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'Ohe kani

human history
  • Common Name
    Jaw Harp
  • Other Name

    'ohe kani (Hawaiian)

    Jews harp / Mouth harp / singing splinter (English)

  • Description

    'Ohe kani. Mouth harp / singing splinter. It is made up of three parts. A long thin piece of bamboo has been glued and tied down with raffia cordage to a small rectangular piece of douglas fur ply-wood. At the end of the bamboo piece there features a small seperate spatulate piece. It has 6 perforations where the raffia cordage has been threaded through to hold the bamboo to the wood. The grain of the wood is varied in brown tones.

    The spatulate end of the bamboo curves forward. The colour of the bamboo is of a pale yellow as is the string used to lash it onto the wooden slab. A person playing this instrument would frame the large rectagular area with their mouth emitting vocal sounds whilst flicking the bamboo end to manipulate a melody., `ohe kani. [Jews harp / mouth harp / singing splinter]. It is made up of three parts. A long thin piece of bamboo has been glued and tied down with raffia cordage to a small rectangular piece of douglas fur ply-wood. At the end of the bamboo piece there features a small seperate spatulate piece. It has 6 perforations where the raffia cordage has been threaded through to hold the bamboo to the wood. The grain of the wood is varied in brown tones. The spatulate end of the bamboo curves forward. The colour of the bamboo is of a pale yellow as is the string used to lash it onto the wooden slab. A person playing this instrument would frame the large rectagular area with their mouth emitting vocal sounds whilst flicking the bamboo end to manipulate a melody.

  • Place
  • Accession Number
    1989.64
  • Accession Date
    17 Apr 1989
  • Other Id

    53119 (ethnology)

  • Department
Ohe kani, 1989.64, 53119, Photographed by Denise Baynham,… … Read more

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