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Wooden drum used on the Sea Islands, South Carolina

African American Museum

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    Object Details

    Created by

    Unidentified

    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

    Date

    19th century

    Object number

    2014.122.2

    Restrictions & Rights

    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

    Type

    drums (membranophones)

    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

    Data Source

    National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Topic

    African American
    African diaspora
    Associations and institutions
    Folklife
    Music
    Slavery
    Societies
    Spirituality

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55ce96df7-5da3-44a7-8a68-4e0ea0d6f91c

    Record ID

    nmaahc_2014.122.2

    Discover More

    Instruments Used by African American Musicians

    National Museum of African American History and Culture Collections

    Roots of African American Music

    Achievements and Impact

    Greetings from South Carolina 37 cent stamp.

    Explore America: South Carolina

    Connecting Through Music

    Paintings Featuring African American Musicians

    Photographs of African American Musicians

    Giving Voice to Resistance and Political Movements

    Jazz and Blues

    Bessie Smith: Empress of the Blues

    African American Music

    Bessie Smith: Empress of the Blues

    Credits and Additional Materials

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