iya'lu dundun (talking drum), unrecorded Yoruba artist

Artwork Overview

unrecorded Yoruba artist, iya'lu dundun (talking drum)
unrecorded Yoruba artist, iya'lu dundun (talking drum)
unrecorded Yoruba artist
iya'lu dundun (talking drum)
late 1800s–1975
iya'lu dundun (talking drum), late 1800s–1975
Where object was made: Nigeria
Material/technique: wood; hide; leather; braiding; carving; cloth; brass
Dimensions:
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 52 x 30 cm
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 20 1/2 x 11 13/16 in
Credit line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. Kenneth Palmer
Accession number: 2007.3147
Not on display
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Exhibition Label: "Roots and Journeys: Encountering Global Arts and Cultures," Jul-2011, Nancy Mahaney There are several kinds of talking drums or dundun used by the Yoruba people during masquerades and other occasions. Drums like this one are held with the strap over the drummer’s left shoulder and played with a drumstcik held in the right hand. The drummer’s left hand can tighten the rawhide strings along the side to change the pitch of the drum. The talking drum is so named because the tones of the drum can literally be used to communicate the Yoruba language, especially through the oriki, a unique blend of music and poetry, which is intended to communicate praise of deities, ancestors, and rulers.