Biography of Dumisani Maraire

Abraham Dumisani Maraire (1944-November 25, 1999), known to friends as "Dumi," was a master performer of the mbira, a traditional instrument of the Shona ethnic group of Zimbabwe. He specialized in the form of mbira called nyunga nyunga, as well as the Zimbabwean marimba. He introduced Zimbabwean music to North America, initiating a flourishing of Zimbabwean music in the Pacific Northwest that continues to spread in the 21st century. Maraire was born in Mutare, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He began learning music from family members, and later at the college of music in Bulawayo. Maraire taught from 1968 through 1972 at the University of Washington in Seattle, where his daughter Chiwoniso Maraire (also a musician) was born. He remained in the region throughout until 1982, teaching at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, giving private music lessons, performing in Pacific Northwest cities and in British Columbia with several marimba groups he founded. Maraire returned to Zimbabwe in 1982 to develop an ethnomusicology program at the University of Zimbabwe. Four years later, he was back in Seattle, teaching and earning his own doctorate in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington, after which he returned again to teach at the University of Zimbabwe. Dumi is credited for his famous 1-15 number notation used on the nyunga nyunga mbira and for notating the song "Chemutengure" on the nyunga nyunga mbira. The song "Chemutengure" is used to teach mbira learners the technique of playing the instrument. (Chirimumimba,2007). Maraire died of a stroke on November 25, 1999 in Zimbabwe.