VTG Antique African Adungu 4 String Instrument Arched Bow Harp Gourd Head Guitar

Description

Antique African Adungu 4 String Instrument Hand-Carved Arched Bow Harp & Gourd HeadCirca: Early 1900'sin as found used condition.
24” long
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* Possibly one of the most striking string instruments in Central Africa,
because of its often exceptionally beautiful form and decoration, is the
harp, which is represented in the north-east of the Congo by finely
crafted examples from the Zande and Mangbetu, amongst others. The
distribution of the harp exceeds the country’s borders and we also find
examples in all kinds of shapes and sizes in the Central-African
Republic, Gabon and Uganda.   The most characteristic element of this type is the sculpted head that
decorates the end of the neck and from which one can easily deduce the
musical culture it originates from: Zande (hairstyle), Mangbetu
(elongated head structure), Nzakara (helmet-shaped head).
In the oldest examples the tuning pegs have also been skilfully cut and
the method of attaching the strings to the tuning peg merits attention.
The way the string is tied to the tuning peg makes it fairly simple for
the musician to tighten and tune it. Importantly, the tuning of the
instrument, which is mostly pentatonic, can be changed according to the
song one wishes to perform.
I hope this helps a little.
Please look at all of the pictures for the condition.