Tsii' Edo' Ai (fiddle)
Athabascan Family
ca. 1900 · Agave flower stalk, wood, paint, horsehair · Musical Instruments
The Apache name for this two-stringed bowed zither means "wood that sings." Held against the chest or stomach and bowed like European fiddles, it is used for personal enjoyment or to entertain at home with songs and dances. The hollowed agave stalk body is decorated with traditional designs, and the strings attached to the ends of the tube are of horsehair. As it is the only Native-American bowed instrument, it remains unclear as to whether it is indigenous or of European derivation.
- Artist
- Athabascan Family
- Date
- ca. 1900
- Medium
- Agave flower stalk, wood, paint, horsehair
- Culture
- Native American (Apache)
- Department
- Musical Instruments
- Credit line
- The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
