Dakpa boy, with white dots painted on his body, dancing at his initiaton rites, Ubangi-Shari region, Central African Republic

The Banda people of the Central African Republic use music in a myriad of social, religious, and life-cycle events. The use of wooden (and antelope horn) trumpets, known as ongos, is closely linked to traditional cult rituals and adolescent initiation rites. The ongo ensemble produces an elaborate polyphony (several parts combined simultaneously) of sound created by a closely knit series of notes played independently by each musician at a specific time. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.