Kisaanji
Unknown Artist
Kisanji (Cisaji), a lamellaphone with 18 tongues tuned with wax, and rattling metal rings.
Lamellaphone is a term to designate instruments consisting of thin tongues of metal or split cane, mounted on a resonating board or box. Depressing the free ends of the tongues with the thumbs produces a gentle ringing sound, sometimes augmented by jingling objects attached to the board, and amplified by holding the instrument in a hollow gourd. Tuning is accomplished by sliding the tongues in or out in order to change their vibrating length. Lamellaphones are distributed across sub-Sahara Africa and were brought by slaves to Latin America. They are known by many names that may also be shared with xylophones. Most names have word stems which include: -mbila; -mira; -limba; or -rima. Westerners, not recognizing differences in construction, have simplified the name to two regional terms calling them either mbira or sanza.
Credit: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889