-40%
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century
Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century

Mangbetu Slit Drum ~ Congo, 20th Century

$ 580.79

Availability: 100 in stock
  • Culture: African
  • Modified Item: No
  • All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
  • Handmade: Yes
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: Congo
  • Condition: Very Good - wear appropriate with age and use. Third picture is a postcard showing these types of drums in situ (not included, just for reference). See pictures for visual condition.

    Description

    Mangbetu Slit Drum
    wood with patination, decoration nails, circa 20th Century
    The slit drum is an idiophone drum, made from a hollowed piece of wood in which a narrow groove serves as a sound opening. The slit drum is struck with a stick along both sides of the narrow groove, which produces two different pitches. The possibility of combining rhythm with pitch enables the slit drum to act as a means of communication for tone-language tribes.
    The first function of these drums is communicative yet this does not preclude their role during dancing, when it is played as a rhythm instrument in a larger ensemble. Whereas it is almost a law that the possession of such instruments is the privilege of the chief and certain eminent figures as a symbol of their power and prestige within the group.
    measures approximately: 21 1/4" W (handle to handle) x 16 1/8" H x 4 7/8" D (at deepest point)