Zande bow harp
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1884.113.10
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan]
Cultural Group:
Zande [Bongo]
Date Made:
By 1858 (early 1800s; see notes)
Materials:
Wood Plant , Animal Hide Skin , Pitch?
Process:
Carved Hollowed , Perforated , Covered Stretched , Wound , Strung Stitched , Decorated Incised Impressed
Dimensions:
Diagonal L from back of head to soundbox end = 530; neck diam = 26.5; harp socket L = 60, diam (covered) = 42.5; resonator body L = 282, max W = 150, Ht = 77; sound hole diam = 25 and 20; string hole L = 5, diam = 3; string diam = 1 mm [RTS 22/9/2005].
Weight:
602.3 g
Local Name:
nanga
Other Owners:
Purchased by John Petherick from the Bongo tribe, probably sometime between 1856 and 1858, and shipped back to England in 1859. Subsequently acquired by Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers, probably via auction, as Petherick is known to have auctioned som
Field Collector:
John Petherick
PRM Source:
Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection
Acquired:
Donated 1884
Collected Date:
1856 - 1858?
Description:
Bow harp consisting of a curving neck, surmounted by a finely carved human head.
This has an ovoid, perhaps elongated skull and a triangular face with pointed chin.
The hair is detailed by incised lines, in a style that has a central parting then a series of probably plaited rows on either side; there is a lozenge-shaped detail at the centre of the top; the back has two plainer sections, and then there are two bundles of hair stretching across the base of the neck.
The face has been given prominent ears with holes through the lobes, 2 bulging eyes with lentoid-shaped cuts across the surface, a slight nose with 2 circular depressions representing the nostrils, and a slightly raised mouth marked by a deep cut, in similar style to the eyes.
This rests on a cylindrical neck, that curves down to join what appears to be a socket running out of the side of the soundbox.
It has been stained a reddish brown colour (Pantone 469C).
The upper part of this neck has been perforated with a row of 5 holes, now fitted with 5 'replacement' pegs made by the museum, that have short disc-shaped heads and tapering bases.
These are not quite in the correct style for this type of instrument, and one might expect the original pegs to have had larger, conical heads with flat tops and a shaft with swollen centre (see 1937.8.1 for an example).
The harp body consists of a wooden 'bowl', with flat-topped rim and convex sides and base; it is 'violin-shaped' in plan view, with rounded ends and concave sides; this is the shape that de Dampierre calls 'longiligne' ( E. de Dampierre, 1991, Harpes Zande , fig. 10 no. 3). There may be a cylindrical socket carved at the upper end, which receives the neck, but the details are obscured by a dark brown leather covering (Pantone Black 7C), said to be hide coated with pitch, although de Dampierre saw this as a patina acquired by contact with smoke. The harp bowl and lower socket are covered with three pieces of this leather, stretched tightly across the surface and sewn together with seams that run just below the edge of the bowl, and down the centre of the back. A second leather piece has been wrapped around the socket and base of the neck and stitched in place, with the seam running down the upper surface; this has a row 4 large holes running down the back, two of which are filled in with material; the function of these is unknown and they may relate to some earlier use of this piece. The cord used is made from an orangey brown fibre (Pantone 730C). Two circular sound holes have been cut into opposite corners of the sound table, and there is a row of 5 string holes running down the centre. There is a slight ridge at this point, where the tension of the strings has pulled the covering upwards. The surface of the leather appears burnished. Decorative tooling, in the form of rows of lentoid-shaped impressions, is faintly visible on the lower sheath that covers the socket, and in a band that runs from the concave sides of the soundbox around its back. These are very worn. The fact that the under-sheath is decorated may suggest that the leather stitched on top of this is a later addition.
The harp is currently strung with 5 strings of twisted plant fibre; museum records state that these have been 'replaced', and indeed, they are neatly wound around the base of the pegs and well tensioned. It is not clear if this represents a re-stringing using original materials, or completely new strings. These extend down to the string holes, and have been knotted on the other side, probably using a wooden string carrier; they are an orangey brown colour (Pantone 728C ).
