The engalabi drum is never played on its own but is always combined with other drums and rattles. It is, however, also used to accompany some melody instruments such as the royal flutes and horns. The engalabi is inextricably linked with the dance traditions, such as the ekizina among the Kunta, the entogoro among the Kooki and the Nyambo, and the ekitaaguriro among the Tagwenda.
This single-skin drum is commonly used by the Bantu in the District of Ankole. It has a conico-cylindrical shape, but some royal drums are exclusively conically shaped. Conico-cylindrical means that the upper part of the body of the instrument is vertical, whereas the lower half has a cone-like shape. The diameter of the drumhead is therefore considerably bigger than that of the drumbase.
