What type of musical instrument do you think this is?

Where do you think was it made?

What is it made of?

This is an mbira, sometimes called a "thumb piano," a type of lamellophone which is played by plucking the metal tines with the thumbs.

The mbira comes from the Shona people of Zimbabwe, who have made and used them for over a thousand years. It is usually made of metal affixed to a hardwood acoustic soundboard.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• Instruments of the World
• Music of Africa
• African Pop Music