The harp is missing its original pegs and the strings may be new, and the leather soundbox cover has worn through in places and some of the fibre stitching has been lost. It has a weight of 602.3 grams. It measures 530 mm from the back of the head to the end of the soundbox; the neck has a diameter of 26.5 mm. The harp socket has a diameter of 42.5 mm and is 60 mm long; the bowl body measures 282 mm in length , with a maximum width of 150 mm, and height of 77 mm; the sound holes have a diameter of 25 and 20 mm, and the string holes a diameter of 3 and length of 5 mm; the strings are 1 mm thick.
Purchased by John Petherick from the Bongo tribe, probably sometime between 1856 and 1858, and shipped back to England in 1859. Subsequently acquired by Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers, probably via auction, as Petherick is known to have auctioned some of his collection through Mr Bullock of High Holborn, London, on 27th June 1862 (see the Catalogue of the very interesting collection of arms and implements of war, husbandry, and the chase, and articles of costume and domestic use, procured during several expeditions up the White Nile, Bahr-il-Gazal, and among the various tribes of the country, to the cannibal Neam Nam territory on the Equator, by John Petherick, Esq., H.M. Consul, Khartoum, Soudan ). There were however only 2 harps included in this auction, lot number 22, "A harp or lyre (Dor, Bahr-il-Gazal)" and lot number 23, "Another (Mundo and Neam Nam tribes)". One of these may now be in the British Museum (Af.2691, said to be Bongo). The Pitt Rivers example could be the Zande harp - note here the fact that the cultural group, while said to be Bongo initially, was subsequently revised by a member of staff. Pitt Rivers sent this object to Bethnal Green Museum for display, as part of the first batch of objects sent there, probably in 1874. This object was later displayed in the South Kensington Museum, and transferred from there to become part of the founding collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1884.
When first accessioned this harp was attributed to the Bongo, and it seems very similar to the harp published by Wood, which we are told Petherick purchased from the Bongo (J.G. Wood, Natural History of Man volume I, p. 500). There are some problems with this attribution, as stylistically, the piece is more likely to be Zande. Firstly, on either attribution, the object was most probably acquired by Petherick sometime between 1856 and 1858, when he led three separate trading expeditions through Bongo territory, or in 1858, when he visited Zande territory (See Petherick 1861, Egypt, The Sudan and Central Africa for more details). Although he later returned to the Sudan, Petherick did not collect in these areas again. The British Museum have one Bongo harp from Petherick, which came to them via Henry Christy (Af.2691). If that is the Bongo harp from lot 22, then the Pitt Rivers harp could well be that sold as lot 23. This raises the question of when the Bongo identification was made. If the error was that of Pitt Rivers, then this would explain why the same piece seems to be published by Wood as Bongo in 1868. It should be noted however that Wood's drawing of this object differs in 2 crucial respects from the actual item; the tuning pegs are not shown, and it is depicted with 4 strings, rather than the 5 it actually has; however note the comment in museum documentation that pegs and strings have been 'replaced', which probably explains the anomalies - and why the pegs seem fresher than the rest of the object, and in a different style to those usually seen on these types of harps, which typically have larger conical heads. Otherwise, it would appear to be a fair likeness.
The Zande name for this type of object is kundi, and it appears to have been played by both men and women (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 104).
Published by Eric de Dampierre ( Harpes Zande , Paris: Klinksieck, 1991, plates 5a-b, 6a-b, 7a-c, pp 73-77); he gives the accession number incorrectly as 1884.119.10. Also reproduced in black and white on page 318 and in colour on page 176 of Song of the River: Harps of Central Africa (Paris: Cité de la Musique, Musée de la Musique, with the assistance of the Société d'Ethnologie, Nanterre, 1999). Listed as number 15 under 'Basins of the Sueh, Uele and Mbomu' on page 318 of the 'Notes on the Exhibits', established by Philippe Bruguière and Jan-Lodewijk Grootaers (pp. 311-72).
This harp was lent to the Musée de la Musique, Paris for the exhibition 'La Parole du Fleuve': Harpes D'Afrique , 29th May to 29th August 1999.
