Musical instruments in Zambia: Chibale

Musical instruments in Zambia: Chibale. Zambia has a variety of musical instruments. But what about that if you look at musical instruments in one region of Zambia?

During the research (1981 until 2013) in Chibale²The research for the articles about musical instruments is presented in Ways of working for description., we came across 67 names for 51 distinct musical instruments.
In this series of articles on musical instruments in Chibale, you will find descriptions of all these musical instruments. At the bottom of this article, links to all descriptions are given.

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, see here.

Words for musical instruments

Musical instruments in Zambia: Chibale. The general term 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 which is called kwimba or kulila. The stem -limba means to work with energy, be firm³Also in Nurse (1970:34f) for the Chewa region., plant and shout or speak provokingly.⁴See 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 refers to the sound of a musical instrument. Kalimba kalila: the kalimba sounds.

Fluctuation in the use of musical instruments

Musical instruments in Zambia: Chibale. In the period of the research (1981 until 2013), the general trend was a decline in the 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 you some examples. A revival of spirit possession from the mid-1970s until the mid-1990s led to an increase in interest in the conical drum ensemble. Starting in the 1990s the use of cultural heritage in identity formation gave rise to the resurgence of ilimba (one-note xylophone) music. The development of Kalindula led to the introduction of new instruments and instrument uses. The rise of choir singing in some 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).

Instruments from outside

Foreign instruments were rare and, except for the guitar, still are. In the 1980s, we came across one guitar and one concertina, listen to Song 159. 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.

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) were frequently played, 10 (12 names) occasionally and 15 (21 names) rarely. Thirteen (16 names) were not played anymore. For most of these, the occasion at which they were used changed or fell into abeyance. Some of the instruments had to be drawn at our request because no specimens existed. In the 2000s, all instruments were played less frequently, except for the drum which was used more often 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 in the past the synonymous instruments were the same instruments played by different owners or in different contexts. Or that they were (slightly) different instruments once.

For information about a specific musical instrument, click on the name 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

See also

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,

the classification of musical instruments, and

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

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

Conclusion

Now we can compare the Chibale situation with the variety of musical instruments in Zambia. Taking into account all the instruments existing 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.