Antara (musical instrument)
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The antara is a Peruvian musical instrument composed of a series of pipes (either of ceramic or cane) arranged in vertical, gradual form (that is to say in steps). They are traditionally made from a type of cane known as chuki or chajlla (Arundo donax) that grows in the eyebrow of the forest; the pipes are held together by one or two strips of cane (ties) to form a trapezoidal plane (like a raft). Antaras are of different sizes and they produce diverse sounds.
Antaras can have one or two tiers. In those with two tiers, the principal, larger tier consists of pipes open at one end and closed at the other by the natural knot of the cane. The pipes of the secondary tier, either open- or closed-ended, enrich the sounds produced by the principal pipes.
The antara is also known as a Siku, Panflute, or Panpipe. Siku is a term used so much in Quechuan as in Aymara used by the peoples of the Plateau of the Collao (P.e. Qcollas and Huancanés). Panpipe is a generic name in Spanish language with which it is named at present to the altiplánicas flutes (Jimenez Borja 1950-51; Valency Chacon 1981 and 1989). The name pan flute is associated with a god of the Greek mythology. The god Pan, its creator, who was an anthropomorphic being represented by a human head and torso, goat body and legs, two horns, beard and hirsute hair (Bolaños 1988: 17; Valency Chacon 1989: 31).
fr:Antara
