Limba Tami Society song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Limba Tami Society song, accompanied by both big and very small inkali, ban, horn, whistle and rattling anklets on the dancers legs. The photograph features the very small inkali (part of the big one can be seen in the background on the right). The meaning of the song is: "A man is asked during a wedding why he did not dance; his answer is because you did not kill a fowl for me ". The Tali devil of the Tami Society dances to this song, playing a whistle as he dances. He also wears rattling anklets. The inkali is a hollow log or cane with length-wise slits, played with 1 or 2 wooden beaters (the tiny inkali in this item with one, the big inkali with two). The ban (also sometimes called bang or hobang among Limba musicians) is a bass drum. The horn appears to be an antelope horn. It is side-blown. The narrow end is closed and opened with the thumb of the left hand, and the wide end is also occasionally closed and opened by the assembled fingers of the right hand. Measurements of big inkali: length 32.5", diameter 6". Small inkali: length 19", diameter 2.5". Ban: depth 18", diameter 22.5". Horn: length 17.5", distance from blowing hole to end 2", length of blowing hole 1". The singers are women and children.

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Further Information

• Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
• Object: Limba Tami Society song
• Materials: No Data / Other
• Culture Group: Limba
• Dimensions: No Data
• Production Date: 1966.01.01
• Associated Places: Mabonto, Tonkolili District [Place Recorded]; Mayaso, Tonkolili District [Origin of item]
• Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Sira Koroma [Lead singer]; Momoh Tolleh [Big inkali]; Tamba Kamara [Small inkali]; Kamanda Koroma [Ban]; Sorie Conteh [Horn]
• Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
• Accession Number: CVO:132

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