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Valiha
Madagascar
Made by Ratovo
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Audio Excerpt
Music: Radafison, Madagascar, recorded by M. Desroches, 2000, LRMM, U. de Montréal
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The vali, as it is commonly known in Madagascar, is considered
the country's national instrument. A bamboo tube with strings running lengthwise around its
circumference is the most common form of the tube zither. The valiha displayed here
is made of wood and has metal strings that are tuned by inserting two small bridges under
each one and varying the space between them according to the note desired. Although the
instrument can be held in different ways, the slit must always face the musician.
In the past, the valiha was played only during ritual ceremonies. In the highlands
of the Merina region, it accompanied rites honouring ancestors to gain their favour. It was
also played during possession ceremonies among the Bara people, as well as in the northern
part of the island, where a musical genre called osika was performed during certain
magical and religious rites. Today, the use of the valiha has spread to secular music.
Village musicians play traditional music on it, and young musicians in urban areas associate
it with various types of popular music. One of oldest instruments in Madagascar, the
valiha has become the symbol of the island's cultural unity.
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