Dipulu [kapulu]
- K.A. Gourlay
- , revised by F.J. de Hen
Extract
[kapulu]
Vessel flute of the Luba of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was rare by the mid-1930s. Typically it was made from husk of a spherical fruit or a calabash, and had two fingerholes flanking a blow hole, each about 4 mm in diameter. It was used by secret societies, as a signalling instrument for summoning people, for inspiring warriors during war dances, and on the installation or death of a chief. Other vessel flutes found in the DRC conform to this pattern and can have from two to six fingerholes. The Mongo lototsi na yomba is made from baked clay and has two fingerholes on each side; it was so called to distinguish it from the lototsi na litofe and lototsi na nsaw, both of which were made from fruits, the litofe being that of the rubber tree. The term lototsi is also used by the Kota, Ngombe and Bwende, while the Konda use ...
