LAUSR

ABSTRACT The ekonting is a plucked lute played by people of the Jola ethnic group in Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. It has received considerable public attention in the past twenty years due to its historical link to early American gourd banjos. However, existing scholarship on the ekonting is limited and has thus far focused primarily on its connection to banjo history without considering the meaning and role of the instrument in the context of Jola culture. Drawing from sixteen months of fieldwork in Senegal and Gambia, this essay provides historical material on the ekonting from both Jola oral tradition and written documentation, analyses the significance of ekonting materials and decoration, and describes its typical performance style and settings. It includes transcription, translation, and analysis of two ekonting songs, offering new information highlighting the many ways that the ekonting is interwoven with other aspects of Jola culture.