The most typical of Sarawak musical instruments, the sape, pronounced "sa-peh", is a traditional lute of the Orang Ulu community or "upriver people" of central Borneo. It is traditionally used by the Kenyahs, Kayans and Kelabit tribes.
Carved from a bole of white wood which repels insects, the sape is a masterpiece of woodcarving. The carver, usually a musician, hollows out the body of the sape with similar tools used in boat-building to a length of about over a metre, and approximately 40cm wide.
The sape was once played solely during healing ceremonies within the rumah panjang (longhouses), but gradually became a social instrument that is used as a form of entertainment. The colourful jungle motifs that adorn the body of the sape mark this change in purpose.
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