The ground-bow, also called an earth-bow or ground harp, is a musical instrument with one string. It is shaped like a bow and is classified as a chordophone, which is a type of stringed instrument. It is used in cultures from equatorial and southern Africa and in other cultures with African roots. The instrument is made by placing a flexible stick, such as a branch or sapling, into the ground. A string is tied to the top of the stick and stretched to a resonator, which is often a pit in the ground covered by a board. Because it looks like a toy or a trap, its use in Africa was often missed by researchers. In 1933, Hornbostel classified it as a type of harp, even though it shares features with both harps and musical bows.

The resonator can be a pit covered by a board, with the string attached to it. Kruges described other designs used by the Venda people, such as tying the string to a stone placed in the pit, with the string passing through the board.

The instrument is also called kalinga or galinga by the Venda people. In their language, galinga means "a hole in the ground," but the meaning of kalinga is unknown. In Haiti and the Dominican Republic, it is called gayumba, and in Cuba, it is known as tumbandera. The Baka people call it angbindi. In Cuba, it is also called tingo-talango, a name that sounds like the instrument's music.

Julio Cueva’s song Tingo Talango is about this instrument, and the song is also performed by Ñico Lora.

The instrument is now very rarely used in its traditional cultures.

Playing techniques

The Kalinga instrument can be struck with a stick or plucked in different ways. The bow stick is bent to adjust the string's tension, which changes the sound. It can be played using a glissando technique: the stick is bent, struck, and then released, creating a unique sound. The pitches produced are not always steady.

The Kalinga is typically played to provide repeated background music for group singing.