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
The harp body consists of a wooden 'bowl', with flat-topped rim and convex sides and base; it is 'violin-shaped' in plan view, with rounded ends and concave sides; this is the shape that de Dampierre calls 'longiligne' ( E. de Dampierre, 1991, Harpes Zande , fig. 10 no. 3). There may be a cylindrical socket carved at the upper end, which receives the neck, but the details are obscured by a dark brown leather covering (Pantone Black 7C), said to be hide coated with pitch, although de Dampierre saw this as a patina acquired by contact with smoke. The harp bowl and lower socket are covered with three pieces of this leather, stretched tightly across the surface and sewn together with seams that run just below the edge of the bowl, and down the centre of the back. A second leather piece has been wrapped around the socket and base of the neck and stitched in place, with the seam running down the upper surface; this has a row 4 large holes running down the back, two of which are filled in with material; the function of these is unknown and they may relate to some earlier use of this piece. The cord used is made from an orangey brown fibre (Pantone 730C). Two circular sound holes have been cut into opposite corners of the sound table, and there is a row of 5 string holes running down the centre. There is a slight ridge at this point, where the tension of the strings has pulled the covering upwards. The surface of the leather appears burnished. Decorative tooling, in the form of rows of lentoid-shaped impressions, is faintly visible on the lower sheath that covers the socket, and in a band that runs from the concave sides of the soundbox around its back. These are very worn. The fact that the under-sheath is decorated may suggest that the leather stitched on top of this is a later addition.
The harp is currently strung with 5 strings of twisted plant fibre; museum records state that these have been 'replaced', and indeed, they are neatly wound around the base of the pegs and well tensioned. It is not clear if this represents a re-stringing using original materials, or completely new strings. These extend down to the string holes, and have been knotted on the other side, probably using a wooden string carrier; they are an orangey brown colour (Pantone 728C ).
The harp is missing its original pegs and the strings may be new, and the leather soundbox cover has worn through in places and some of the fibre stitching has been lost. It has a weight of 602.3 grams. It measures 530 mm from the back of the head to the end of the soundbox; the neck has a diameter of 26.5 mm. The harp socket has a diameter of 42.5 mm and is 60 mm long; the bowl body measures 282 mm in length , with a maximum width of 150 mm, and height of 77 mm; the sound holes have a diameter of 25 and 20 mm, and the string holes a diameter of 3 and length of 5 mm; the strings are 1 mm thick.
Purchased by John Petherick from the Bongo tribe, probably sometime between 1856 and 1858, and shipped back to England in 1859. Subsequently acquired by Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers, probably via auction, as Petherick is known to have auctioned some of his collection through Mr Bullock of High Holborn, London, on 27th June 1862 (see the Catalogue of the very interesting collection of arms and implements of war, husbandry, and the chase, and articles of costume and domestic use, procured during several expeditions up the White Nile, Bahr-il-Gazal, and among the various tribes of the country, to the cannibal Neam Nam territory on the Equator, by John Petherick, Esq., H.M. Consul, Khartoum, Soudan ). There were however only 2 harps included in this auction, lot number 22, "A harp or lyre (Dor, Bahr-il-Gazal)" and lot number 23, "Another (Mundo and Neam Nam tribes)". One of these may now be in the British Museum (Af.2691, said to be Bongo). The Pitt Rivers example could be the Zande harp - note here the fact that the cultural group, while said to be Bongo initially, was subsequently revised by a member of staff. Pitt Rivers sent this object to Bethnal Green Museum for display, as part of the first batch of objects sent there, probably in 1874. This object was later displayed in the South Kensington Museum, and transferred from there to become part of the founding collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1884.
When first accessioned this harp was attributed to the Bongo, and it seems very similar to the harp published by Wood, which we are told Petherick purchased from the Bongo (J.G. Wood, Natural History of Man volume I, p. 500). There are some problems with this attribution, as stylistically, the piece is more likely to be Zande. Firstly, on either attribution, the object was most probably acquired by Petherick sometime between 1856 and 1858, when he led three separate trading expeditions through Bongo territory, or in 1858, when he visited Zande territory (See Petherick 1861, Egypt, The Sudan and Central Africa for more details). Although he later returned to the Sudan, Petherick did not collect in these areas again. The British Museum have one Bongo harp from Petherick, which came to them via Henry Christy (Af.2691). If that is the Bongo harp from lot 22, then the Pitt Rivers harp could well be that sold as lot 23. This raises the question of when the Bongo identification was made. If the error was that of Pitt Rivers, then this would explain why the same piece seems to be published by Wood as Bongo in 1868. It should be noted however that Wood's drawing of this object differs in 2 crucial respects from the actual item; the tuning pegs are not shown, and it is depicted with 4 strings, rather than the 5 it actually has; however note the comment in museum documentation that pegs and strings have been 'replaced', which probably explains the anomalies - and why the pegs seem fresher than the rest of the object, and in a different style to those usually seen on these types of harps, which typically have larger conical heads. Otherwise, it would appear to be a fair likeness.
