The Apache fiddle (
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...
: tsii' edo'a'tl, "wood that sings") is a bowed string instrument used by the indigenous
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...
people of the southwestern United States. The instrument consists of a plant stalk, such as that of the
agave
''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...
or
mescal plant. One or sometimes two strings, often made of horse hair, are secured at both ends of the stalk, a bridge and nut added, and the string is played with a bow resined with pine pitch. The string is touched with the fingers to change its note. The
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
holds an Apache fiddle collected in 1875. In 1989 Apache fiddle maker
Chesley Goseyun Wilson
Chesley Goseyun Wilson (July 31, 1932 – October 4, 2021) was a maker and performer of the Apache fiddle, singer, dancer, medicine man, silversmith, former model, and actor. Wilson received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endow ...
of
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
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won a
National Heritage Award
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...
.
1989 NEA National Heritage Fellow: Chesley Goseyun Wilson
, National Endowment for the Arts (USA)
See also
*Cornstalk fiddle
The cornstalk fiddle is a toy, and a type of bowed string instrument played historically in North America. The instrument consists of a cornstalk, with slits cut into the shaft to allow one or more fibrous sections to separate from the main body an ...
References
Sources
*
Native American Stringed Musical Instruments
' by Daniel Brinton. in ''The American antiquarian and oriental journal'' By Stephen Denison Peet Jameson & Morse, 1897 v. 19, pg 20.
Jon Rose Web, 2005
External links
A maker of Apache fiddles describing the process
{{American Indian musical instruments
American Indian musical instruments
String instruments
Bowed instruments
Apache culture
Continuous pitch instruments
Indigenous American fiddles