Kalimba 2

Another Kalimba. This one is handmade in Africa, but is probably a tourist item, since it doesn't have the rich overtones of the real deals. That said, this one produces some interesting tone colors, and it sounds nice in my homemade kalimba orchestra. Note the "buzzies" are little bits of aluminum can wrapped around the butt end of the lamellae. These are all printed in some foriegn (i.e., non English) font.

Djembe 1

Here's a little hand drum of African origin. Known as a Djembe (pronounced "Jem-Bee"), this is an hourglass shaped drum similar to the Middle Eastern Doumbek, but can be tuned using the lacings. This is a modern version, with a small (8") diameter head for travel.

At some point, I'd love to host a drum circle with all of my friends and hand drums...

Kalimba 1

I love musical instruments, and I have made and played many. One of my favorite portable instruments is the m'bira, kalimba, or "thumb piano", a plucked idiophone most often associated with Africa. Virtuoso players such as Stella Chiweshe can make these sing in an ethereal, trance-inducing polyrhythm.

This one is a commercially available facsimile that only scratches the surface of this wonderful class of instruments. This one is nice becasue it fits in my breifcase or backpack, and can be played quietly on a train, hotel room, or park without disturbing anyone.

This is a masinko

A masinko is an Ethiopian violin/fiddle played with a bow. This one was a gift to me, and had neither bow nor string. Before I knew anything about it and how it was played, I fashioned a wooden bridge for it and fit it with a fly fishing line string. I play it plucked, and adjust pitch by stopping the string with pinched fingers. It sounds pretty cool that way as a little rhythmic instrument with a nice bouncy yet earthy tone, but you really need to see out sounds or video of a master of this instrument playing it traditionally. Like this guy.

The drums are calling...

This hand drum is a two headed hand carved wooden drum, reportedly from Africa. The skin of the heads is oddly patterned - not sure if it's goat, cow, dog, or what. There's a vegetable fiber cord/strap for carrying. You could almost use it to dress up like this guy.

There are some cultures...

...in which the transition from boyhood to manhood involves the receipt of a Selective Service card (a.k.a. a Draft Card). There are still other cultures in which this transition requires a young lad to go out and kill a lion.

With one of these:
This is a spear from the Massai (or Masai) people of what is today Kenya and Tanzania. Actually, the lion thing is on the wane since lions have become protected, although Maasai lion hunts are not prosecuted because of damage to their herds.

This spear is a three-part affair; one iron bladed end (shown below) and one iron pointed end connected in the middle with a 8" section of wood.

I would not want to mix it up with someone skillfully wielding one of these.

The Maasai culture is worth learning about - they eke out an existence in a remarkably difficult environment and thier way of life is threatened on many fronts. I don't agree in principle on some of thier practices (e.g. female circumcision), but by all accounts they are warm and friendly people. I'd love to visit some of them in person some day...

Out of Africa 2

Like this piece, today's selection comes from Africa. It's a Tebu arm knife. This one's a bit smaller than the first one I blogged about, and may be a bit older. Anyway, the blade and scabbard are of higher quality workmanship. Sadly, a bit of the tip is busted off.

Out of Africa...

This is a knife/dagger from Northern Africa - likely Libya or Chad. It is probably the product of the Tebu (or Toubou...spellings vary) people, or a very closely related tribe.

Instead of being worn on a belt, the leather band would wrap around a man's upper arm, thereby concealing the weapon under robes. It's not clear to me if the pointed but unsharpened iron pommel has any function, but they appear on every example of this kind if knife I've seen. The scabbard is leather (probably cowhide) and snakeskin (cobra? I dunno). This piece features a rather crudely made blade (but nevertheless strong and sharp), but outstanding workmanship on the scabbard.

I'd love to learn more about these if anyone has seen them in use.