Nepal
Nepali – Kirati People

Bamboo, rattan
Mid 20th century
Length: 28.75 in, Diameter: 3.125 in
Chordophones – Zithers

The yalamber baja is a Nepali bamboo-tube zither made in the tradition of the Kirati, a native Sino-Tibetan ethnic group. This instrument was documented in Nepal by the Nepali Folk Musical Instruments Museum in 2004. Instruments in Nepal tend to be created and named locally, thus, its name was most likely derived from Yalambar, the first king of Kirata Kingdom in 800 B.C., and baja, a Nepali word for instrument.

The yalamber baja is played by using the index finger and thumb to pluck the two rattan strings.  The strings (choyaa) are stripped (cut) from the bamboo itself and secured by woven strips of rattan on each end of the closed bamboo nodes to keep them from further stripping. Each string is lifted with small pieces of bamboo at both ends that serves as bridges. Thus, the strings can be tuned by moving the bridges toward or away from the center hole.  A piece of bamboo is also fitted onto the strings, over the top of the sound hole.

Resource: Kadel, Ram Prasad (2007). Musical Instruments of Nepal. Katmandu, Nepal: Nepali Folk Instrument Museum