Collection record · Objects & craft
Spike fiddle (endingidi or iningidi)
The collection record classifies this work as musical instrument. It is dated 1900s. Recorded culture or place: Eastern Africa, Uganda or Rwanda-Burundi, unknown maker.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Spike fiddle (endingidi or iningidi)
- Date
- 1900s
- Culture / origin
- Eastern Africa, Uganda or Rwanda-Burundi, unknown maker
- Materials and technique
- Wood, snakeskin, and plant fiber
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 10.2 cm (4 in.); Overall: 44.2 cm (17 3/8 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1929.347
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
The endingidi is a single-stringed chordophone musical instrument. Scholars believe it was introduced into the Kingdom of Buganda (in present-day Uganda) between 1904 and 1907. From Uganda, it was later introduced to present-day Rwanda, where it is called iningidi and played by Hutu musicians. Horsehair stretched from the end of the handle and over the reptile-skin–covered tube sound box, and attached to the handle with the wooden tuning peg. A deeply curved bow, now missing, would have allowed a male musician to play the instrument as he held it vertically. Still played today, the music of the endingidi is often heard at weddings or played by royal Bugandan court musicians.
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of the African Art Sponsors of Karamu House · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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