Songs to Birds among the Teda of Chad

Abstract

B ird-catching songs belong to the stock of hunting techniques used by various ethnic groups in northern Chad. The songs themselves vary according to the local musical tradition from which each emerges. Their aim is to drive the birds, frightening them just enough to head them towards the snares without causing them to fly away. The songs described in this paper are those used specifically by the population of the Tibesti massif.