Zulu man playing Musical Bow, South Africa 1930
Rhythm of Life
Coursing through the human soul, music has always been a part of the human experience from our earliest recorded history. While we created the sound it was hemp that gave us the rhythm!
Women play the Musical Bow, South Africa 1880
The Bow and arrow are among man kinds earliest tools used for survival with its invention dating back in Africa as early as 65,000 b.c. Exactly when these tools designed for violence transformed into soundboards for the human soul is unknown but according to one Zulu mythology story, the musical bow was given to mankind by the gods turning the once weapons of destruction into tools for peace…
“After a terrible battle, the protective goddess transformed the bow of the warrior into the first musical instrument of the tribe, so that music and peace would replace weapons and wars forever.”
– Bantu-Nguni Mythology, Zulu, South Africa
Photogravure of two Ngangela boys playing mouthbows. Angola, Africa 1930
The musical bow is a simple instrument with original construction pretty much the same as that of hunting bow’s, with a wood body strung with a string made from sinew, horse hair, plant fiber’s consisting very commonly of hemp!
This bow was sometimes accompanied by the use of a stick to play (most likely originating from the use of a arrow). The player would then place their mouth close to the end of the string before strumming or tapping the string while opening and closing their mouth allowing them to change the pitch and tone of the sounds emanating from the bow.
This single stringed instrument is thought to have originated somewhere in Africa with especially old specimens found in South Africa. Just when this adaptation of peace spread to the rest of the world is unknown but one artwork from France may prove it is much earlier then anyone could have imagined…
Cave art of the Les Trois Freres Caves in France with the musical Shaman
From deep inside the Les Trois Freres Cave system in France, researchers have discovered artwork on cave walls predating known human history. One of these paintings titled ‘The Shaman’ may even be the first recorded use of the musical bow in Europe, much earlier then was ever thought…
The drawing etched into the caves walls was dated to more than 15,000 years old and is thought to be an image of a Shaman. The Shaman dressed as a bison was originally thought to be hunting the herd of bison, horses, rhinos and assorted animals he was surrounded by. But upon further study it now appears the shaman may not be hunting at all but may be playing the instrument believed to be a Musical Bow!
Without an arrow the Shaman appears to be holding a bow with his mouth placed by the string, seemingly playing his bow for the gathered animals…
Shaman cave art etching from the Les Trois Freres Caves in France with bison shaman playing the musical bow
A gourd or other hollow device would be added to the bows design acting as a resonator further amplifying the sound.
“Slave playing berimbau”, Picturesque and historic trip to Brazil by Firmin Didot and Fréres 1824
Musical bows are known to ancient cultures around the world even in the most remote areas of this Earth. The use of musical bows in the America’s could even hint at the possible premigration use of the instrument.
South American Natives play a mouth bow instrument. Natives of the Sierra de Perija, Venezuela 1901
The musical bow was certainly brought over to the America’s during the slave trade from Africa but evidence points out the instrument was already in widespread use in preColombian America…
Many examples of its preColombian use can be found in cultures untouched by this new introduction such as by the Ashaninka natives in the Peru rain forests or the Apache Indians of the American Southwest and even in much older cultures such as the Aztec’s.
Apache man playing a one stringed instrument with a bow. Photographed between 1883 and 1888
Making the case for its preColombian existence in America a codex was found in Mexico showing the use of an unknown strung instrument.
Dating to around 1000 a.d. the codex shows musicians playing various instruments. One of these musicians is playing a previously unknown instrument consisting of a blue bow strung with a turtle shell resonator. The strung instrument has never been recovered from an archeological site but its image on the codex insures it indeed existed.
Group of 6 Mixtec musicians from the Codex Becker I found in mexico dating to around the year 1000a.d.
Mixtec musician from the Codex Becker I found in Mexico dating to around the year 1000a.d. playing a musical bow with turtle resonator
Much like the Zulu, Japanese mythology also tells that the musical bow was given to mankind by the gods for peace…
This ancient Japanese story claims the musical bow started with the Sun Goddess Amaterasu’s Great Grandson Jimmu, who was the first human ruler of Japan (around 660b.c.). The story says that one day Emperor Jimmu was outside shooting his bow when a golden bird perched upon it, this was seen as an extremely good omen by Jimmu. After this encounter Emperor Jimmu’s bow started to develop the power to dispel evil by the mere plucking of its string.
Japanese yumi bows gained their great and storied strength from the use of hemp as its string. Sacred yumi bow’s used by the Shinto were used to protect and purify its user from evil, these sacred bows were named Goshimpo-yumi (Great Treasures of the Gods) and are still enshrined in Shinto shrines all across Japan today.
Playing Mouth Bows, Taiwan undated
Musical bows have had many variations in its design starting with the addition of a second string. These innovations lead to many of the unique strung instruments enjoyed by our ancestors like the multi stringed bow harps such as the lyre from Greece.
These innovations of the original musical bow ultimately lead mankind to create instruments still loved and played today such as the beloved guitar and even the violin.
oil painting by Giovanni Antonio Cavazzi, about 1687 showing a 2 string musical bow harp
The musical bow is still played and enjoyed around the world, here are just a couple examples of the musical bow still being played today.
Love that the first two are even smoking a bowl while playing the bow!
Illustration from a old magazine article about the roots of the ‘Brudder Bones minstrel show’ which was popular on the London stage in the late 1800’s
Botswana San bushmen musical bow performance 1972
Nharo (Naro) and Makaukau San Bushmen elders of the Western Kalahari Desert in Botswana sing a song about a hyena with a Musical Bow
Ashaninka man playing a unique mouth bow instrument, Peru
Buffy Sainte-Marie – ‘Cripple Creek’ with her mouth bow on Sesame Street 1970’s
Pondo man playing a string bow from the book ‘The Essential Kafir’ South Africa 1904
The simple musical bow is the origin of all stringed instruments that followed continuing to give humanity the sound to express our rhythm of life.
Amazing to think how just one little hemp string can change the world forever!
“Pretoria. Fumeurs de chanvre” (“Pretoria. Cannabis smokers”) Photograph of a group of South African men in a compound in Pretoria. They wear western style clothes and sit in front of a shack smoking cannabis. The guy on the Left plays the cannabis saliva game, man in the middle prepares cannabis to be smoked while the guy on the right plays the Musical Bow! Pretoria, South Africa, 1896