Mende song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Mende song accompanied by kelei and shegbureh. The meaning of the song is: "The weather is bad, the rain is coming". A kelei is a hollow log with length-wise slits, hit with two wooden beaters. The shegbureh, apparently always played by women, is a stalked gourd surrounded by a network of beads or buttons 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. Measurements of kelei: length 51", diameter 12.5". Shegbureh: height of gourd measured around the curve 7.5", length of stalk 8".

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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: 1966.12.20
• Associated Places: Sahn, Malen Chiefdom, Pujehun District [Place Recorded] [Origin of item]
• Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Kadi [Leading Singer]; Sema [Kelei player]; Ngagba [Shegbureh player]
• Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
• Accession Number: CVO:240

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