The Apache fiddle (Apache: tsii' edo'a'tl, "wood that sings")[2] is a bowed string instrument used by the indigenous Apache people of the southwestern United States. The instrument consists of a plant stalk, such as that of the agaveormescal plant. One or sometimes two strings, often made of horse hair, are secured at both ends of the stalk, a bridge and nut added, and the string is played with a bow resined with pine pitch.[3] The string is touched with the fingers to change its note. The Smithsonian Institution holds an Apache fiddle collected in 1875.[4] In 1989 Apache fiddle maker Chesley Goseyun WilsonofTucson, Arizona won a National Heritage Award.[5]
