The highlands of Lesotho are a remarkable area of huge rolling mountains, part of which forms the border between South Africa and the mountain Kingdom. Along this eastern boundary of the two countries is an area only visited by hikers and climbers who enter the region over High Mountain passes on the Drakensberg. To the west of the border, Basutho shepherds are the only inhabitants of the region. They live a semi-nomadic life style while tending sheep, goats and sometimes cattle. For the average shepherd, life is about hardship, hunger and cold and a life of basically boredom. Many hardly see the inside of a school classroom and are committed to a life of poverty in the high mountains of the Moluti Mountains.
One piece of amusement they have is the strange and very simple musical instrument called the mamkhorang. It is not often seen being played high in the mountains and very seldom recorded. I was able to film one being played during a recent hiking trip while at the top of Tlanyaku Pass in the central Drakensberg, between Cathedral Peak and Champagne Castle.
The mamkhorang consists of a crude bow, strung with a single string of horsetail hair. The one end of the bow is held loosely in a metal container such as an old oil tin with one side panel removed. This then acts as a sound box for the bow. Over the horsehair bow, another smaller bow is used to produce a strange and unique sound. I have sometimes seen green leaves placed into the sound box to modulate the sound.
These instruments are played either purely for entertainment or to create a sound as the shepherd walks across the hills and causes the flock of sheep to follow in his tracks. It is a unique experience to hear mamkhorang being played while one hikes over this amazing mountain landscape.
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