flute, eyígi

Flute system used by the Nupe people of Nigeria, described in Blench (2010). The instrument itself (eyígi in Nupe) is a fipple flute composed of a “conical wooden tube, open at the base, about 15 cm. tall, with two finger-holes opposite one another in the side-wall” (Blench 2010:20).The language is tonal, with L, M, and H register tones, as well phonemic falling and rising contours (4).Writing generally about Nupe surrogate language, Blench says: “instrumental performance is characterised as a type of speech since instruments can imitate speech tones and thus ‘say’ things” (8). About the eyígi: “[the eyígi is] used to ‘speak’ to the masquerades gboya and màmà, and direct them when they appear... Non-initiates are not permitted to understand the phrases spoken on the eyígi” (20).

Blench, R. (2010). Oral literature genres of the Nupe of Central Nigeria. rogerblench.info