The segankuru is a bowed

trough zither Trough zithers are a group of African stringed instruments or chordophones whose members resemble wooden bowls, pans, platters, or shallow gutters with strings stretched across the opening. A type of zither, the instruments may be quiet, dependin ...

bar zither Bar zither is class of musical instruments (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of simple chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is shaped like a bar. In the system, bar z ...

musical bow The musical bow (bowstring or string bow, a subset of bar zithers) is a simple string instrument used by a number of South African peoples, which is also found in the Americas via slave trade. It consists of a flexible, usually wooden, stick 1. ...

, a

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...

found in

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

and other areas of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, and found under many names. It consists of a wooden body attached to a tin can

resonator A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior. That is, it naturally oscillates with greater amplitude at some frequencies, called resonant frequencies, than at other frequencies. The oscillations in a resonator ...

, with a single metal string played with a bow. The instruments main role is for self or group entertainment for young men, while herding cattle, etc. It is known as the ''segaba'', ''sebinjolo'' and ''segankuru'' among the

Tswana people The Tswana ( tn, Batswana, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Tswana language is a principal member of the Sotho-Tswana language group. Ethnic Tswana made up approximately 85% of the popu ...

, the ''sekgobogobo'' or ''setseketseke'' among the

Pedi people The Pedi or (also known as the Northern Sotho or and the Marota or ) – are a Southern Africa, southern African ethnic group that speak Pedi or ''Sepedi'', a dialect belonging to the Sotho-Tswana peoples, Sotho-Tswana Ethnolinguistic gro ...

. Also called the ''setinkane'' or ''stinkane''.

Characteristics

Type A

The instrument consists of a long straight stick, carved with a trough in the top, strung with a string from the end of the instrument to a tuning peg at the top, and a 5-liter sized metal can covering the bottom of the instrument (and flattened to hold it on). The trough is carved into the stick to change the sound. The tin can acts as a

. An instrument might be 86 Cm long x 6 cm wide. It is played with a bow, made from a stick and strung with animal hair. The instrument has been used in the past using the musicians mouth as a resonator. Rings can be attached to the instrument to vibrate as it is played. Because of the trough, this can be considered a trough zither. It could also be considered a

. It is too inflexible to be considered a

Type B

This instrument uses a one-gallon sized can for a resonator. The stick is inserted through the pouring hole and bent into an arch. The top of the stick is tied to a hole in the can by the string or wire. A sound hole is in the side. It is played with a bow. Without a trough, this isn't a trough zither. This instrument could be considered a musical bow or a

pluriarc The pluriarc, also called paata, mapu, luku, kissanga, and bow lute is a stringed musical instrument of West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 coun ...

played with a bow. However, with only one arm, it would be a uniarc.

Type C

Also called ''sebinjola''. This instrument resembled type A, a straight stick. However, the instrument lacks a trough and is shorter. This could be considered a

. It is too inflexible to be considered a

. With a trough, it could be considered a trough zither.

Fiddle

Segaba has also used to been refer to a fiddle.

References

External links

Photos of segaba being made, as well as bass and soprano models.video of type A segaba being played.Video of type A segaba being played. Shows circular motion of bow.Video of type B segaba being played.Video of an instrument identified as a stinkane. This instrument appears to be a 3 string fiddle, rather than a zither, but is still made from a tin can with wood neck.
{{Authority control Bowed instruments Botswana musical instruments String instruments