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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 February 2019
Most of the many different ethnic groups living within Uganda have some use for flutes of one kind or another. With very few exceptions, however, the flutes are all endblown instruments either with a straight-cut sharp rim (blown across the rim obliquely) or of the notched variety. Wachsmann (1953) gives informative descriptions of most of these together with the few exceptions; the globular (ocarina type) instruments and a long transverse flute (Vern. Ludaya or Lusweje) played among the upland Gisu in Eastern Uganda. Elsewhere in East Africa transverse flutes — presumably of Arab origin — are played among coastal tribes in Kenya and possibly among the Pogoro of East Central Tanzania. Culwick's illustration of a three-stop flute played by the latter people shows two of the stops at one end and the third at the other – thus suggesting that it is a side blown flute. What he means, however, when he writes that “it is played in the normal manner” is not clear, since apart from the instances cited, indigenous transverse flutes can be found nowhere else in East Africa.
1. Trowell and Wachsmann. 1953, Tribal Crafts of Uganda, pt. 2.Google Scholar
2. South Bugisu vernacular: Lutaya. Google Scholar
3. Culwick, G. M., Man, Vol. 35, no. 39 (1935), pp. 40–42.Google Scholar
4. Mr. Wamanga (Gisu headmaster of an Mbale Primary school), on reading this, commented, “These men are the original Gisu”.Google Scholar
5. Tuning measurements were made on the stroboconn of the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. I personally sounded the notes on the instrument, making no attempt to humour the pitch of any tone. This I did after playing for some minutes in tune with the playback of Kibulo's own performance. Kibulo himself did not appear to make any attempts at humouring the tones. Later attempts I made showed that one could in this manner vary the middle range of tones by as much as 40 Cents.Google Scholar
6. The instrumental and vocal music of these tribes is basically pentatonic and, with the exception of those tribes using a melismatic singing style, most intervals are not less than one tempered tone. cf. Wachsmann, “An equal stepped tuning in a Ganda harp.” Nature, Vol. 165, no. 4184 (1950), pp. 40–41.Google Scholar
7. La Fontaine, J. S., The Gisu – Ethnographic Survey of East Central Africa (1959), Pt. X.Google Scholar
8. Trowell and Wachsmann, op. cit., p. 347.Google Scholar
9.
I have observed Konjo musicians accompanying their tall notched flutes with a similar rhythm. In this case the bells, strapped in the same way, just below the dancers’ left knees, have provided the same jingling pulse (
) while the triplets have been beaten on the drum skin or on the rim of a small Uganda drum. Again, this music is played at beer parties.Google Scholar
10. An Uher 4000 R machine was used for making half track recordings at 3–3/4 i.p.s. A copy of the tape is lodged in the archives of the School of Scottish Studies, Universtity of Edinburgh, where it is available for study.Google Scholar
11. La Fontaine, op. cit., mentions the occurrence of transvestites among the Gisu and comments from informants suggested that this woman was one and her playing of the flute was yet another symbol of her ‘manliness'.Google Scholar
12. Jome, Son of Wadulo and Oduro, Son of Wanziguya, both of the Bunaseche clan.Google Scholar
13. Tuning of Jome's Liduku.Google Scholar
14. Mr. Wamanga (cf. footnote 5) opined that the Liduku was a recent introduction to North Bugisu and that local musicians were just beginning to experiment in combining Liduku with the more established instruments used at beer parties.Google Scholar
15. Groven, E. (1927), Naturskalen in “Tillegsbok til Norske folkekultur”, Skien, p. 48 describes a willow flute used in parts of Norway, the Seljefloyte, which is similar in playing technique and appearance to the Ludaya. See also Ola Kai Ledang's paper, “The Seljeflute and its qualities as a musical instrument” (1969).Google Scholar
