Mbira, c. 1951, Ndau culture, wood and metal, 6.25 inches high, Geraldine L. Abbott, 2005.4.2.
A mbira (thumb piano) is a traditional African instrument that is usually classified as part of the lamellaphone family. This mbira was collected in the Sabi River Valley of Zimbabwe, Africa where the instrument has played a large part in Shona culture, both sacred and secular, for over a thousand years.