Kachapi

Kachapi [Sans. kachapa cedrela, the Cedrela toona tree], the word kachapi means tortoise in Beng., Mal. and Sans., giving rise to the belief that these instrs. were originally made of tortoise carapace, but Sachs's etym., given above, is now generally accepted; 1. lute of the Batak of Sumatra, with oval wooden body terminating at the lower end in a clawlike extension, a carved head on the neck, and 2 fiber strings. Some specimens have angular bodies and 5 flat frets. See also: asopi; 2…