Raft zither

This instrument was collected in the field by Christopher Powell-Cotton. It is a raft zither made of a panel of cane internodes bound together with transverse cane sticks and thatching grass at the ends, and additional strips of split petiole of palm. From the cane tubes, slivers of bark were sliced and raised over two transverse bridges, also made of cane, to form the strings. There are eighteen strings arranged in two sections of triple courses and all are overwound at the center with bands of cane bark for tuning. The overwound at the edges of the strings is for keeping the slivers from splitting completely from the canes.