Contextual Associations

The nkangala is a plucked stick-zither chordophone of Malawi. Gerhard Kubik (p. 321) explains that the nkangala mouth bow is an instrument that was brought to what is now known as Malawi in the 1800s by migrating Angoni people, who originally came from what is now known as the Republic of South Africa. The nkangala is also found amongst the Nguni peoples of South Africa, where it is called the umqangala by the Zulu, Thonga, and Swazi. This is an instrument played almost exclusively by girls and women in times of solitude.

Description

The nkangala is made of hollow cane from a water reed known locally as bango.  The traditional sisal string is, on this instrument, substituted with nylon line. It is tied securely around each end of the reed with enough tension to give the reed a slight bend.

Player - Instrument Interface and Sound Production

One end of the bow is pressed on the right corner of the player's mouth, the string being plucked with a small plectrum in the right hand. Two fundamental pitches are produced, one by the full length of the string, the other by stopping the far-end of the string with the middle finger of the left hand to achieve a note about a whole step higher. Various harmonics above these two fundamentals are brought out by changing the shape of the mouth cavity.

Origins/History/Evolution

Like musical bows the world over, the nkangala is believed to have evolved from the hunting bow at some distant time in history. It most likely originated well before the 19^th century northward migration of Nguni people from South Africa to Malawai.

Bibliographic Citations

Ellert. H. 1984. The Material Culture of Zimbabwe. Harare: Longman Zimbabwe.

Kirby, Percival R. 1968. The Musical Instruments of the Native Races of South Africa. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.

Kubik, Gerhard.  1998. “Intra-African Streams of Influence.” In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music v.1. ed. Ruth M. Stone. New York: Garland Publishing, pp. 293-326.