Gola song

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. Gola song of encouragement, accompanied by two shegbureh. The musicians and their instruments are pictured in the photograph. The meaning of the song is: "You were surprised at us finding you - you must have been doing something wrong - but we will encourage you to do good things". 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. The shegbureh measures 13" by 13" by 13".

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Further Information

• Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
• Object: Gola song
• Materials: No Data / Other
• Culture Group: Gola
• Dimensions: No Data
• Production Date: 1966.12.23
• Associated Places: Tuasu, Makpele Chiefdom, Pujehun District [Place Recorded] [Origin of item]
• Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]; Tene Satmah [Shegbureh]; Weya D Cosseh [Shegbureh]
• Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
• Accession Number: CVO:275

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