Orutu

Article summary

The orutu is a one-stringed vertical fiddle originated in the pre-colonial societies of Western Kenya, especially amongst the Luo community. In Luhya it's known as ishiriri. The Luo had a strong tradition of stringed instruments and was famous for their skills with harps and lyres. When played with a bow, the orutu creates different notes determined by finger pressure against the central stick. Although this musical instrument is played a bit like a violin, it has a different, unique sound to it. It is accompanied by drums and singing, but these instruments are not very popular because Kenyan and by extension African traditional music was heavily eroded by the coming of the European missionaries whose advent was followed by European colonialists. The missionaries, with the cooperation of the imperial administration, were probably most directly responsible for the modification, suppression, or even disappearance of many aspects of traditional culture and music in most of the African societies. Everything African or indigenous was purported as bad and contrary to God's will. Many missionaries deemed African culture especially, African music, as a manifestation of heathenism and thus antagonistic to the true faith.…

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