Guitar/string instrument

Museum number: UEM21025 

Material: Leather, wood and straw 

Region and culture: Ibembe, Mangbetu people 

Description: Guitar with a resonance chamber made of leather that has two holes. The neck is made of a wooden female figure. Between the neck and the resonance box there are five strings made of bamboo fibre. Many of these figurative Mangbetu guitars went from being functional musical instruments to more decorative artistic objects. These guitars were commonly found amongst the Mangbetu aristocrats. The female figure reflects traditional hairstyles that emphasizes the elongated head shapes also commonly found amongst the Mangbetu aristocrats.  

Donated to the Ethnographic museum by Dr. Inge Heiberg. 1903-1920.