Calling the Spirits: Missoko Bwiti Music of Gabon, by Moughenda Village

Calling the Spirits: Missoko Bwiti Music of Gabon

by Moughenda Village

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1.	Welcome Ceremony I 02:03	buy track
2.	Welcome Ceremony II 12:10	buy track
3.	Welcome Ceremony III 19:17	buy track
4.	Welcome Ceremony IV 25:09	buy track
5.	Forest Songs 35:08	buy track
6.	Women’s Rites of Passage Ritual I 14:45	buy track
7.	Women’s Rites of Passage Ritual II 10:54	buy track
8.	Women’s Rites of Passage Ritual III 04:23	buy track
9.	Women’s Rites of Passage Ritual IV 04:05	buy track
10.	Women’s Rites of Passage Ritual V 03:01	buy track
11.	Moungongo I 04:38	buy track
12.	Moungongo II 05:29	buy track
13.	Moungongo III 14:10	buy track
14.	Fire Chat Song 06:08	buy track
15.	Missoko Bwiti Initiation Songs I 08:10	buy track
16.	Missoko Bwiti Initiation Songs II 13:31	buy track
17.	Missoko Bwiti Initiation Songs III 14:37	buy track
18.	Missoko Bwiti Initiation Songs IV 13:07	buy track
19.	Manzinzi Ngombi Social Song 15:06	buy track
20.	Village Morning Jungle Sounds I 01:01	buy track
21.	Village Morning Jungle Sounds II 01:29	buy track
22.	Village Night Jungle Sounds I 01:11	buy track
23.	Village Night Jungle Sounds II 01:57	buy track

about

This collection of music comes from the Missoko Bwiti tradition of Gabon, a spiritual path that includes five different branches, spanning over a thousand years in equatorial Central West Africa. Central to this oral tradition is the use of root bark of the psychoactive shrub Iboga (tabernathe iboga), which is used in a variety of ceremonies. Within this tradition, it is said that Iboga taught the Bwiti how to construct the instruments they play, in addition to conveying the musically rich language utilized to awaken the connection to the spirit world. The recordings presented in this collection were made by Tenali Hrenak and Kristen Blinne in 2018 in Gabon whilst they underwent full initiations into the Missoko Bwiti tradition with 10th generation Bwiti Shaman, Moughenda Mikala.

The album includes songs from a traditional village welcome ceremony, opening songs for the women’s rites of passage ritual, Missoko Bwiti initiation songs, and a selection of songs about the forest. Featured instruments include the Mougongo (mouth bow), Ngombi (harp), Etsika (antelope horn), and various drums, shakers, and bells.

***All proceeds generated from track and/or album sales go to Moughenda Village.

credits

released May 30, 2019

Contributors:

Performers include Moughenda Mikala (Vocals, Percussion), Dany Manimha (Mougongo, Vocals, Percussion), Guy Roger Boussiengui (Ngombi, Vocals, Percusion), Manzinzi (Ngombi, Vocals, Percusion), and Various People from Moughenda Village.

Kristen C. Blinne, Ph.D., is an Assistant professor of Communication at the State University of New York, College at Oneonta, specializing in ethnography, cultural sustainability, and listening studies.

Tenali Hrenak is an audio engineer, field recordist, and sound designer, working on two independent projects: Muddy Boots Radio (www.muddybootsradio.org) and Sounds from the Rainbow (www.soundsfromtherainbow.org).

Cover photo by Kristen Blinne

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This Moment Records Oneonta, New York

This Moment Records is a collaborative project and record label, which is dedicated to producing and promoting field recordings from around the world, in addition to crafting innovative soundscapes for relaxation and meditation.

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