Ebirandi Gusii

Classes: Idiophone; Percussion

This is a shaker made by putting seeds in a gourd and stopping the hole. Stones and other
harder materials are often avoided as during vigorous shaking they are liable to damage
the gourds.
Usually played in pairs and as an accompanying instrument assisting with keeping tempo.
It can also be used to accompany a solo female singer performing at certain occasions.
Sexwise, the instrument is probably female considering it is an accompanying instrument
and requires only a sense of rhythm to play as opposed to others that require skill and
training.
It was used as an accompanying instrument but despite its simple nature it is safe to
assume that this instrument was respected in society as it was a foundation in terms of its
use. Apart from rhythm being the cornerstone on which music is built on, it was also
among the first aspects that a child learnt in life.
It was relatively cheap as it required very little skill or raw materials to make i.e. the
gourd was easily harvested from the wild and the seeds were easily gotten from the gourd
on clearing it and these were dried and re-used.
No special place was accorded to the maker as this instrument could be made by anyone,
even children.
Rhythm is an important aspect of life and as a result this instrument was indespensible.
Abu Luo

Classes: Aerophone; Wind

This is a Luo horn made by joining 3 4 gourds of varying sizes. It has 2 holes, one at
the top for blowing and the other at the bottom for sound escape.
Notes produced are very low and known as Bunu thus the name Abu.
This horn in olden times was blown only during times of war.
Considering the use of the instrument in war, we can conclude, due to the largely
patriarchal African society, that it was male and was reserved for the same sex.
Being played in war also reduces its playability to solo.
It would be valued greatly by society due to the fact that it was used in war thus the Abu
was the representative of the Luo people, when on the war path, a calling card of sorts.
The performer probably valued it highly considering it was a representative of his people
and hence not to be taken lightly.
Monetary wise, considering it was just a number of gourds joined together, compared to
other instruments like the orutu, that required a large amount of labor to make due to
hollowing out of branches to form the resonator, though this was before tins came along,
it required very little labor and could thus be said to be cheap compared to other
instruments.
It represents the people on the Warfield and could be said to possess magic power as its
sound was supposed to strike fear into the hearts of enemies.
The instrument does have an indispensable role since war will always exist where theres
human nature present.
Tung Luo

Classes: aerophone; winds

This is a Luo animal horn that is played through the truncated end.Due to the amount of
strength skill and stamina required to play it, this instrument was reserved for men and as
such it would be safe to conclude it is of the same gender.
It was used to summoin people for hunts or meetings and could also be played as a solo
instrument, accompanied by leg rattles or as an accompanying instrument to mark
interludes and climaxes in the music.
It was a very valuable instrument as it was gotten during hunting and since it is not every
day that people gop hunting, its very rare to have the raw materials for making it. Also
finding the perfect horn during hunting is also another factor that makes it even more rare
and valuable.
Ekwe Pokomo

Class: idiophone; percussion

This is a pokomo shaker made by weaving small seeds into palm fronds.
It is played as an accompanying instrument to help keep rhythm/
It would be sexless as it is actively used by m,embers of both sexes and is not restricted
to either.
It is relatively expensive to make due to the time and skill it required to weave the palm
fronds and the searching for palm fronds that would last. however it was not as expensive
as some e.g. sengenya drums that required skin and hollowed out logs, hence cost more.
Its maker was valued as it required a certain amount of skill to make properly.
As concerns the supernatural, this shakers sound was reminiscent of rain and so could be
said to represent the spirit that embodied rain.
Sogo and kidi Ewe

Class: membranophones; percussion

These are barrel-shaped drums belonging to the ewe community of Ghana. They belong
to a set of three i.e. Kaganu, Kidi, Sogo, atsimevu which are normally played during the
Agbadza dance which is traditionally a war dance but is now used in social and
recreational situations to celebrate peace.
This dance was sometimes used as military training exercises with signals from the lead
drum telling the warriors to move ahead, to the right, go down, etc.
it also helped in preparing the warriors for battle and upon their return from fighting they
would act out their deeds in battle through their movements in the dance.
The child or baby brother drum, kagan, usually plays on the weak beats in a repeated
pattern that links directly with the bell and shaker ostinatos. The mother drum, kidi,
usually has a more active role in the accompaniment. It responds to the larger sogo, or
father, drum. The entire ensemble is lead by the largest drum, atsimevu, or grandfather
drum. The hierarchy of the drums is grandfather father- mother child, mirroring the
society that they are apart of.
The drummers were respected in society as for a person to have become a good drummer
they have to have inherited the spirit of an ancestor who was a good drummer and thus it
is their destiny to drum.
Dono West Africa