Yaka Peoples
African
Male and female Yaka diviners "ngaanga ngoombu" carried a "mukoku ngoombu," a narrow cylindrical slit-drum with a carved human head as a handle. A cord was often tied to the neck to attach a stick for striking the gong. Diviners used the gong to signal their arrival in a village, to provide rhythm for their chants, and as a container for preparing and serving medicines. It could also be used as a stool for the diviner. The versatile gong was the centerpiece of a complex Yaka system of ritual designed to determine causes for and solutions to sickness and misfortune.
African
Slit Drum or Gong (Mukoku Ngoombu)
20th century
Object Type:
Sculpture
Dimensions:
14 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in. x 3 3/4 in. (36.83 cm x 8.89 cm x 9.53 cm)
Medium and Support:
Wood and pigment
Accession Number:
2013.0017.0029
Credit Line:
Gift of Dileep and Martha Mehta
Male and female Yaka diviners "ngaanga ngoombu" carried a "mukoku ngoombu," a narrow cylindrical slit-drum with a carved human head as a handle. A cord was often tied to the neck to attach a stick for striking the gong. Diviners used the gong to signal their arrival in a village, to provide rhythm for their chants, and as a container for preparing and serving medicines. It could also be used as a stool for the diviner. The versatile gong was the centerpiece of a complex Yaka system of ritual designed to determine causes for and solutions to sickness and misfortune.
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Location
Latitude: Communication with the Spirit World, Longitude: 28
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