Mpíru (flute)
Carved from a single piece of wood, this flute is conceived as a stylized human figure with sharply bent arms. Small perforations at the tips of those arms serve as finger holes: while blowing into the V-shaped mouthpiece, the player covers or uncovers these holes to shift between the instrument’s available pitches. Leather bindings reinforce cracks caused by frequent handling and the humid savanna climate.
The playing of mpíru punctuates Nuna funerals, initiation rites, and harvest festivals with bright, penetrating calls. They are generally performed by small ensembles of musicians with each flute producing a single pitch. By interlocking their notes, they weave melodies that echo the tonal contours of Bwa speech and address ancestral spirits. Hunters travel with smaller versions that they use for making crisp notes as field signals.
Sandro Capo Chichi, Research Associate, Arts of Africa, 2025
The playing of mpíru punctuates Nuna funerals, initiation rites, and harvest festivals with bright, penetrating calls. They are generally performed by small ensembles of musicians with each flute producing a single pitch. By interlocking their notes, they weave melodies that echo the tonal contours of Bwa speech and address ancestral spirits. Hunters travel with smaller versions that they use for making crisp notes as field signals.
Sandro Capo Chichi, Research Associate, Arts of Africa, 2025
Artwork Details
- Title: Mpíru (flute)
- Artist: Nuna blacksmith
- Date: early–mid-20th century
- Geography: Burkina Faso, Black Volta River region
- Culture: Nuna
- Medium: Wood, fiber, reptile skin
- Dimensions: H. 10 in. × W. 3 1/2 in. × D. 1 1/8 in. (25.4 × 8.9 × 2.8 cm)
- Classification: Wood-Musical Instruments
- Credit Line: Gift of Thomas G.B. Wheelock, 1997
- Object Number: 1997.444.15
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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Nuna blacksmith
19th–late 20th century
Nuna blacksmith
19th–late 20th century
Nuna blacksmith
19th–early 20th century
Bwa peoples
20th century
Bwa or Samo
20th century
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