fascinating. As a banjo player, some years ago I found an instrument in a junk shop (UK) which consists of a rough carved neck with 3 very crude friction pegs through the head. It is attatched to a small (4 inch) gourd like piece over which is stretched some sort of skin. The whole instrument is about 18 inches long. I did try to string it up with nylon strings and it sounded very banjo like. It is played with a short pointed stick attatched by a string, which I suppose is some sort of early plectrum. The bridge is a crude piece of wood and the strings tie on to the end of the neck which goes through the gourd to form the tail piece. It currently hangs on my wall and forms a good conversation piece when I talk about my banjo collecton. I have no idea of its origins and its possible that its something someone just made up. However, it is hand carved and may be quite old. Just thought it may make a useful addition to this thread.
Pete