Orawo, C.N.2014-04-252014-04-252011International Journal of Current Research. 2011 Vol. 3, Issue 5, pp.160-164.0975-833Xhttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/9430Thum is amorphous because it has broadened its corpus to include not only the Luo lyre, but also the fiddle, accordion and guitar musics unlike what was before the coming of Europeans. The introduction of the acquired instruments became a threat to the well - being of thum . To counteract the threat, thum players adopted the trappings of the acquired instruments, reduced the size, painted the resonator, a nd tuned it to an octave higher than before. Further changes included the introduction of the toe - ring, ankle - bells, transfer of the sound hole from the membrane to the back of the resonator, change of costumes and the increased size of dance teams. The Eu ropean way of life offered a challenge to those members of society who refused to identify themselves with their traditional cultures. The Catholics were moderate than the Protestants and most of the young people attending Protestant schools had no respect for their traditional cultures. In areas where European influence was minimal, young people played and attended parties of thum performance. The structure and meanings of the genres in the context of Luo society and culture reveal the great influence of t he Luo lyre on modern genres. However, the lyre has changed because of the innovation of individuals. Although the similarities of styles may be due to the influence of a common cultural tradition and music conventions, the peculiarities are partly determi ned by different instruments, the decisive factor in the distinctive style of the genres being the composers’ own personality and individual creativityenThumTraditional MusicMusical InstrumentsPerformanceMusic GenresWestern CultureLuo LyreJathumAfrican RitualsArticle