This very historically important instrument, called a bania (likely pronounced 'banja' originally), was collected in Surinam in 1770 by a European traveler. It has three long strings and a short "thumb string." This bania represents the first hundred years of evolution of the banjo in the Americas. It has evolved from simple instruments like the Senegambian Akonting, and is already on its way to becoming the banjo we recognize. This instrument is now part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (National Museum for Folk Art), in Leiden, Holland.
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