Kamale Ngoni – 14 String – Jeli

Our professional Kamale Ngoni instruments are the product of high-quality contemporary workmanship paying respect to traditional West-African construction. Huge Niger calabash gourds are skinned with African cow hide to serve as the heart of these wonderful instruments. Premium hardwood sourced from West Africa and Australia is meticulously hand-carved to form the necks, bridges and handles. The 14 strings are made from competition-grade ultra low-stretch monofilament line. Finished with American-made, heavy duty tuning keys.

The Ngoni is the instrument of the traditional hunter societies of Mali and Guinea. In ancient times it was a sacred ceremonial instrument played during pre-hunt ceremonies to accompany the long, epic stories about famous hunters and mythology. The kamale n’goni is a modern variation of the donso n’goni. Kamale can be translated as “youth”, so the kamale n’goni is said the be the harp of the new generation to play modern arrangements on, rather than the traditional compositions.  Today kamale n’goni are usually made with ten, twelve or fourteen strings.