Abraham Dumisani Maraire (27 December 1944 – 25 November 1999), known to friends as "Dumi", was a master performer of the ''

mbira Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...

'', a

traditional instrument A folk instrument is a musical instrument that developed among common people and usually does not have a known inventor. It can be made from wood, metal or other material. Such an instrument is played in performances of folk music. Overview The ...

of the

Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (given name) * S ...

ethnic group of

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

. He specialized in the form of ''mbira'' called ''nyunga nyunga'', as well as the Zimbabwean

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

. He introduced

Zimbabwean music Zimbabwean music is heavily reliant on the use of instruments such as the mbira, Ngoma drums and hosho. Their music symbolizes much more than a simple rhythm, as the folk and pop style styled music was used as a symbol of hope for Zimbabweans ...

to North America, initiating a flourishing of Zimbabwean music in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

that continues into the 21st century.John Ross, "Dumisani Maraire", ''Seattle Metropolitan'', December 2008, p. 76. Dumi is credited for his famous 1–15 number notation used on the ''nyunga nyunga'' mbira and for notating the song "Chemutengure" on the ''nyunga nyunga'' mbira. The song "Chemutengure" is used to teach mbira learners the technique of playing the instrument.

Biography

Dumi was born in Mutare, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He began learning music from family members, and later at the college of music in

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...

. Maraire taught from 1968 through 1972 at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

.Carole Beers, Sara Jean Green
"`Dumi' Maraire Gave Northwest Sweet Taste Of African Marimba"
(obituary), ''Seattle Times'', 26 November 1999. He remained in Washington state until 1982, teaching at

Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Founded in 1967, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a p ...

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. Europea ...

, giving private music lessons, and performing in cities of the Pacific Northwest and in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

with several marimba groups he founded. Dumi returned to Zimbabwe with his family in 1982 to develop an ethnomusicology program at the

University of Zimbabwe The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University ...

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

. Four years later, he was back in Seattle, teaching and earning his own

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington, after which he returned again to teach at the University of Zimbabwe. He died of a stroke on 25 November 1999 in Zimbabwe.

Legacy and children

Maraire has been credited with having "inspired thousands of Americans to explore Shona culture by building and performing on mbiras and marimbas, providing a vivid example with his own family". Some of his North American students created a Zimbabwean music festival (now called "Zimfest") which has taken place annually since 1991. Several of his children have also had successful musical careers. The late

Chiwoniso Maraire Chiwoniso Maraire (5 March 1976 – 24 July 2013) was a Zimbabwean singer, songwriter, and exponent of Zimbabwean mbira music. She was the daughter of Zimbabwean mbira master and teacher Dumisani Maraire (and former officer in the Zimbabwe Mini ...

was described as the "Zimbabwe mbira queen" and "a true ambassador of the Zimbabwean culture". Dumisani Maraire, Jr. performs under the stage name

Draze Draze is a Zimbabwean-American hip hop artist, songwriter, producer and social justice activist. He is known for blending traditional African sounds, marimba, and mbira with hip hop music. He won an Emmy Award in 2022. Background Born Dumisani Ma ...

;

Tendai Maraire Shabazz Palaces is an American hip hop group from Seattle led by Ishmael Butler a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro (formerly Butterfly of jazz rap group Digable Planets). Much of the Butler's work as Shabazz Palaces has been made in collaboration with multi- ...

is part of hip hop duos

Shabazz Palaces Shabazz Palaces is an American hip hop group from Seattle led by Ishmael Butler a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro (formerly Butterfly of jazz rap group Digable Planets). Much of the Butler's work as Shabazz Palaces has been made in collaboration with mult ...

and Chimurenga Renaissance; and Zhiyanai Maraire performs as ZNi International.

Discography

* ''Mbira Music of Rhodesia'', performed by Abram Dumisani Maraire (1972). Seattle: University of Washington Press, Ethnic Music Series. Garfias, R. (ed.). 1 LP disc. 33 rpm. mono. 12 in. UWP-1001. This disc features Maraire exclusively on Nyunga Nyunga mbira. A 12-page booklet by Maraire is included, describing the background, composition, and performance of nyunga-nyunga mbira music. * ''Dumi and the Marire Marimba Ensemble (1978-1979). Chiwoniso Music of Zimbabwe. OXO Studios, Seattle, WA.. * ''Chaminuka'' (1989). Dumi's first commercial recording on CD.

Music of the World Music of the World is a World music record label that was active from 1982 to 2000. The company produced over 100 CDs and cassettes of traditional and contemporary artists from around the world. Nomad and Latitudes were imprint labels. ''Music o ...

. *''Shona Spirit'' (1995). Dumisani Maraire & Ephat Mujuru. Music of the World. ASIN: B000003IT0
Amazon.com
*''

Pieces of Africa ''Pieces of Africa'' is a 1992 studio album by the Kronos Quartet, containing works commissioned by the quartet, written by seven African composers. Track listing Critical reception According to AllMusic the Quartet avoids cultural imperialism ...

'' (1992).

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...

. Nonesuch ASIN: B000005J15
Amazon.com
*''Masters of the African Mbira'' (2000). Ephat Mujuru & Dumisani Maraire. A licensed compilation of various tracks from (

) recordings. Arc Music, ASIN: B00003ZL43
Amazon.com

Publications

* Adzenyah, A. K., Tucker, J. C., & Maraire, D. (1997). ''Let Your Voice Be Heard! Songs from Ghana and Zimbabwe.'' World Music Press,
Amazon.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maraire, Dumisani 1944 births 1999 deaths Zimbabwean musicians