Artwork Page for Lyre (ndongo, endongo, entongoli, or kissar)

Details / Information for Lyre (ndongo, endongo, entongoli, or kissar)

Lyre (ndongo, endongo, entongoli, or kissar)

by 1928

Medium
Wood, reptile skin, pelt, cloth, and natural fiber
Measurements
Diameter: 31.8 cm (12 1/2 in.); Overall: 43.2 cm (17 in.)
Weight:
Credit Line
Gift of the African Art Sponsors of Karamu House 1929.346
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Imagine the buzzing, resonant sound that this string instrument would make.

Description

Lyres are common instruments across eastern Africa. The many names––endongo, ndongo, kissar, or entongoli—reflect how many different groups use this Ugandan type. This example is made from a wooden bowl-shaped sound box covered in the skin of a reptile, possibly a monitor lizard. The strings lead up to a crossbar once decorated with goat hair tassels at each end and sometimes cowrie shells.

Lyre (ndongo, endongo, entongoli, or kissar)

by 1928

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