About:Nyele

The nyele is a small horn made from hollowed out animal horn or matete reed. The nyele is played in groups; one man plays one note and others play different pitches, which combine to form a certain combination of sounds. Traditionally, the nyele were played along with the drums at funerals of the so-called Valley Tonga in Zambia. The nyele is sometimes decorated with European paints, a sleeve of snakeskin or seed beads pressed into bees wax. They are used by men and youth at both formal and informal dances.