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Slit drum, Yaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo
13.5" tall
wood, plant fiber, pigment
This object is being sold on consignment from a private collection.
$200
This object shows no real signs of age or use; it is my opinion that it was made specifically for the collecting market.
"Divination arts are practiced in many African societies with a wide range of objects. Mostly, divination is a process of making decisions and
solving problems. Often illness and unexplained deaths are believed to be caused by offended ancestors or neglected deities. The diviner
identifies the cause of the problem and prescribes a remedy. Instruments can include masks, the diviner's costume, figurative sculpture, tappers,
carved bowls, birdstaffs and more. For example, the Yaka people use narrow cylindrical slit-drums for the divination purposes. The handle of the
slit-drum is usually a carved head. The drum functions in several ways. It is used for preparing divinatory medicines, it is beaten at a diviner's
funeral, or it is used to announce the diviner's presence in a village he has journeyed to. Positioned on the ground horizontally, the slit-drum
also serves as a stool." Source - Ohio University School of African Art
13.5" tall
wood, plant fiber, pigment
This object is being sold on consignment from a private collection.
$200
This object shows no real signs of age or use; it is my opinion that it was made specifically for the collecting market.
"Divination arts are practiced in many African societies with a wide range of objects. Mostly, divination is a process of making decisions and
solving problems. Often illness and unexplained deaths are believed to be caused by offended ancestors or neglected deities. The diviner
identifies the cause of the problem and prescribes a remedy. Instruments can include masks, the diviner's costume, figurative sculpture, tappers,
carved bowls, birdstaffs and more. For example, the Yaka people use narrow cylindrical slit-drums for the divination purposes. The handle of the
slit-drum is usually a carved head. The drum functions in several ways. It is used for preparing divinatory medicines, it is beaten at a diviner's
funeral, or it is used to announce the diviner's presence in a village he has journeyed to. Positioned on the ground horizontally, the slit-drum
also serves as a stool." Source - Ohio University School of African Art
| For additional detail, click on any photo below to see the higher resolution version of the image. |
