Six string belly harp with two sistra (or zistra) attached and a gourd resonator. The gourd has animal skin stretched over it and contains a rectangular opening. The sistra are triangular with circular metal rings that produce noise when shaken. Origin West Africa.
The Catherine and James Yatsco Collection contains artifacts collected in West Africa in the 1970s and 1980s. During 1971-1973, Captain James C. Yatsco was stationed in Monrovia, Liberia, under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where he helped manage the pharmacy in a newly-built hospital. Catherine Yatsco taught high school English to a mixture of Liberian children and the children of foreign diplomats at the American Cooperative School in Monrovia. While living in Liberia, the couple often traveled to the northern part of the country and other parts of West Africa. Destinations included Phebe Hospital near Gbarnga, Bong County; Ganta Hospital in Ganta, Nimba County, near the Guinea border; and Abidjan, Ivory Coast. In 1982, Captain Yatsco spent time in Gambia distributing pharmaceuticals for AfriCare. During this time, he made additional trips to Freetown, Sierra Leone and Monrovia, Liberia.
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