Lyre (ndongo, endongo, entongoli, or kissar)

Lyres are common instruments across eastern Africa. The many names–– endongo , ndongo , kissar , or entongoli— reflect how many different groups use this Ugandan type. This example is made from a wooden bowl-shaped sound box covered in the skin of a reptile, possibly a monitor lizard. The strings lead up to a crossbar once decorated with goat hair tassels at each end and sometimes cowrie shells.