Musical instruments in Zambia: Chibale

Musical instruments in Chibale, Zambia. There is a lot of variety in musical instruments in Zambia. But what about that if you look at the instruments in one area, like Chibale?

During the period of the research (1981 until 2013) in Chibale¹The research for the articles about musical instruments is presented in Ways of working for description., we came across 67 names of musical instruments. During this period, the general trend was one of declining use of musical instruments. Within this general trend, there is considerable variation depending on the instrument and the specific time span within the period.

To give some examples. There was a revival of spirit possession in the 1970s and 1980s which led to an increase in interest in the conical drum ensemble. Starting in the 1990s the use of cultural heritage in identity formation led to the resurgence of ilimba (one-note xylophone) music. The development of Kalindula led to the coming of new instruments and instrument uses. The rise of choir singing in some of the christian cults also led to new instruments and new voice and instrument uses. In most cases, foreign music went through a process of chibalisation. Among other things, this included a greater number of drums and more intricate drumming (from a Chibale perspective).

At the bottom of this article, you will find links to descriptions of all musical instruments in Chibale, Zambia.

Words for musical instruments

The general word for musical instruments is malimba, the plural of ilimba (one-note xylophone). When asked to give another word, many will say something like fintu ifyakulisha mu nyimbo, literally: ‘things that are made to cry to songs’ or less literally: ‘things to play along with/accompany songs’. Kulisha is the causative form of the verb kulila: cry, mourn, sing mournfully, sound, shout. Kulisha refers to any action leading to musical sound production, except for singing: kwimba or kulila. The stem -limba refers to work with energy, be firm²Also in Nurse (1970:34f) for the Chewa region., plant and shout or speak provokingly.³See the text of the 38th song brought at the Ipupo at banaNshimbi‘s for the use of -limba, in the word kambalimbe, in this sense. The verb kulila is used to refer to the sound of a musical instrument. Kalimba kalila: the kalimba sounds.

Classification of musical instruments

Musical instruments in Chibale, Zambia. There is no classification covering the whole range of musical instruments.
In some cases type names are used to denote a range of similar instruments. These are:

• ngoma for various types of drums,
• -limba for lamellophones and xylophones: kalimba for two types of lamellophones and ilimba for the one-note xylophone, and it cannot be ruled out that in the past a larger xylophone was used, called bulimba,
• cisekele for various types of struck and shaken rattles, and
• mutolilo for all flute-like instruments.

The only classificatory principle for all instruments that we encountered is one also used for a number of other human activities, like cooking, dancing and making beer. It distinguishes between true instruments and other instruments, focusing on the skill needed for the activity and, connected to that, whether the playing of the instrument is worth evaluating or not.

Frequency of the use of musical instruments

So, there is no classification present in Chibale that can be of help for giving an overview of all musical instruments. Since many people in Chibale have some interest in history and cultural heritage, the best thing to do is to use a variation on the grouping Atta Annan Mensah⁴Mensah (1970a). uses when presenting the music of Zumaile village. He discerns three groups: active, moribund and passive respectively. He uses the latter term because: “This reflects the way in which most of those interviewed looked upon their musical heritage. They frequently referred to a particular musical tradition as either obsolete, almost dead, and rarely revived, or active and often performed. But since many of the obsolete traditions were still remembered and could be revived under appropriate stimulus, the word ‘passive’ has been chosen in preference to the word ‘obsolete’”.
This also holds for the situation in Chibale. It happens that phenomena regarded to have disappeared or to be obsolete or behind the times are revived. Stimuli, to use Mensah’s word, are troubled times (spirit possession), realisation of the loss of valuable practices and knowledge (girls’ initiation, spirit possession and healing), and identity formation (rise of cultural heritage).

