Apache fiddle
Encyclopedia
The Apache fiddle is a bowed string instrument used by the indigenous Apache
people of the southwestern United States.
The Apache fiddle consists of a plant stalk, such as that of the agave
or mescal plant. One or sometimes two strings, often made of horse hair, are secured at both ends of the stalk, a bridge and nut added, and the string is played with a bow. The string is touched with the fingers to change its note.
The Apache fiddle is believed to be based upon fiddle
s brought to North America
by European settlers. The Smithsonian Institution
holds an Apache fiddle collected in 1875.
In 1989 Apache fiddle maker Chesley Goseyun Wilson of Tucson, Arizona
won a National Heritage Award.
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
people of the southwestern United States.
The Apache fiddle consists of a plant stalk, such as that of the agave
Agave
Agave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
or mescal plant. One or sometimes two strings, often made of horse hair, are secured at both ends of the stalk, a bridge and nut added, and the string is played with a bow. The string is touched with the fingers to change its note.
The Apache fiddle is believed to be based upon fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
s brought to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by European settlers. The Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
holds an Apache fiddle collected in 1875.
In 1989 Apache fiddle maker Chesley Goseyun Wilson of Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
won a National Heritage Award.
Sources
- Native American Stringed Musical Instruments by Daniel Brinton. in The American antiquarian and oriental journal By Stephen Denison Peet Jameson & Morse, 1897 v. 19, pg 20.