Posts by Category: Anthropology
Kamalengoni
La harpe des jeunes de Wassoulou
French, Anthropology Aug 2 2017
The kamalengoni is a type of harpe-luth played originally by the Bambara people of the Wassoulou region of Mali. Here is its fascinating story. (French and English)
Kassa: the Harvest
Video with English translation
French, Anthropology Aug 1 2017
Video: For the Malinké people of Guinea, Kassa is the name of a family of rhythms and dances that accompany the work related to farming and harvest. The rhythms are played on the traditional djembe and dunun drums. Watch this video (with English translation) here.
Toneholes and Tradition
How a 40,000 year old flute leveled the playing field
Articles, Anthropology Apr 7 2016
Sometime between 40,000 and 45,000 years ago, a group of early humans on a migration route out of Africa, along the corridor of the Danube River valley, carried with them a small but significant object: a flute. Carved from the bone of a griffon vulture, with…