Southern Niger and northern Nigeria
Hausa

Wood, bone, lizard/snake skin, horse hair
ca. Early-20th century
Length: 20.25 in; Width: 4.5 in; Depth: 4 in
Chordophone – Spiked-Lute

This is possibly a Hausa ‘goje’ with a bone neck is a  two-stringed spike fiddle from West Africa.  They are almost exclusively played by ethnic groups inhabiting the Sahel and Sudan sparsely vegetated grassland belts leading to the Sahara. Snakeskin or lizard skin covers this gourd bowl goje, and a horsehair string is suspended on the bridge. The goje is played with a string bow not pictured here.

The goje is commonly used to accompany song and is usually played as a solo instrument.  It is also a featured instrument in ensembles with other West African string, wind or percussion instruments, including the shekere, calabash drum, talking drum, or ney.