Cool Stuff Blog I: Native American Flutes, the Kakaki, and the Bowl Lyre

After listening to some of the most relaxing music for the flute that I have ever heard in class, I decided that I wanted to look further into the origins of the Native American flute. There is a legend about the first flute that displays the power of music. A young man wanted to impress a girl that he had fallen for, yet she never showed any interest in him. Because of this, he walked into the forest and dwelled in his sadness. He then saw a woodpecker creating holes in a piece of wood, which then fell right beside him. He noticed music coming from the wood and found that he too, could make music, just as the wind did. As he played songs on the flute, the girl overheard him and the sound captured her heart. The legend then says that after you have found someone to be with, you needn't use your flute ever again so you will not attract another person.

After I researched Native American flutes, I started to research African aerophones to which I found the kakaki. The kakaki is trumpet played only by men for special events such as ceremonies. It is used primarily in West and Central Africa in places such as Chad, Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. In Hausa societies, it is used when royalty is present such as a king. The Hausa society is a group of people from northern Nigeria and places surrounding it. This society has influenced many places surrounding it, which led to the spread of the kakaki to places such as the Fulani emirs empire.

Another instrument that piqued my interest is the bowl lyre. This chordophone can be found in the African countries of Uganda and Kenya. It is made from a gourd, much like the other instruments we talked about in class, along with antelope horns and bristles. They lack a bridge and the strings are vibrating against the sound table. You can use other objects besides the gourd to make the body such as a turtle shell, wood, or coconut shells. This instrument is used for many parts of life such as weddings, celebrations, mournings, and education. People learn how to play the bowl lyre from the elders, but this may not necessarily continue because it is now being looked at as old fashioned and the materials that are used for making the instrument are becoming endangered.