The Ba-Benzélé Pygmies - Hindewhu (Whistle Solo)

Hindewhu is a style of singing/whistle-playing of the Ba-Benzélé pygmies of Central Africa. The word is an onomatopoeia of the sound of a performer alternately singing pitched syllables and blowing into a single-pitch whistle made from the twig of a papaya tree. Hindewhu announces the return from a hunt and is performed solo, duo or in groups.

From the ethnomusicology LP The Music of the Ba-Benzélé Pygmies, recorded by Simha Arom and Geneviève Taurelle in 1965 and released by Bärenreiter-Musicaphon in 1966. Part of the series An Anthology of African Music, in the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music of the World.

Photo by Simha Arom, taken from the album’s liner notes.