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Bell

The gangaran is used principally for funerals, and is struck with a stick made from ebony (which is less dense and makes a better sound than other woods). The bell is held in the fingers of the left hand. The player moves the stick up and down the seam of the bell at the side as he plays to change the note. The higher up the side of the bell the stick is, the lower the tone. The bell was made by a smith born 1956, and resident resident at Ideli-Na. Bells can only be made between sunrise and sunset. Traditionally gangaran bells cannot be commissioned by everyone, but are commissioned either by elders or by the hogon ("le roi"). Formerly, whilst the bells were being made it was customary for everyone to remain standing in the forge; no-one could sit down apart from the smith at work.

  • Culture:Dogon
  • Period:
  • Materials:iron
  • Specific materials/techniques:
  • Decorative elements:
  • Inscriptions:
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:111.231 (Individual) percussion tubes
  • Repository:Horniman Museum and Gardens
  • Measurements:overall: 11.4173 x x 3.1496 in.; 290 x 80 mm