Nigeria
Nigerian

Wood, String
ca. Mid-20th century
Length: 22 in; Width: 5 in
Chordophone – Musical Bow

The musical bow is a simple string instrument that possibly developed from the hunting bow.  These bows are found in western central Africa and all of southern Africa.  It consists of a flexible, usually wooden, stick and strung end to end with a taut cord.  This musical bow is called a ‘mouth bow’ because the mouth serves as the resonator.  One way of playing the mouth bow is to place a small section of the wood (close to the end) across the open mouth and using a straight stick, tap on the string while shaping your mouth.