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East African

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Title Audio Collection Descriptionsort icon Composer Date All terms
Ho - Jambo Bwana | East African

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ILAM

A praise song with a Chepkongo 6 string bowl lyre. The player flips the bridge of the lyre with a finger tip as he plays. The  'Hey - nonny - nonny' words of the song are " Ho - Jambo Bwana". "How do you do, Master."
This was impromptu refering to the recorder of the item. The remainder of the lyric mentions places of mutual interst and affection in the minds of the audience.
Both Kipsigis and Nandi are noted for their patriotism, their love of country as such, which they frequently express in song. This is comparitively rare with Bantu people who do not, as a rule, praise the beauty of the countryside and are mostly insensitive to scenery.
Details from ILAM field card number: D6L 2

 (Performer)
Kepkoske Arap Chepkwony (Composer)

 1950-09-15 Bowl lyre | Chepkongo bowl lyre | Chepkwony,Kepkoske Arap | East African | ILAM | Indigenous music | Kapsabet Kenya Nandi district | Kericho | Kipsigis | Kipsigis district | Praise song | Vocal
Arap Chemonget | East African

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ILAM

A praise song with Chepkongo 6 string bowl lyre. This lyre is strummed and fingered like the Bangwe zither of Nyasaland. The right hand strums the strings and the left mutes or opens the 6 strings, making it possible to play two or three chords on the open un-muted strings. The singer mentions by name his home village, places of common interest to his friends. The player flips the body of his lyre on the 2nd and 4th beats. In common with several African verse makers, the singer sings in couplets, repeating the second phrase and making it the first line of the next.
Details from ILAM field card number: D6L 3

 1950-09-15 Bowl lyre | Chepkongo bowl lyre | Chepkwony, Kepkoske Arap | East African | ILAM | Indigenous music | Kapkatet | Kenya | Kericho | Kipsigis | Kipsigis district | Praise song | Sitonik, Kipkemo Arap
Arap Kapero | East African

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ILAM

A topical song with Kipukandet 6 string bowl lyre (5 or 6 string pentatonic lyre used by Nandi tribe in Kenya, also known as Kibugantet and Chepkong.) One day a friend called on Arap Kapero unexpectedly. He sang "Had I a shilling I would have bought flour to make bread for you." The accompaniment of this song is interesting for the extra half bar just prior to the start of each verse.

Kipkeino Arap Rop (Performer)
Composer not specified

 1950-00-00 East African | ILAM | Kapsabet Nandi district Kenya | Nandi | Rop, Kipkeino Arap | Topical song
Kolasi | East African

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ILAM

A topical song with accordian and struck iron. The accordian is used as a ground which creates a happy noise but has little, if any, melodic or harmonic relationship to the tonality or mode of the voice."The father of the girl I want to marry came to Mombasea leaving his daughter at home - so I came to Mombasa too and said to him 'Now how about it - I want to discuss the marriage arrangements'."
Further details refer ILAM field card number: F3B 5

 1952-05-24 Accordion | Chinda Kamwana | East African | Folk music | ILAM | Indigenous music | Kenya | Kiamuthambi | Kikuyu | Kikuyu territory | Struck iron | Topical song
Mwomboko | East African

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ILAM

A topical song with accordian and struck iron. The accordian is used as a ground which creates a happy noise but has little, if any, melodic or harmonic relationship to the tonality or mode of the voice.
Song to accompany a town dance in which men and women dance together in pairs, after the fashion of Europeans.
Further details refer ILAM field card number: F3B 6

 1952-05-24 Accordion | Chinda Kamwana | East African | Folk music | ILAM | Indigenous music | Kenya | Kiamuthambi | Kikuyu | Kikuyu territory | Struck iron | Topical song
Mucungwa | East African

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ILAM

A very simple dance song, sung in unison.
Further details refer ILAM field card number: D6T 8

 1950-09-23 Dance song | East African | Folk music | Forest Hall district | ILAM | Indigenous music | Kenya | Kikuyu | Kikuyu | Wairimu,Tabitha
Baikili kwano kindonyimo | East African

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ILAM

An Osingolis Longoroyo love song. "When I come back from fighting, then I will marry you, my love. I refuse to look at any other woman because of you. So wait for me my love."

Items of this nature are more recitations of verse rather than true songs. The simple response in this case is "A-a, hoiyo ya hoiyo yaho"

Binana Naibara (Performer)
Composer not specified

 1952-00-00 Arusha | Arusha | Arusha District | East African | Folk music | ILAM | Masai | Naibara,Binana | Tanganyika | Tanzania
Ho ya-yo | East African

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ILAM

An Osingolis Longoroyo love song with Arusha women. "Teren angite matalebo." "Bring the cow that I may milk her near the water. Do not leave my place my love. Stay here and keep me constant company."

The love song of a nomadic pastoralist. Different women take over the lead during the song. The full song is not available here.

Nagalal Sengeo (Performer)

 1950-10-02 Arusha | Arusha District | East African | Folk music | ILAM | Masai | Nagalal Sengeo | Tanganyika | Tanzania
Ngai aomoningera | East African

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ILAM

An Osingolis Longoroyo love song. "High God, Ngai. Give all the women children." A sentiment frequently expressed by all African folk.

The full song is not available here.

Nagalal Sengeo (Performer)
Composer not specified

 1952-00-00 Arusha | Arusha | Arusha District | East African | Folk music | ILAM | Masai | Nagalal Sengeo | Tanganyika | Tanzania
Hongahonga lele | East African

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ILAM

An Mbeta pipe dance with Viyanzi vertical flutes, 2 friction sticks, and tin rattles.

The players start to play beginning with the pipe 3rd from the lowest. Each piper above them takes his rhythm from the next man below. If one fails to get started he holds up all the others above. The leader then comes along and gets his rhythm for him and his companions can then take up the rhythm until the treble player at last joins in.

Set of 13 pipes. The tuning of this set was as follows:- 584, 320, 440, 392, 336, 292, giving a pentatonic scale. The total range was just over two octaves.

 1950-00-00 Dar-es-Salaam | East African | ILAM | Mbeta pipe dance | Selemani, Pembe | Tanganyika | Tanzania | Zaramo
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