Reviving Old Instruments
Simon Mbira, 49, struck a gong to mark the time for seed sowing in his village of Sipijena, in Ende regency, East Nusa Tenggara. As the mosalaki wolofeo, or village chief, it is customary for Simon to hold the honor for sounding the traditional percussion set. "Music has been the pride of our people since ancestral times," he said, three weeks ago.
He described how gongs were used for the various events in the human life cycle, from when people changed the thatch on the roofs of their traditional houses, during wedding ceremonies and at planting and harvesting season. The instruments, when sounded, sanctify traditional rituals.
January 5, 2016
Simon Mbira, 49, struck a gong to mark the time for seed sowing in his village of Sipijena, in Ende regency, East Nusa Tenggara. As the mosalaki wolofeo, or village chief, it is customary for Simon to hold the honor for sounding the traditional percussion set. "Music has been the pride of our people since ancestral times," he said, three weeks ago.
He described how gongs were used for the various events in the human life cycle, from when people ch
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