The Zande name for this type of object is kundi, and it appears to have been played by both men and women (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 104).
Published by Eric de Dampierre ( Harpes Zande , Paris: Klinksieck, 1991, plates 5a-b, 6a-b, 7a-c, pp 73-77); he gives the accession number incorrectly as 1884.119.10. Also reproduced in black and white on page 318 and in colour on page 176 of Song of the River: Harps of Central Africa (Paris: Cité de la Musique, Musée de la Musique, with the assistance of the Société d'Ethnologie, Nanterre, 1999). Listed as number 15 under 'Basins of the Sueh, Uele and Mbomu' on page 318 of the 'Notes on the Exhibits', established by Philippe Bruguière and Jan-Lodewijk Grootaers (pp. 311-72).
This harp was lent to the Musée de la Musique, Paris for the exhibition 'La Parole du Fleuve': Harpes D'Afrique , 29th May to 29th August 1999.
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book V entry
[p.
52] [insert] 1884.113 [end insert]
MUSIC STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
MUSICAL BOWS, HARPS [insert] 10 [end insert] 2996 -
ditto
[Primitive harp],
nanga
, cymbiform body with constricted waist, hide-covered, 2 sound holes, 5 pegs, neck ends in carved human heads, hide is coated with pitch.
DOR
Tr[ibe] [insert] (sic) ?AZANDE (EST[homas]), C.
AFRICA.
(1325) (380).
Added Accession Book V entry [p. opposite 52] - 1884.113.10 Number given. L. resonator = 285 mm; W: 150 mm; L. neck: 385 mm. [red biro] A16.F18.12-18 PR104(H). See Eric de Dampierre 'Harpes Zande' pp 73-77 [see below; JC 24/3/1999].
Black book entry [p. 51] - 1325. Harp. Africa, ornamented with human head. Dor tribe. Obtd by Petherick. 2996. [insert] 1884.113.10 [end insert].
Delivery Catalogue I entry [p. 13] - Musical Instruments. Musical instrument (Dor tribe of Negroes) 1325. 2996. 380. 75, Case 15 & 16.
Balfour Catalogue: Red numbers Musical Instruments - Strings A Musical Bows - Harps: PR coll 2996 380 [Added '1325 black'] Primitive harp, 'Nanga; with cymbiform body, having constricted waist at centre, rounded back, flat hide covered belly, the hide coated with pitch & with 2 sound holes; curved neck of hard wood partly covered with thick hide, perforated for 5 pegs (replaced) and ending in carved human head - the 5 strings (replaced) pass through holes in the membrane fastened to longitudinal strip of wood underneath the membrane Dôr [inserted in pencil '(Bongo)'] tribe, E. Central Africa v Ratzel I p534 - Schweinfurth 'Heart of A' I p. 445 (Neam neam).
Card Catalogue Entry - 'E. CENTRAL AFRICA DOR (BONGO) tribe [inserted 'AZANDE'] 1325 black/2996/380/. Primitive harp, nanga , with cymbiform body, constricted waist at centre, rounded back, flat hide covered belly coated with pitch; two sound holes; curved neck of hard wood partly covered with thick hide, perforated for five pegs (replaced) and ending in a carved human head. Five strings (replaced), pass through holes in membrane, and are fastened to a longitudinal strip of wood underneath the membrane. Cf. Ratzel, I. 534, and Schweinfurth, "Heart of Africa," I, p. 445 on Neam Neam. Original Pitt Rivers Founding Collection.' Added: 'see Eric de Dampierre "Harpes Zandé" pp. 73-77.' Also added: 'L resonator = 285 mm W = 150 mm L neck: 385 mm.' [JC 25/3/1999].
