Images(11)

Jungga

Alternate name(s)

Lute

Maker Sumba people

Date1850-1915 ca.

Place MadeSumba, Indonesia, Asia

Serial No.none

Signedn/a
MarkingsThere are two sets of initials written in pen on the soundboard. “JM” is written in red, and “MK” is written in black.
DescriptionThis type of lute belongs to the same family as the kachapi (see NMM 2368), although the Sumbanese versions tend to have wider bodies than their Batak cousins. These types of lutes are distributed throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillippines. According to Simon, they have Indian roots, brought to the area during the period of strong Hindu-Javanese influence beginning in the 7th century. The name of the instrument varies according to region, but most share a Sanskrit root, also pointing to their Hindu origin. Among the Sumbanese people this lute is called jungga, a name that may refer to either 2-stringed or 4-stringed lutes. The decorative, prow-shaped carvings at the end of the neck and body are probably the result of the Portugeuse influence in this region of Indonesia.
The Sumbanese maintain many of their traditional ways of life into the twenty-first century, including animist religious beliefs and small, agricultural village organization. Despite having one of the highest levels of poverty in Indonesia, the Sumbanese maintain their rich cultural heritage through festivals that take place from July to September, when the small villages gather to plant and harvest. Music and dance are an integral component, alongside costumes, story-telling and poem recitations. Drums and gongs are played to accompany dancing, which is intended to communicate with spirits. Few people play the jungga, as opposed to the drums and gongs that are often communally-owned and played. Junggas often accompany secular love or recreational songs.

A Declaration of Antiquity, signed by the dealer H.M. Lissauer on September August 23, 1979 (see attachments), certifies that the lute is over 100 years old.
Plucked lute with a neck and elongated, oval-shaped body, carved mainly from one piece of dark-colored wood. The underside of the body and the top of the neck are separate pieces of wood, attached with small metal nails. Both the body and neck are hollow. Two plastic strings run across the soundboard and the neck. They are probably not original to the instrument. There are three resonance holes carved from the underside of the body. The smallest hole is near the neck and the largest is near the edge of the body.
The bottom of the body tapers into a rounded, prow-shaped carving, explaining why this type of lute is also called a boat-lute. The top of the neck tapers into a pointed, prow-shaped carving. Just below the carving at the top of the neck is a raised, carved box with a hole in the front. There are two wooden tuning pegs, one on each side of the neck. Five raised posts running along the neck serve as frets.
Although two strings run from along the neck to the soundboard, there is actually only one string. Path of the string: One end is wrapped around one of the tuning pegs. The string then runs through a small hole in the back of the raised box, through the box, and comes out through a small hole in the front of the box. It then continues down the neck, along frets, and down the soundboard. There is a rounded, raised post in the middle of the soundboard. The string runs through one of two small holes on the inside of the post and comes out through one of two small holes on the outside of the post. It is then wound, once, around the circumference of the post before moving back through the post via the other two holes. The string then doubles back along the soundboard and neck, moves through the small hole in the front of the box on top of the neck, comes out through another small hole in the back of the box, and is wrapped around the other tuning peg.
A narrow strip of raised wood runs down the length of the soundboard, in the middle, directly underneath the strings. There are four small, decorative prongs carved from the narrow strip, pointing upwards: one where the neck and body meet, one at the end of the body, and one on either side of the raised, rounded post on the body. There is a small hole on the underside of the neck, near the top, with a braided cord strung through and knotted. The loop it forms serves as a handle.
DimensionsLength: 58 cm
Width where body is widest: 13 cm
Depth of body: 4.5 cm
Length of strings: 31 cm
Length of pegs: 5 cm

Credit LineBoard of Trustees, 1979

Object number02591

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