Yalunka dance song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Yalunka dance song for boys before they go to be circumcised, accompanied four balangi. The performers and instruments can be seen in the photograph. The "namy" which is frequently heard as a kind of comment from one singer on another is a confirmation of what the other singer has just sung. The second singer represents the only female element in the song. The balangi is a xylophone with calabash resonators. Numbers of slats on these four: 17, 16, 17 and 16. Their respective lengths: 36", 32", 36" and 33". Ranges of slat lengths from lowest to highest notes: 16" to 12", 16" to 12", 17 to 12.5", and 16.5" to 10.5". Heights from the ground (the balangi will slope because of the graded sizes of the resonators underneath): from 6.5" to just over 4", 6 to 4.5", nearly 7" to just over 4", and 8" to just over 5".

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Further Information

• Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
• Object: Yalunka dance song
• Materials: No Data / Other
• Culture Group: Yalunka
• Dimensions: No Data
• Production Date: 1966.04.11
• Associated Places: Falaba, Sulima Chiefdom, Koinadugu District [Place Recorded]
• Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Yele Foday Samura [Lead singer and second balangi]; Fatmatta Kamara [Second singer]; Yele Sulimani Samura, Yele Sulima Samura and Yele Mamudu Samuru [Other balangi players and singers]
• Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
• Accession Number: CVO:172

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