Written on object - 131.A.13 [red ink]; 131.A.13 [pencil]; "NANGA" DOR TRIBE OF NEGROES [black ink; RTS 1/9/2005].
Added Accession Book V entry [p. opposite 52] - 1884.113.10 Number given. L. resonator = 285 mm; W: 150 mm; L. neck: 385 mm. [red biro] A16.F18.12-18 PR104(H). See Eric de Dampierre 'Harpes Zande' pp 73-77 [see below; JC 24/3/1999].
Black book entry [p. 51] - 1325. Harp. Africa, ornamented with human head. Dor tribe. Obtd by Petherick. 2996. [insert] 1884.113.10 [end insert].
Delivery Catalogue I entry [p. 13] - Musical Instruments. Musical instrument (Dor tribe of Negroes) 1325. 2996. 380. 75, Case 15 & 16.
Balfour Catalogue: Red numbers Musical Instruments - Strings A Musical Bows - Harps: PR coll 2996 380 [Added '1325 black'] Primitive harp, 'Nanga; with cymbiform body, having constricted waist at centre, rounded back, flat hide covered belly, the hide coated with pitch & with 2 sound holes; curved neck of hard wood partly covered with thick hide, perforated for 5 pegs (replaced) and ending in carved human head - the 5 strings (replaced) pass through holes in the membrane fastened to longitudinal strip of wood underneath the membrane Dôr [inserted in pencil '(Bongo)'] tribe, E. Central Africa v Ratzel I p534 - Schweinfurth 'Heart of A' I p. 445 (Neam neam).
Card Catalogue Entry - 'E. CENTRAL AFRICA DOR (BONGO) tribe [inserted 'AZANDE'] 1325 black/2996/380/. Primitive harp, nanga , with cymbiform body, constricted waist at centre, rounded back, flat hide covered belly coated with pitch; two sound holes; curved neck of hard wood partly covered with thick hide, perforated for five pegs (replaced) and ending in a carved human head. Five strings (replaced), pass through holes in membrane, and are fastened to a longitudinal strip of wood underneath the membrane. Cf. Ratzel, I. 534, and Schweinfurth, "Heart of Africa," I, p. 445 on Neam Neam. Original Pitt Rivers Founding Collection.' Added: 'see Eric de Dampierre "Harpes Zandé" pp. 73-77.' Also added: 'L resonator = 285 mm W = 150 mm L neck: 385 mm.' [JC 25/3/1999].
Written on object - 131.A.13 [red ink]; 131.A.13 [pencil]; "NANGA" DOR TRIBE OF NEGROES [black ink; RTS 1/9/2005].
Display History:
Displayed in the Bethnal Green and South Kensington Museums (V&A) [AP]. Lent to the Musée de la Musique, Paris for the exhibition 'La Parole du Fleuve': Harpes D'Afrique, 29th May to 29th August 1999.
[JC 25/3/1999]
Publication History:
J.G.
Wood, 1868, The Natural History of Man Vol.
I, p.
501 (left), which he states on p.
500 Petherick brought from the Dor Tribe (i.e: The Bongo).
Note that in his drawing Wood depicts only 4 strings and does not show the tuning pegs; the slightly kinked neck suggests that it is nonetheless the same piece,and indeed museum records show both strings and pegs were 'replaced' [RTS 24/2/2005]. Details of the object are reproduced as black and white photographs on plates 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, and 7c on pages 74-77 of Harpes Zande, by Eric de Dampierre (Paris: Klinksieck, 1991).
See page 73 for detailed entry (N.B.
de Dampierre mistakenly gives the accession number as 1884.119.10: 'PRO 1884.119.10 [sic] ex z 996 [sic] [transcript given in 'research notes field' below; JC 24/3/1999]. Reproduced in black and white on page 318 and in colour on page 176 of Song of the River: Harps of Central Africa (Paris: Cité de la Musique, Musée de la Musique, with the assistance of the Société d'Ethnologie, Nanterre, 1999).
Listed as number 15 under 'Basins of the Sueh, Uele and Mbomu' on page 318 of the 'Notes on the Exhibits', established by Philippe Bruguière and Jan-Lodewijk Grootaers (pp.
311-72).
