The killi is an idiophone, a brass bell measuring approximately 10 cm in height, with an internal clapper angular in shape and ending in a sharp point. The clapper measures 0.5 cm in width. The other extremity is made into a loop and attached to a U-shaped strip of wood.
The killi was introduced to Tibesti as a result of military expeditions to Kanem and Niger and its use is not wide-spread in Tibesti. The instrument is not made by the Tibesti blacksmiths themselves. The killi bells found in Tibesti are never self-produced; they are always a gift. And this gift is subject to strict protocols: a husband may give a killi to his wife, but a father may not make such a gift to his daughter; a mother may give one to her daughter but only once the daughter can definitely have no more children, and so on.
The killi is usually played to accompany a married woman as she leaves her parents' village to go and live with her husband, which may be years after she was initially married. The bell is then attached to a leather bag, which she carries with her on her journey. When her husband dies, the widow will often wear this bell around her neck for the first year of mourning.
The size of the killi may also vary. There are small bells that are worn by the children around their neck. They may remove the bells when they reach the age of 7 or 8, which for the boys means they are allowed to eat with the men. The small bells are also sometimes worn as a necklace during dancing.
The larger bells are attached to the camel's neck during the mating season. It is believed to help reproduction and confirm the leadership of the male camel.
It is worthy of note that in each of the uses described, the bell is never actively rung with the hand. It is attached to clothing or worn as a necklace and therefore rings as the body moves.
See also: BRANDILY, M., Instruments de musique et musiciens instrumentistes chez les Teda du Tibesti, RMCA – Human Sciences, Annals Vol. 82, 1974
© KMMA/Monique BRANDILY