Siku (instrument)

Siku or sicu/sicus (Quechua: antara; Aymara: siku; Spanish: zampoña or zampolla) is a traditional Andean panpipe. This instrument is the main instrument used in a musical genre known as sikuri. It is traditionally found across the Andes but is more typically associated with music from the Kollasuyo, or Aymara speaking regions around Lake Titicaca. Historically, because of the complex mountain geography among other factors, some regions in each community would develop their own type of siku, with its own special tuning, shape and size. Additionally each community developed its own style of playing. The modern siku has been standardized for compatibility with Western music, transformed from its traditional roots.

History

The siku (panpipe) is originally from the Aymaras of Peru and Bolivia, where a woman would play her siku as she came down from the mountains. Since the largest siku has every note (A-G), and was too big for the woman, they often got two sikus (usually smaller ones) that would be played together with someone else, so they could play them continuously after each other and thus the scales could fully be played. Once the women partnered, they then became musically bonded with each other, as part of their religion, and neither could play the pipes with any other for the rest of their life.

Women would also assemble into groups as they came down the mountains, each group would play different tunes, and as they got together, they would blend all the melodies together to create one complete melody.