An overview of all musical instruments

Musical instruments in Chibale, Zambia. We encountered 51 different instruments for which 67 names were used. In the 1980s, 13 instruments (with 18 names) are frequently played, 10 (with 12 names) are used occasionally, 15 (with 21 names) rarely and 13 (with 16 names) are not used anymore, mostly because the occasion at which they were played changed or fell into abeyance. Some of the instruments had to be drawn on our request because there were no specimens extant. In the 2000s, all instruments were played less frequently, except for the drum that was used more frequently than in the 1980s.
There are 16 instrument names that are, or before the 1980s had become, synonymous with the name of one of the other instruments. It is not unlikely that the synonymous instruments were the same instruments used in different contexts or by different owners. Or that they once were (slightly) different instruments.
Foreign instruments were rare and except for the guitar still are. In the 1980s, we came across one concertina, listen to Song 159, and one guitar. Guitars have become more prevalent in the 2000s. In Serenje District, guitars have a longer tradition than in Chibale, see Guitar playing in Serenje District.

When comparing the Chibale situation with the variety in musical instruments in Zambia, we see that, taking into account all the instruments existent and remembered, we find quite some variety in the musical instruments in Chibale. When we only consider the instruments still played, there is less variety.

For more information about each musical instrument you can click on the names in the overview below.

Frequently played musical instruments

Babatoni, also cimbombo and ndindula  ∵   large string bass

Banjo  ∵   banjo

Cisekele, also isebe  ∵   various types of rattles

Ilimba  ∵   one-note xylophone

Kankobele  ∵   lamellophone, low key in the middle

Kutota mapi  ∵   handclapping

Lumpundu  ∵   ululating

Masamba  ∵   dancing skirt mediums

Musekele  ∵   rattle used in kalindula

Ngolwa, also ndubulula  ∵   ocarina

Ngoma  ∵   drums of various types

Nsangwa, also nsombo and nsenselo  ∵   ankle rattles mediums

Occasionally played musical instruments

Cinyenye  ∵   horn kazoo

Ciwaya, also mataba pa mbale  ∵   maize on a tray

Kameme  ∵   kazoo

Mukonkonto  ∵   sticks to accompany drumming

Muloshi  ∵   whistling

Musebe  ∵   specialists’ rattle

Mutolilo  ∵   flute, general word for flutes

Ndibu, also lubendo  ∵   small bells worn by dancers

Nsangwa kwa kuboko  ∵   arm rattle

Pintu  ∵   whistle

Rarely played musical instruments

Cimwimwi, also cimwimwi ca musowa wa nkalamo  ∵   bull-roarer

Guitar  ∵   guitar

Kalimba kamaswao  ∵   lamellophone with fixed resonator in which iron jinglers

Kantimbwa, also cintimbwa  ∵   musical bow

Kodeoni  ∵   concertina

Lindya, also ntandangoma  ∵   humming top

Lumbeta, also lupenga  ∵   (signal) horn

Lusonsolo  ∵   iron bell used in chiefly cult

Mabotolo  ∵   bottles played on the ground

Mikoci, also minkobele  ∵   struck iron rattles (also tusembe)

Mutungu  ∵   small gourd played on the ground

Ndandi, also ndimba  ∵   lamellophone

Ngolwa ya muminwe  ∵   ocarina played on the fingers

Nsanshi  ∵   small, round rattle

Tusembe  ∵   struck axe blades

Musical instruments not currently in use

Bulimba  ∵   larger xylophone

Cimwimwi ca ku kaole, also ngoma ya bukali and ngoma ya buloshi  ∵   friction drum

Itumba, also litumbu  ∵   drum for mbeni

Mangu  ∵   chiefly drum

Mankubala  ∵   set of three wooden boats

Manyema  ∵   board zither

Musumpiti  ∵   gourd drums

Mutole  ∵   transverse flute

Mwimbi  ∵   drum

Myuba  ∵   bellows

Namukalapanda  ∵   rattles on a stretchable string played by mediums

Nsapa  ∵   master bellows

Peku  ∵   pan flute

And read the articles about

the familiarity of all these instruments/instrument names

the number of people playing them and the way people learn to play them, and

the differentiation between ‘true musical instruments‘ and other instruments.

Also see the article about the masamba ing’omba, a roaming group of three professional dancers in the beginning of the previous century.