Wooden drum used on the Sea Islands, South Carolina

Object Details

Description: A wooden drum covered with stretched leather hide that has been attached to drum body with nine wooden pegs. Two carved, anthropomorphized face motifs are on opposite sides of the upper half of the drum body. The edges of face motifs have been sealed with a darker adhesive material. There are three bands running the circumference of the drum. The top band closest to the drum head, is stained darker than the rest of the drum body. There is a carved piece that extends from the darker band. It has a round drill hole that had been threaded through with a leather thong. This piece has been stained the same color as the bank. The middle band is directly below the top band and above the face motifs. It is the same color as the rest of the body. The bottom band is a carved triangular pattern between two parallel lines. The bottom band is located near the base of the drum, above a piece of hide wrapped and tied around the very bottom of the drum body. There is a nail visible in drum body interior.

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

19th century

Medium: wood, leather, hide and metal
Dimensions: H x W x D: 38 3/4 × 15 × 15 in., 28 lb. (98.4 × 38.1 × 38.1 cm, 12.7 kg); Diameter: 14 15/16 in. (38 cm)

Place collected: Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States, Lowcountry, North and Central America
Cultural Place: United States, Sea Islands, North and Central America; West Africa, Africa; Central Africa, Africa

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Musical Instruments
Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic: African American; African diaspora; American South; Folklife; Music; Slavery; Societies; Spirituality

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55ce96df7-5da3-44a7-8a68-4e0ea0d6f91c