flute, kpànsã́nã́gi

Flute system used by the Nupe people of Nigeria, described in Blench (2010). The instrument itself (kpànsã́nã́gi in Nupe) is a “notch-flute made from the hollow, dried stem of the guinea-corn plant, with two, three or four fingerholes… between 20 and 25 cm [in length]” (Blench 2010:23).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 kpànsã́nã́gi:  “For the Nupe today, the kpànsã́nã́gi is one of the more important of the ‘praise’ instruments” and is used to praise men during farming or at weddings, among other events (23).

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