , is a stalked gourd surrounded by a network of beads or buttons (occasionally shells) on strings. The end of the strings is held in one hand, the stalk of the gourd in the other. Rhythmic movements of the gourd produce the desired rattle of the beads or buttons against the gourd. The kongoma is a wooden box with a sound hole over which a few (in this case three) metal blades are fixed. The blades are plucked with the fingers of the right hand while the side of the box is hit with the left hand or sometimes (as in this case) with a tin. The blades are usually hacksaw blades. The wanjo are shakers somewhat similiar to maracas. The body of the wanjo is made up of two tin bowls placed face to face with the edges nailed together. Measurements of first shegbureh: height of gourd measured around the curve: 9", length of stalk 5". Corresponding measurements of second shegbureh: 8" and 3". Measurements of kongoma box 20" by 12.5" by 5.5". Wanjo: height of body, measured around curve 10.5", height of body measured straight 6", length of handle also 6".

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Further Information

  • Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
  • Object: Mende song
  • Materials: No Data / Other
  • Culture Group: Mende
  • Dimensions: No Data
  • Production Date: 1966.12.21
  • Associated Places: Pujehun [Place recorded] [Origin of item]
  • Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Jonny Mansaray [Lead singer and shegbureh]; Hawa Kanneh [Shegbureh]; Aruna Mansaray [Kongoma]; Alusine Reffell [Wanjo]
  • Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
  • Accession Number: CVO:244

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