Rare 19th c. Malinke Kora Musical Instrument

Rare 19th c. Malinke Kora Musical Instrument
Rare Unique 19th Century West African Malinke Hand-made Kora type of stringed musical instrument | Hand Carved long neck and figural head with original animal hide leather | Approx. Dimensions: 23" Long.

A Kora is a long-necked harp lute of the Malinke people of western Africa. The instrument’s body is composed of a long hardwood neck that passes through a calabash gourd resonator, itself covered by a leather soundboard. Twenty-one strings are attached to the top of the neck with leather tuning rings.

The Malinke (also called Maninka, Mandinka, Mandingo, or Manding) are a West African people occupying parts of Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. They speak a Mandekan language of the Mande branch of the Niger-Congo family.