Apache Fiddle
date: label: date made
content: 1989
name: label: maker
content: Wilson, Chesley Goseyun
notes: label: Description
content: This Apache Fiddle was made by Chesley Goseyun Wilson in Tuscon, Arizona in 1989. Honored with a National Heritage Fellowship Award in July 1989, Chesley Wilson crafted this instrument for presentation to the Smithsonian Institution. The tsii'edo'a'tl (Apache for "wood that sings") is
label: Description
content: typically made from the agave plant and is also called ki'zh ki'zh di'hi (buzz buzz sound), which fairly describes its musical properties. It is used in social settings, especially for ceremonial and love songs.
label: Description
content: Early documentation of the Apache fiddle is unclear. It may be aboriginal in design or modeled after European violins introduced through Spanish influence in the 19th century. While early examples (before 1920) are commonly ornamented with simple red and black geometric designs, more recent makers have incorporated more intricate and colorful decoration as seen in Chesley Wilson's work. An extensive collection of Apache fiddles is housed in the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History (Department of Anthropology) and Museum of the American Indian.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Arizona, Tucson
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
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content: Music & Musical Instruments
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content: Violins
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Chesley Goseyun Wilson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1989.0653.01
label: accession number
content: 1989.0653
label: catalog number
content: 1989.0653.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: fiddle
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 17 1/2 in x 4 3/4 in; 44.45 cm x 12.065 cm