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.