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Bomba Drum

Anacostia Community Museum

Object Details

Caption
This drum shares its name with a musical genre, dance, and poetry; all are known as bomba, which means drum. The handmade drum voices the rhythms of afrochoteños, or Ecuadoreans of African descent living in Valle del Chota, the valley where the Chota and Mira rivers converge. Bomba del chota is the full name of the musical style and its signature dance. The drum’s construction reflects its rural roots—literally. Local vines, goat hide, and balsa wood traditionally comprise the drum. Metal wire and rope in various hues and widths add support to the vines, hide, and wood used to make this bomba. Written by hand on the drum’s head is a local musical group’s name and location, Grupo Gara Chimeo, and Chota, respectively. A player typically holds the bomba between the knees while patting the drum with the palms of the hands.
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Este tambor comparte nombre con un género musical, una danza y un género de poesía, todos ellos conocidos como bomba. Bomba del chota es el nombre completo del estilo musical y su baile característico. Este tambor hecho a mano evoca los ritmos afrochoteños, o ecuatorianos de ascendencia africana, que viven en el Valle del Chota, donde confluyen los ríos Chota y Mira. En la cabeza del tambor están escritos a mano el nombre y la ubicación de un grupo musical local, Grupo Gara Chimeo y Chota, respectivamente. La construcción del tambor refleja sus raíces campesinas. El tambor se construye tradicionalmente con parras locales, cuero de cabra y madera balsa. En esta bomba, se utilizaron alambres metálicos y cuerdas de varios colores y espesores para añadir soporte a las vides, el cuero y la madera. El músico usualmente sostiene la bomba entre las rodillas y la golpea con las palmas de las manos.
Cite As
Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution
20th century
Accession Number
1995.0038.0001
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
drum
Medium
wood, leather, plastic
Dimensions
8 9/16 × 13 × 11 5/16 in. (21.8 × 33 × 28.8 cm)
See more items in
Anacostia Community Museum Collection
Anacostia Community Museum
Record ID
acm_1995.0038.0001
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dl85498f72f-057b-4889-b8b5-2a39238a9fb1

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    Anacostia Community Museum
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