zither

Rectangular wooden base with burnt & incised decoration. Eleven strings when complete.

The enanga was mainly played by professional musicians to entertain and venerate their chiefs; the typically sang epic and historical songs praising their patron. There are two types of decorations for the soundboard: star shaped or oval incisions, which are referred to as "the eyes of the inanga." These serve to distribute sound. Thought the insturment may give the appearance of haconsisting of anumber of strings, it only consists of one long string that's threaded through the notches and then fastened to a wooden peg. The Enanga follows the pentatonic scale and players tune the it by tightening and loosening the instrument accordingly.

Collection Information

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