Uhadi, the Xhosa name of the instrument also known Ugubhu(IsiZulu). It is a mouth bow. It is a single string instrument traditionally made from wood and a dried gourd. To play Uhadi, the string is struck with a thin stick or grass stem, producing a harmonic tone that resonates in pitch by moving the mouth of the gourd closer to or father from the musician’s chest.
A traditional instrument of the Amaxhosa people of our region, this overtone instrument is creates the musical scale which forms the basis of much of their music. It consists of a light-weight single brass string bow having a resonator gourd tightly attached with a wide mouth facing away from the string. The bow is held in the left hand, string facing away from the player in a manner which allows the string to be pinched to give a note a full tone higher than the open string. The string is struck with a thin stick or reed, and the distance between the gourd and the players chest varied until the resonating frequency matches one of the overtones in the string vibration.
By changing the fundamental pitch and by varying the resonating frequency, a musical scale is built up. It is a challenging, but very rewarding instrument to learn to play, and offers a fascinating insight into an aspect of music rarely appreciated by Western musicians.
This instrument, in slightly different versions is found historically from all the major tribal groups of South Africa, notably amongst the San/Bushmen, the original inhabitants of South Africa. The most well-known proponent of this instrument is uMadosini.
As a point of interest, and perhaps a demonstration of how widespread the use of the instrument was in Sub-Saharan Africa, its worth noting that it is called the Berimbau in Brazil where its a heritage of the African slaves forcefully taken from the Angola region.
This is probably the easiest cache on the trail. Make sure that you replace the cache securely to prevent baboons and monkeys from grabbing it and running off.