Such slit drums of wood are not used by the Yaka, in south-west Congo, as musical instruments for entertainment and dancing, but instead exclusively for rhythmic accompaniment during sacred rites (initiation, burial, healing the sick, etc.).
Another peculiarity of this Yaka drum, made of a piece of light-coloured wood, dyed dark brown, is the form of its handhold. It consists of a typical Yaka head, with large eyes and lowered eyelids, small, open mouth and large, round ears on both sides.
The nose, with accentuated nostrils, is here only slightly curved (often their figures display starkly upwards pointing noses, the typical ‘Yaka nose’). On the head sits a perfectly fashioned tortoise, with head stretched upwards. All is carved from a single piece. Moreover, the instrument displays white kaolin colouring in the interior of the resonance body (as there should be), and noticeable traces of use on the edges of the slit, where the drum was frequently beaten for a long time with a wooden stick. Overall an unusual, attractive object with very good usage patina.
Height: 42 cm.
First third of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance:
German private collection.

Lit.:
‘Sounding Forms. African Musical Instruments’ by Marie Thérèse Brincard, ill. 60, fig. 18; ‘Africa. Musica y Arte’ by Elena Martinez-Jacquet and David Serra, ill. 72; ‘Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture’ by K.-F. Schädler, ill. p. 565.