Traditional musical instruments – The sape’ (sampek, sampeh, sapek) is a traditional lute of many of the Orang Ulu or “upriver people”, mainly the “Kayan” and “Kenyah” community who live in the longhouses that line the rivers of Central Borneo. Sapes are carved from a single bole of wood, with many modern instruments reaching over a metre in length.

Technically, the Traditional musical instruments sape is a relatively simple instrument, with one string carrying the melody and the accompanying strings as rhythmic drones. In practice, the music is quite complex, with many ornamentations and thematic variations. There are two common modes, one for the men’s longhouse dance and the other for the woman’s longhouse dance. There also is a third rarely used mode. Sape music is usually inspired by dreams and there are over 35 traditional pieces with many variations. The overall repertoire is slowly increasing.

Traditional musical instruments Sapes are still being made in Borneo, and modern innovations like electric sapes are common.