Loko song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Song, accompanied by two bundoma and one gbahima. The song, which is supposed to represent a man speaking to a woman, takes the form of a conversation between the two main singers (both of them male). Its meaning is: "Do not leave me; I am going to escort you." Part of the conversation is talking, not singing. Other singers join in at the chorus points occasionally. The gbahima is a metal box with a number of metal tongues fixed on top of it (the longest in the centre, then tapering off regularly on both sides). The box has an extension through which small metal wires are threaded. The player plucks the tongues with his thumbs while shaking the box up and down to obtain a rattle from some pebbles inside the box and from the wires threaded through the extension. The tongues are actually flattened-out umbrella stays. These two bundoma both began with nine tongues, but one tongue of the second bundoma was broken during this song (they break quite easily). The gbahima is a U-shaped piece of metal played with a metal beater. Length and width of the first bundoma were 11" and 6"; the length of its extension was 4.5". Corresponding measurements of the second bundoma: 10", 6.5" and 6.5". The gbahima was 22.5" long (measured right round the curve; the distance of its ends was 7". The song was ended by the first bundoma player hitting the bottom of his bundoma. The photograph shows the first bundoma.

Further Information

  • Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
  • Object: Loko song
  • Materials: No Data / Other
  • Culture Group: Loko
  • Dimensions: No Data
  • Production Date: 1965.12.24
  • Associated Places: Rokulan, Sanda Tenraran Chiefdom, Bombali District [Place Recorded]
  • Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Sorie Conteh [Chief Singer and Bundoma Player]; Laminah Bangura [Second Singer and Bundoma Player]; Tebu Conteh [Gbahima Player]
  • Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
  • Accession Number: CVO:117

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