Tribal Art

Tschokwe drum (N° 21531)

Among the royal musical instruments of the Tschokwe, this cup-shaped ceremonial drum is stretched with a skin studded around the edges. The face carved on the wall adopts some of the features of the Chihongo mask. In each chiefdom, an attendant announced each solemn event with the drum. According to legend, the membrane of the instrument once concealed a second skin: that of a sacrificial victim. Dark brown patina, ochre residues, cracks of desiccation.
Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwe were then subjected to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. Nevertheless, the Chokwe never fully adopted these new social and political contributions. Three centuries later, they eventually seized the capital of the Lunda weakened by internal conflicts, contributing to the dismantling of the kingdom. The Chokwé did not have centralized power but rather large chieftaincies. They were the ones who attracted artists eager to put their skills to the exclusive service of the court. The artists created so many varied pieces of such quality that the Lunda court employed only them.
Litt. Musical instruments, coll. of the RMCA" J. Gansemans - Royal Museum for Central Africa.