bow harp
- Museum number
- Af1915,0506.1
- Description
-
Bow harp (ennanga) made of wood, skin, wire (copper), foil (copper), hair (horse), skin (lizard), beads (glass), shells (cowrie), string (fibre).
- Dimensions
-
Height: 98 centimetres
-
Width: 29 centimetres
-
Depth: 18.50 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- This beautiful harp is called ennanga by baGanda and this particular instrument was probably not made for playing but as a piece of regalia or as an objet d'art owned by Kabaka (king) Mwanga from whose home the label says the harp came.
Its size means that the strings would be sounding much lower in pitch than the normal ennanga - too low, in my opinion. If it was ever intended to be played then these would not have been the original strings.
Beaded artefacts form part of the regalia of the kings of neighbouring Bunyoro and Tooro and a small number of instruments associated with the palace of the king of the baGanda were also heavily decorated with beads and cowrie shells. The present King's personal drum has beaded coronet fitted on the top of his personal drum (similar to the coronet among the musical artefacts from Uganda at the Horniman museum. (see also the 'royal drum' illustrated in Roscoe's book on the Baganda, currently help by the Pitt Rivers Museum). You also have a 'beaded flute" - probaby from the same source (EAF62692)
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1915
- Acquisition notes
- Af1915,0506.1 and 2 were given by the Rt Hon Austin Chamberlain, giving as his address 9 Egerton Place London SW. In the acquisition register this is described as a 'Guitar from the house of King Mwanga of Uganda.'
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Af1915,0506.1
